Philly Leader

The Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football, aiming for the top spot in the NFC East. The game marked Jordan Mailata's return from a hamstring injury sustained in Week 6 against the Browns. "Hamstring felt great. Just trusted in the rehab process," Mailata said.

In the first quarter, Jahan Dotson quickly made an impact against his former team with an 8-yard gain. Landon Dickerson briefly left due to injury but returned shortly after. Jake Elliott missed a 44-yard field goal attempt for the Eagles, and Washington's Zack Baun disrupted Jayden Daniels' pass, leading to a three-and-out.

Saquon Barkley reached 1,000 rushing yards for the season during the Eagles' second drive. Washington's offense responded with a touchdown run by Brian Robinson after Austin Ekeler's 34-yard catch. "Everybody's patting us on our back about how good we did," Nakobe Dean commented on their performance.

Elliott missed another field goal early in the second quarter. Brandon Graham and Jalen Carter sacked Daniels, forcing Washington to punt. Elliott finally scored with a 21-yard field goal just before halftime.

The third quarter saw Zane Gonzalez extend Washington's lead with a 45-yard field goal. Hurts connected with Barkley for a significant gain but settled for another field goal by Elliott.

In the fourth quarter, Hurts secured a first down with a crucial run, followed by Barkley's touchdown that gave Philadelphia its first lead. Milton Williams left due to injury but was questionable to return. Baun and Reed Blankenship stopped Daniels on fourth down.

Barkley added two more touchdowns in quick succession as Blankenship intercepted Daniels, solidifying Philadelphia's lead. Despite a late touchdown and two-point conversion by Zach Ertz of Washington, Dallas Goedert recovered an onside kick to seal Philadelphia's victory at 26-18.

Key statistics include Jalen Hurts passing for 221 yards and Saquon Barkley rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Jayden Daniels threw for 191 yards and one touchdown while Brian Robinson rushed for 63 yards and one score.