Open Thread: Eagles vs. Washington


Photo by: Jeff Fusco

Photo by: Jeff Fusco

The Eagles head to Washington for their second NFC East matchup of the season. We’ll pop in with some updates and thoughts from time to time during the game. Feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.

4:10 – Final: Washington 23, Eagles 20.

4:06 – Context, from Jeff McLane:

4:04 – Pierre Garcon catches a four-yard touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins with 26 seconds to play and Washington takes a 23-20 lead with little time left on the clock. Washington marches 15 plays and 90 yards in 5:39.

Cousins is 32-of-46 for 289 yards and a touchdown.

3:49 – The Eagles can’t turn good field position into much of anything, and Donnie Jones punts the ball away with 6:15 to play. Washington takes control at its own 10-yard line.

3:46 – Washington’s drive lasts three plays and less than a minute, and the Eagles take over from the 50-yard line after another Tress Way punt.

3:45 – Fletcher Cox is back.

3:43 Sam Bradford throws behind Darren Sproles on third down from midfield, and Sproles can’t haul it in, halting an Eagles drive with under nine minutes to play. The Eagles still lead Washington, 20-16, with 8:35 to play. Kirk Cousins and the Washington offense will take over at their own 10-yard line.

3:37 – Cox update:

3:32 – Fletcher Cox is down after a play as Washington is driving in the fourth quarter.

3:22 – Sam Bradford throws his third touchdown pass of the afternoon, a 39-yard bomb to Miles Austin, and the Eagles lead Washington, 20-16, with 14:40 left in the game.

Bradford is now 12-of-23 for 235 yards and three touchdowns.

3:17 – Brandon Graham comes up with a crucial forced fumble in Eagles territory with one second to play in the third quarter. Jordan Reed caught a Kirk Cousins pass over the middle and Graham stripped the ball as he went to the ground. Jordan Hicks recovered the fumble, for his second fumble recovery in as many games.

The Eagles have the ball on their own 49-yard line to start the fourth quarter.

3:14 – Bradford update:

3:08 – The Eagles go three-and-out after a near-miss on a big play on second down, and then this happens on third down.

3:04 – A Lane Johnson update, with good news for Eagles fans.

3:03 – Quarterback comparison, late in the third quarter:

Sam Bradford: 9-of-17, 186 yards, 2 TD.

Kirk Cousins: 13-of-24, 188 yards, 0 TD.

3:02 – The Eagles hold another Washington red zone trip to just three points. Dustin Hopkins converts his third field goal of the afternoon and Washington leads, 16-13, with under four minutes to play in the third quarter.

2:53 – More injury updates after the Eagles tie it up.

2:52 – Sam Bradford escapes a sack on 3rd & 7 and throws a dart to Brent Celek, who scores the Eagles’ second touchdown of the second half. Sturgis makes the extra point and the game is tied at 13 points apiece with 8:17 to play in the third quarter.

2:40 – The Eagles’ first drive of the second half ends with a 62-yard touchdown pass from Sam Bradford to Riley Cooper. Bradford is now 7-of-14 for 146 yards and a touchdown.

Caleb Sturgis misses the extra point, his second missed kick of the afternoon, and Washington leads, 13-6, with 11:54 to play.

2:22 – The Eagles haven’t been a first-half team this season.

2:21 – After a Sam Bradford touchdown pass to Zach Ertz is brought back because of an illegal formation penalty, Caleb Sturgis kicks a 33-yard field goal wide left in his first attempt for the Birds and Washington leads, 13-0, at halftime.

2:13 – The Eagles manage to force another punt from Washington after Agholor’s fumble. Darren Sproles returns the punt 45 yards to Washington’s 30-yard line and the Eagles take over with 2:17 to play in the first half.

2:09 – In essentially a microcosm for the Eagles’ season so far, Nelson Agholor catches a 45-yard pass from Sam Bradford with one-hand, which is followed up by Agholor fumbling a handoff on an end-around reverse play. Washington recovers the fumble and take over on their own 28-yard line.

2:02 – A pass interference call in the end zone on Eric Rowe takes Washington to the one-yard line. Two plays later, Kirk Cousins recovers a fumbled snap and takes it in for a touchdown. Washington leads the Eagles, 13-0, with 5:18 to play. The drive went 10 plays and 68 yards.

The touchdown is Cousins’ first rushing touchdown of his career, and the first rushing touchdown the Eagles have allowed all season.

1:52 – Paul Domowitch provides a telling statistic on the Eagles’ third-down conversion rate this season.

1:51 – Sam Bradford has been sacked twice behind a patchwork offensive line this afternoon, and the Eagles have to punt it away again. Washington leads, 6-0, with 10:53 to play in the first half.

1:45 – The Eagles’ defense forces its first three-and-out of the afternoon. Despite allowing 131 yards on 24 plays, the defense has still only allowed six points.

1:43 – With Jason Peters off the field for the time being, the status of the Eagles’ offensive line for now:

1:40 – The momentum was short-lived for the Birds. Bradford narrowly avoids a sack on third down and the Eagles punt the ball away again. Washington takes over on its own two-yard line.

The Birds ran seven plays in the first quarter to Washington’s 23.

1:36 – The first quarter ends on a high note for the Eagles after DeMarco Murray breaks off a 30-yard run into Washington territory. Murray entered the game with 11 yards on the ground in his first two games. Washington still leads, 6-0.

1:33 – More injury updates from Washington, with some bad news for the Birds’ defense.

1:31 – Another Washington drive moves into Birds territory, and another Washington drive ends in a field goal. Dustin Hopkins boots a 38-yard field goal to put Washington up, 6-0, late in the first quarter.

Washington has picked up 127 yards of offense, while the Eagles have picked up negative eight yards.

1:23 – An early discrepancy in the time of possession.

1:21 – The Eagles go three-and-out on their first drive of the afternoon. An under-thrown pass to Darren Sproles is dropped on first down, a second-down run gains no yards, and Sam Bradford is sacked on third-down. Washington takes over at its own 40-yard line.

1:18 – Injury updates live from FedEx Field after that first drive.

1:17 – From Reuben Frank, context for Thompson’s big run on Washington’s first drive.

1:16 – After an impressive opening drive from Washington reaches the five-yard line, Malcolm Jenkins and the Eagles’ defense stuff a third-down run and force a field goal. Washington converted three third downs on the 13-play, 78-yard drive which featured a 42-yard run from running back Chris Thompson on a 3rd & 19.

1:02 – The Eagles win the toss and choose to defer to the second half. The Birds’ defense will take the field first.