Philadelphia Eagles storm into first place in the NFC East before big division showdown vs. Washington
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Eagles dismantled one NFC East rival in Dallas with the help of a "tush push" touchdown. Take care of their next division opponent — the surprising Washington Commanders — and Philadelphia can start looking at making a serious run at the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Only Detroit at 8-1 boasts a better record in the conference than the Eagles (7-2) headed into this week's games.
The Eagles have won five straight games coming out of the bye to storm into Thursday's prime-time showdown with the Commanders (7-3) at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles have won by 20-plus points in three of their last four games and the routs gave Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and other key starters time to rest in the second half. That's less football mileage on their bodies and fewer opportunities to get hurt, giving them a chance to stay fresh — as much as NFL players can be past the halfway point of the season — on a short week.
"That adds up and that's huge going into this game," coach Nick Sirianni said. "We know we got a tough game coming up. This one, we had fun in there for a little bit, but we know that we play on a short week against a really good opponent. And we got to get our minds right and we have to get our bodies right."
Hurts threw two touchdown passes and ran for a pair of scores as the Eagles rolled to a 34-6 victory that helped them take over first place in the NFC East. Washington, which still hasn't had an off week, lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers to fall a 1/2 game behind the Eagles in the division. BetMGM Sportsbook has the Eagles as an early 3-point favorite.
The Eagles are so amped for a rare meaningful game against perennial lightweight Washington that Hurts said he would scrap his usual rule of celebrating a win for 24 hours.
With only three days off before game day, Hurts said he'd get to work scouting the Commanders as soon as he returned home.
"We'll get going," he said.
What's working
Over the last three games, the Eagles lead the NFL with 33 points off turnovers.
What needs help
Not much. The Eagles are playing like a legitimate Super Bowl contender — rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs, anyone? — and a win Thursday could make them perhaps equal with Detroit as favorites out of the NFC.
The Eagles did get off to a bit of a slow start Sunday because Hurts took two early sacks and had two turnovers. That could cost them in the playoffs. It certainly did not against the Cowboys.
Stock up
Zack Baun. The former Saints linebacker has been a free-agent steal for the Eagles. He signed a one-year, $1.6 million deal that largely went ignored following the bigger deals signed by Barkley and edge rusher Bryce Huff. Baun may have had his best game yet against the Cowboys, getting two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and eight combined tackles.
The 27-year-old Baun played a pivotal role in the Eagles coming up with five total takeaways. Baun leads the Eagles with 87 tackles this season and has two sacks.
His success has been a surprise to anyone who followed his career — except Baun.
"When I was in New Orleans, I was putting in the time, putting in just the same amount of work as the starters were, just to prepare for a moment like this, my opportunity," he said. "And all I had to do was take advantage and just let it fly."
Baun has three forced fumbles this season and contributed to takeaways in three consecutive games.
"You see him in the open field making tackles. You see him sticking his face in there in tight quarters. You see him being able to rush," Sirianni said. "He's on a streak right now of taking the football away and the ball being on his mind."
Stock down
Hard to find a clunker after an all-around fantastic effort for a team surely basking in its moment in the sun — unlike Dallas.
Injuries
Eagles CB Darius Slay injured an ankle in the first half.
Key number
300 — The Eagles have held opponents to fewer than 300 total yards in five consecutive games for the first time since an eight-game stretch in 2008.
Next steps
Get out the body bags. The Eagles and Commanders are set to play the biggest game in their series in decades.
