Posted on October 24, 2017, by Travis Pulver
During the first half of Monday Night Football, it appeared as if the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles were going to give fans exactly what they expected. It seemed like they were going to give fans a hard-fought, close game between two long-time division rivals. But it didn’t quite end that way.
Philadelphia’s defense proved to be too much for Kirk Cousins and the Redskins. Carson Wentz overcame a slow start to have an incredible night and lead the Eagles to a 34-24 win.
Via @NBCSPhilly
It didn’t start off very promising for Wentz and the Eagles. Washington scored first with a field goal on the opening drive of the game. But defense took over for the rest of the quarter and neither team could move the ball. Philadelphia started to make some progress towards the end of the quarter, and it paid off with a field goal of their own early in the second quarter.
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Cousins responded with the game’s first touchdown on the next drive to retake the lead, 10-3. However, Wentz was able to find his stroke before the end of the half. He connected with rookie Mack Hollins on a 64-yard touchdown bomb to tie the game up at 10-10. With 22 seconds on the clock, he connected with Zach Ertz on a four-yard touchdown pass to give Washington its first lead of the game, 17-10.
Despite the injuries the Redskins defense was dealing with, they had played a good first half against a talented Eagles offense. With the exception of the last few minutes, they bested the Eagles in the first half. Washington would need to get over Philly’s two late touchdowns quickly if they were going to have a shot.
If they did, it sure didn’t look like it.
Philadelphia got the ball to start the second half and took it right down for a touchdown and a 14-point lead, 24-10. Cousins was able to cut the deficit back down to seven with a five-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Reed late in the third quarter.
But Wentz responded with his fourth touchdown pass of the day, a 10-yard toss to Nelson Agholar.
Down 14-points, Cousins had little time to waste and no room for error. But he made one—an interception that resulted in a field goal for the Eagles.
By time Cousins got the ball back, his team was down 17-points and only had 6:19 to play. It would take a small miracle for him to pull out a win this time. While miracles happen during games all the time, one didn’t happen here. Jordan Reed caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Cousins during garbage time to make the final score, 34-24, Philadelphia.
Via @SNFonNBC
Washington’s issues are not too unlike the ones they had last season. They can pass well (but not as well thanks to lesser receivers), and their run game is terrible. With Ezekiel Elliot still eligible for the time being, they are going to be hard-pressed to get back on track next week against the Dallas Cowboys.
With the win, Philadelphia improved to 6-1 and owns the best record in the NFL. They are also firmly in command of the NFC East but have yet to play the Dallas Cowboys. Next week, they’ll have an easy one against the San Francisco 49ers.