The Eagles entered Monday night's matchup with the rival Commanders as the NFL's last unbeaten team. It turns out Week 10's divisional tilt was also Philadelphia's last game as an unbeaten team. Forcing four turnovers -- one more than the Birds coughed up all season -- and easily winning the time-of-possession battle, as well as several controversial calls from the officials, Washington downed its NFC East rivals 32-21.
Eagles pass rusher Brandon Graham was flagged for unnecessary roughness on one of the Commanders' final plays, in which Taylor Heinicke took a knee on third-and-long while attempting to run the clock down. That miscue sealed Washington's win to improve to 5-5.
Here are takeaways from Monday night's major upset:
Why the Commanders won
They refused to let the Eagles have, or keep, the ball. Neither Brian Robinson Jr. nor Antonio Gibson had a game-changing individual run, but they each got lots of work as Washington ran 49 total times, milking the clock and keeping Jalen Hurts and Co. off the field. Heinicke, meanwhile, proved to be the master of third down on this occasion, overcoming two turnovers to feed Terry McLaurin (8 catches, 128 yards), routinely extend drives and, most notably, draw a game-sealing late hit from Graham while kneeling to absorb a sack in the waning minutes of the game.
Well-rested thanks to the offense's time of possession, Ron Rivera's defense was especially opportunistic as well. Not only did the "D" basically erase a nicked-up A.J. Brown from the matchup, but it forced timely fumbles on Quez Watkins and Dallas Goedert, while also logging a deep-ball pick, to stay on top. Joey Slye was also money for Washington in prime time, drilling a pair of 50-plus-yard field goals to help keep the underdogs in front.
Why the Eagles lost
They did the one thing they've been really good at not doing all year: turned the ball over multiple times. First came a pick on a deep Hurts throw that hit Brown's hands before ending up in those of Darrick Forrest, who later had a second takeaway by scooping up a fumble from Watkins. Goedert's own fumble was more controversial, seeing as the officials missed a facemask that occurred on the tight end while he lost the ball, but the Eagles' typically efficient offense also endured several three-and-outs battling Washington's front. The "D," meanwhile, got boosts from a Josh Sweat strip-sack and C.J. Gardner-Johnson pick, but was overall quite soft. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon opted to sit back and prevent the big play, but in turn, his unit allowed McLaurin to feast, with Washington dominating the possession battle.
Turning point
Trailing 26-21 with 5:43 left, the Eagles suddenly appeared to be back in business, capable of an explosive comeback, when Hurts uncorked a perfect 50-yard strike to a wide-open Watkins, who hauled the pass in at Washington's 23. Shortly after getting off the ground from the diving catch, however, Watkins lost the ball upon contact with Benjamin St-Juste, and Forrest was nearby to scoop it up after DeVonta Smith made his own attempt to recover the fumble. The turnover robbed the Eagles of points, allowed Washington to burn another two minutes off the clock, and kept momentum in the visitors' favor.
Play of the game
Give it to St-Juste, who showed awesome awareness and punch-out skills by flipping the script on Watkins' big catch:
What's next
The Commanders (5-5) will hit the road to take on the Texans (1-7-1), who fell to the Giants on Sunday. The Eagles (8-1), meanwhile, will travel to Indianapolis to square off with the Colts (4-5-1), who edged the Raiders in Jeff Saturday's debut as interim coach in Week 10.