USA Today
Eagles Dominate Commanders with DeVonta Smith, Marauding Defense
LANDOVER, Md. – The hugs between Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wenz and his former teammates in the pregame warmups were plentiful.
The Eagles kept hugging once the game began, wrapping their arms around their former QB nine times, with six different defenders notching at least a half-sack.
The defense set the tone early, then DeVonta Smith put on a show later as the Eagles rolled to a 24-8 win over Commanders in front of a large contingent of Eagles fans at FedEx Field on Sunday.
It felt almost like a home game with the fans getting loud whenever Washington faced a third down.
They got an eyeful of another dominating performance from the defense, which short-circuited the Minnesota Vikings on Monday then did it again to Washington six days later.
"Certainly a lot of Eagles fans there," said center Jason Kelce, making his 125 straight start. " We always appreciate that. I think Nick (Sirriani) referenced during the week was to make them go on silent count, whicn they did.So, good job Philly."
Washington didn't find the end zone until there was 1:55 left in the game.
The Eagles are 3-0 while the Commanders dipped to 1-2. The last time Philly was 3-0 was 2016, but finished 7-9.
The Eagles' defense surrendered just 240 total yards of offense.
Smith was just as unstoppable as the defense.
The second-year WR had 169 yards, 154 of them in the first half, which broke his career-high of 122 set as a rookie. His eight receptions were also a career-high.
I trust my training, preparation and the way I prepare," said Smith. "That's what it comes down to. Not just me but the team and the way we prepare, and the way we go out and attack every practice. I feel like that's what got us to where we are now."
Smith had catches of 45, 44, and 31 yards in the first two quarters, and all three led to points.
His shortest catch may have been his best, unless it was the catch that landed Philadelphia at the 1 that covered 44 yards.
On that one, Smith soared through the air, caught it, then landed on his back. He had to leave the game, but returned after missing a play.
"As a receiver that is what it comes down to 50/50 balls, you gotta win it," said Smith.
He re-entered the game on fourth-and-goal from the 2 as time ran on the first half. Hurts threw a jump ball in the back of the end zone, and Smith went up and got it over Kendall Fuller. That allowed the Eagles to take a 24-0 lead into the locker room.
"I told you, he can really jump," said Eagles CB Darius Slay. "That's normal for us to see that. That is not a shocker for us...I'm just lit for him. That's like my little brother. We work hard together.
"He is a freak of nature. You see the twist of the body. he grabbed the ball up in the air. Way up there. he attacked he ball the way a DB is supposed and he has a DB mindset."
Jalen Hurts was 22 for 35 for 340 yards, three TDs, and a passer rating of 123.5.
Wentz was 25-for-43 with 211 yards. At halftime, he was just 3-for-10 for 24 yards with a passer rating of 39.6.
"Hats off to them," said Wentz. "That is a good defense. That's a good team. They got after us and I did not play to my standards, especially early."
Hurts' other touchdown throws were 23-yard to Dallas Goedert, which came just 1:35 after jake Elliott kicked a 32-yard field goal to open the scoring early in the second quarter.
Goedert patiently waited for his blocking to develop after receiving Jalen Hurts’ throw. After Isaac Seumalo and Jason Kelce arrived on the scene to do just that, Goedert accelerated through a tiny crack and burst onto the end zone.
The other TD throw went to A.J. Brown on a 9-yad slant that capped a 64-yard, six-play drive that spanned just 2:49. Brown just overpowered Benjamin St.-Juste.
Brown had four of his catches and 75 yards in the first half. He ended 5 for 85.
"The trust we have in one another, being on the same page, to see that pan out now is great," said Hurts about the play of his WRs. "We know there's more to it and it's just the beginning."
Like last week’s win over the Vikings, the Eagles did all their scoring in the first half, unable to add anything more in the second.
"I feel like everybody has the right type of focus going into the second half," said Hurts. "We just have to execute. I think there are a handful of plays in the second half where they can go the whole entire way if we just hit it."
Hurts referred to a deep shot to Brown that went a bit too far.
The Eagles struggled to run the ball against. a defense that had allowed 7.2 yards per carry in its first two games.
They had just 72 yards on 30 runs. Miles Sanders had 15 carries for 46 yards; Hurt 20 on nine runs.
The offense even gave two points to Washington when its offensive line was overwhelmed by the Washington front after the defense made a goal-line stand at the 1-yard line. Boston Scott was tackled in the end zone for a safety that made the score 24-2. Sua Opeta had taken over for Landon Dickerson at left guard on the play.
The defense did most of its marauding in the first half, collecting all six of its sacks in the first two quarters.
Brandon Graham had a strip sack fumble that teammate Javon Hargrave recovered at the Washington 24. Two plays later, Goedert scored his touchdown.
Graham had 2.5 sacks to lead the charge.
Here are the other recorded sacks and how many:
- Fletcher Cox 1.5
- Haason Reddick 1.5
- Hargrave 1
- T.J Edwards 1
- Josh Sweat 1.5
There were also two forced fumbles among those sacks. In addition To Graham, Reddick also forced one. Wentz fell on that one, though.
After playing their former franchise QB, the Eagles will host their Super Bowl-winning coach, Doug Pederson, when the Jacksonville Jaguars visit on Sunday (1 p.m.).
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
