Brandon Graham, Jake Elliott, and More Thoughts From Eagles Win Over Commanders

Here are five thoughts from the Eagles' 29-18 win over the Washington Commanders on Saturday outside DC that clinched a second straight NFC East title.

BG. The ageless wonder had another sack against the Commanders, giving him three in his last two games in a combined 16 defensive snaps (nine against Washington). His return at age 37 has been remarkable and extremely helpful given that that he has helped the Eagles overcome the loss of Jalen Carter these past three games.

“I have to give all the credit to, first, God bringing me back, and on top of that the guys in the room helped me at the D-tackle positions trying to fill that void; at least be half of what JC would be in the middle,” Graham told reporters in Landover, Md. “Just trying to do my job and let the plays come to me. The last four weeks have been good. Now these last couple weeks I feel like I’m getting in my flow. I’m excited to continue to just keep pushing.”

Graham has accomplished plenty in his 16-year career with the Eagles. He played in his 213th game, the most in franchise history, and his sack brought his career total to 79.5, but he had never won back-to-back division titles, though this is his seventh overall.

“It’s cool, man, because being here for 16 years, it’s never been that,” he said. “I’ve been waiting on that time, and it’s finally here. This is a step in the journey, but we have so much more ahead of us that we have to go accomplish. We’re trying to (get) that trophy one more time.”

Brutal schedule. The Eagles deserve a ton of props for winning their second straight division title. They weren’t given any favors by the NFL’s schedule makers – Philly didn’t have any back-to-back home games, played five games on short weeks, and had 11 games against teams that participated in last year’s playoffs.

Given that, bumps in the road should have been expected and there were two losing streaks of two and three games. There was also an incredible stretch where they won three straight games against teams that won their division last year, beating the Chiefs, Rams, and Bucs from Weeks 2 through 4 with two of those wins on the road.

Could Jake Elliott's Days Be Numbered?

Brutal kicking. The Eagles could audition kickers this week after Jake Elliott’s disastrous day, missing field goals from 43, 57, and 52 yards, though the 57-yarder didn’t count because Washington lined up offsides. The five-yard infraction didn’t help because Elliott missed a play later from 52.

Nick Sirianni threw support to his kicker, but Elliott wouldn’t be surprised if the team brought in another leg in for a look-see.

“I understand that it’s a production-based business,” he told reporters. “You see it all the time. That’s out of my hands. That’s out of my control. All I can do is put my head down and keep pushing.”

Elliott is flummoxed about a season that has been inconsistent for him. He knows it isn’t a mental thing.

“That’s kind of what’s frustrating about it, I don’t feel like that at all,” he said. “I kind of wish it was, it’d be easier to fix. It’s something I’ll have to go take a deep dive on and watch the film. No one is harder on themselves than I am. So like I said, it’s frustrating, and I gotta be better.”

Best football of season. It still looks ugly at time on offense, but it’s put up 60 points during this modest two-game winning streak and winning in whatever way possible at this time of year is critical.

“We have more to improve and that’s on both sides, but I think we’re in a good spot as a team,” defensive tackle Jordan Davis told reporters.

Brawl. Washington wasn’t happy with Eagles going for two-point conversion after scoring fourth and final touchdown of game.

"If that's how they want to get down, all good,” said Dan Quinn. “We'll play them again in two weeks”

Quinn said nothing about coaching with a loser’s mentality, opting to punt near midfield down 19 with about five minutes to play or choosing to kick a field goal from the 3-yard line after Will Shipley gave Quinn's team a gift by fumbling the opening kickoff.

More NFL: Eagles React To Winning Second Straight NFC East Title