LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — As the percussive horns of Steve Wonder’s “Sir Duke” filled the air, Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni — wearing a black T-shirt bearing the words, “Been there, won that” — made the rounds in the locker room, offering hand clasps and back slaps to his players after they accomplished something that hadn’t happened in two decades: win a second consecutive NFC East title.
“Gets better and better,” running back Saquon Barkley said as he walked through the scene Saturday night, “each time.”
This was not a terrific performance by the reigning Super Bowl champions, from a fumble on the opening kickoff to a pair of penalties on the tush push to three wide-left field-goal tries to a halftime deficit. Still, Barkley, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles eventually got going in the right direction and clinched their division yet again by beating the Washington Commanders 29-18.
“I’m just happy,” Hurts said, “we were able to check that off.”
The game included a late brawl when Barkley tacked on a 2-point conversion that increased the Eagles’ lead to 19 points before the Commanders scored a meaningless TD.
Starting plays under center far more frequently than he did earlier in the season, Hurts completed 22 of 30 throws — with 15 of those caught by A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith — for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. He connected with Smith from 5 yards out in the first half and with Dallas Goedert from 15 in the third quarter to cap a 17-play, 83-yard, 10 1/2-minute drive.
“We’ve slowly been playing better and better on the offensive side of the ball,” said Goedert, whose 10th TD reception this season tied a record for Philadelphia tight ends that was first set in the 1960s.
Hurts also did plenty of damage on the ground, gaining 40 yards on seven carries for the Eagles (10-5), who have followed a three-game losing streak by winning two in a row. They are the first team to top the NFC East in back-to-back seasons since Philadelphia did it every year from 2001 to 2004; the gap since then was the longest drought without a repeat champ for any division in NFL history.
Barkley added a 12-yard TD run for the Eagles, part of his 21-carry, 132-yard performance that raised his season rushing total above 1,000 yards.
A year after going 12-5, the Commanders have lost nine of 10 to fall to 4-11.
“It certainly feels terrible,” coach Dan Quinn said, “to hear that record.”
Chants of “E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!” frequently rang out in the Commanders’ stadium, and cries of “Cooooop!” greeted Cooper DeJean’s interception of Josh Johnson, Washington’s third-string quarterback, who came in when Marcus Mariota went out after the opening drive in the third quarter with an injured right hand while Washington led 10-7.
Mariota started Saturday in place of Jayden Daniels, the reigning AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year who led the Commanders to the NFC title game last season — where they lost 55-23 to Philadelphia — but has been shut down in 2025 after dealing with a series of injuries and appearing in only seven games.
The chilly evening started inauspiciously for Philadelphia. Will Shipley coughed up the opening kickoff when he was hit by Mike Sainristil. But just as they have over the course of the season, the Eagles got through what wasn’t working and ended up in the right place.
“This division’s had so much parity throughout the years,” Sirianni said. “Obviously our goals are much higher. We’ve raised the expectations.”
Jake Elliott, leaning left
The Eagles’ Jake Elliott managed to send three field-goal attempts wide left in the first half. Elliott hadn’t missed more than one in a game this season. But he was off on a 43-yarder in the first quarter, couldn’t get a 57-yarder to go through the uprights in the second — and after that was wiped out by a penalty on Washington, Elliot went wide left once more, from 52. “I have the utmost confidence in Jake,” Sirianni said.
Brandon Graham, again
DE Brandon Graham, 37, whose two sacks last week made him the oldest Eagles player to record one, added another Saturday.
Injuries
Eagles: LB Nakobe Dean (hamstring) exited in the first quarter.
Commanders: Mariota was evaluated for a concussion and cleared, but his hand sidelined him. … WR Jaylin Lane (ankle) left in the first quarter. … RG Sam Cosmi and DT Johnny Newton were evaluated for concussions. … OT Brandon Coleman hurt his shin.
Up next
Eagles: At the Bills on Dec. 28.
Commanders: Host the Cowboys on Thursday night.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
