3. The defense held its own to start the game.
The Eagles’ offense isn’t the top unit it was last season, but it was still a daunting task for a Commanders team that is down several key defensive players. While the Eagles did end up with respectable numbers, averaging 5.8 yards per play, things didn’t get out of hand until the end.
The Commanders’ defense got an early win by forcing a three-and-out on the Eagles’ opening drive. After that, the Eagles managed to move the ball, but it seemed like a laborious effort aside from their seven-play, 63-yard touchdown drive. They kept Saquon Barkley bottled up for the most part — his longest run of the first half resulted in just a 10-yard gain — and stopped the Eagles on all three of their first down attempts.
The Eagles’ seven points in the first half marked the third time in four games that they were held to a touchdown or fewer in the first two quarters.
Things changed in the second half, though, as the Eagles started to find some momentum. They scored three touchdowns on their five second-half drives and put up 22 points before the Commanders could muster a response. Barkley, in typical fashion, found open lanes in the fourth quarter and had a 48-yard sprint with less than seven minutes left to play. He finished the night with 132 yards, while Jalen Hurts completed 73% of his passes with 225 total yards.
The Commanders have insisted that they have no plans of quitting on the season, and the first-half performance from the defense shows that they’re keeping to that promise. However, the second half served as another reminder that the unit still has plenty of room for improvement.