The Eagles roll behind Hurts, Barkley at the top of the division and as one of the NFL’s best

PHILADELPHIA — Jalen Hurts played through a vicious blow to his head. Saquon Barkley turned a close fourth-quarter game with the NFC East lead on the line for a comfortable win. Nick Sirianni shakes off his critics and keeps winning games.

The Eagles (8-2) look to be a Super Bowl contender.

There’s not much the Eagles are doing wrong lately, winning six straight games coming out of the bye to sit behind only Detroit (8-1) for the best record in the NFC.

The Eagles are in command of the NFC East after a 26-18 victory Thursday night over Jayden Daniels and the Commanders (7-4). It would take a major collapse to miss out on a division title and a home playoff game.

“I think our guys played with extreme effort and good things happen when you do those things,” Sirianni said.

Good stuff, for sure.

— Barkley combined for 198 scrimmage yards and two scores, rushing 26 times for 146 yards (5.6 average) while adding two receptions for 52 yards. With 1,137 rushing yards through 10 games, Barkley moved ahead of Baltimore’s Derrick Henry for the NFL lead.

— Hurts’ head was spiked into the turf by Washington linebacker Frankie Luvu in the second quarter and bounced off the ground. Hurts was evaluated for a concussion — “I think I broke protocol,” he said — and stayed in the game. He finished with 221 yards passing and running for the go-ahead touchdown.

— Sirianni improved to 42-19 (.689) with the Eagles, representing the highest winning percentage by a head coach in franchise history and second-highest among active NFL head coaches.

What works

Yes, everyone sees Barkley lighting it up at the peak, and Hurts has remained as steady as it gets as they steer the Eagles toward the postseason.

However, it is the defense that can carry the Eagles deep into the playoffs.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was right up in Daniels’ face most of the game, stuffing the rush. Nolan Smith and Josh Carter picked up big sacks.

Philadelphia held Washington to 264 yards, its second-lowest total of the season. The Eagles also held the Commanders below their season averages in rushing, passing and third downs.

The defense changed the game on a crucial fourth down stop on Daniels’ fourth down scramble that gave the Eagles the win.

What needs help

Outside of kicker Jake Elliott’s worst game of his career, a dismal outing that kept Washington within striking distance in the fourth quarter, the Eagles are rolling as one of the best teams in the NFL right now.

Stock up

Quinyon Mitchell. It was a frustrating night for Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin, who surpassed 100 yards receiving in last Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh for the fourth time in the past eight games, compiling 113 on five catches.

McLaurin had just one catch for 10 yards against the Eagles, with Mitchell largely given the coverage assignment.

Stock down

Elliott. Elliott missed field goals of 44 and 51 yards and was wide on an extra point that kept the Eagles’ lead at just 12-10 until Barkley broke the game open with two late touchdowns.

“Jake has been so taken his whole career and his whole time that I’ve been here, too,” Sirianni said. “Like I would say to somebody who fumbled or dropped a pass in a moment, ‘We believe in you. You’re going to have to make a kick to help us win this football game.’

Elliott holds the franchise record for seven plus-50 field goals in a season, but has missed all four attempts from that distance in 2024. It was also the first time in his eight seasons that he missed three kicks in one game.

“We have so much faith in him, and that’s what you do,” Sirianni said. “You can really make connections through tough times, right? So obviously he went through a tough time, but this team has so much faith in Jake Elliott because of his track record and who he is and the teammate he is and the captain he is is.”

Injuries

The Eagles escaped with no injuries to key players.

Key number

6. Eagles win six straight games for first time since 2002. The Eagles’ six-game winning streak is tied for their fourth-longest stretch in a single season since 2004, trailing only 2017 (nine), 2022 (eight) and 2004 (seven). The streak is also the longest in a bye week since their introduction in 1990 (previous record was four games in 1996).

Next step

The Eagles play another night game on Nov. 24 at the Los Angeles Rams.