With both teams needing a win for their playoff hopes, the Washington Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-22. The Eagles actually had a chance in the final few seconds, getting the ball down to the Redskins 14 with 26 seconds left. But Carson Wentz was strip sacked by Ryan Kerrigan and Trent Murphy recovered the fumble to seal the win for Washington.
Here's what we learned from the Redskins' 27-22 win Sunday over the Eagles.
3. Redskins' Offense Wasn't Pretty, But It Was Enough
Believe it or not, the Eagles actually outgained the Redskins 383 to 334. Washington converted just 2 of 7 third downs and were blown out in time of possession. Heck, Kirk Cousins had only 234 yards passing and 80 of those came on one play. Jamison Crowder and Jordan Reed did nothing of note, but the Redskins still gutted out a win. Needing a win, the Redskins found a way to win despite not having their A-game. That's big for this Washington team and their playoff hopes.
2. Eagles Need To Commit To Run
Carson Wentz played like he has for most of the year: moments of brilliance, but mistakes too. He's raw, but promising and that's how he looked against a porous Redskins secondary. He completed 32 of 46 yards for 314 yards, 1 TD, a INT but also was sacked four times and lost a the game-sealing fumble. Asking your rookie QB to throw it 46 times when you run it 26 (two by the QB and one on a busted hold) is asking to lose. This wasn't the type of game the Eagles had to abandon the run: Philadelphia was up at several points and never trailed by more than one score. The Eagles need to make life easier on Wentz and run the ball a bit more.
1. Eagles Basically Out Of Playoff Race, Redskins Remain In The Mix
The Eagles are now 5-8, making it extremely unlikely they actually find a way into the postseason. They might have needed to win out to even have a chance, with the Giants, Redskins, Bucs and Vikings and Packers ahead of them in the NFC Wild Card race. They aren't mathematically eliminated yet, but it's pretty much over. The Redskins are now 7-5-1 and although that tie could really hurt their chances, they picked up a badly needed win. This was far from the Redskins' best game, but they got the win they needed to keep themselves in a good playoff position.