Watch: Freak Interception, Two Eagles' Turnovers Give WFT Early 10-0 Lead
The formula for the Washington Football Team Tuesday should be to trust its ground game. Without a full week of practice for quarterback Garrett Gilbert, Antonio Gibson will have to be the answer offensively against the Philadelphia Eagle
Early through the first quarter, he's lived up to that standard.
The third-year running back - with a boost from receiver Terry McLaurin - has been the entire offense for WFT early on. On the opening series, Gibson recorded the lone reception, a 19-yard gain that featured a juke in the open field that pushed the team forward for a first down.
One drive later, Ron Rivera wasn't going to get cute. All seven plays came on the ground. They all went to Gibson. In the end, it was a leap over the goal line to give Washington an early 7-0 lead.
Through two drives, Gibson has 45 of WFT's 52 offensive yards.
Perhaps what's even better than Gibson's emergence on the road would be safety Landon Collins' vision. On third-and-1, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts tried to connect with tight end Dallas Goedert for the easy first down. The ball ricocheted out of his palms, looking as it if touched the ground and was picked up by Collins off the bounce.
It wasn't. The ball stuck Goedert's heel. It bounced up, allowing Washington a chance to nab the turnover and give the Gilbert-led offense exception field position at the Eagles' 26-yard line.
On Philly's second possession, Montez Sweat produced a strip-sack of Jalen Hurts. Gilbert hit McLaurin with a long pass inside the 10 to set up a short field goal and a surprising 10-0 lead.
Washington (6-7) could improve to .500 for the first time since Week 2 should the score hold in its favor. A victory for either team keeps the NFC East club in the playoff hunt a while longer.
Currently, both the Eagles (6-7) and WFT are tied for ninth place in the NFC. If Philadelphia were to win, they would own the tiebreaker thanks to a Week 11 win over the New Orleans Saints (7-7).
