With less than five minutes left on the clock in a game that was already leaning heavily in their favor, the Philadelphia Eagles found themselves in the middle of a different kind of battle - this one far less strategic and a whole lot more physical.
Up 29-10 on the Washington Commanders, tensions boiled over shortly after Saquon Barkley powered in a two-point conversion. What followed was a full-on melee that saw punches flying and tempers erupting on both sides.
Eagles rookie guard Tyler Steen was right in the middle of it - and not just metaphorically. No. 56 was seen throwing punches as Commanders defenders swarmed him, turning a chippy game into an outright brawl.
Officials did what they could, but by then, the flags had already flown, and the damage was done. When the dust settled, three players were ejected: Steen for the Eagles, and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and safety Quan Martin for Washington.
“This is getting ugly,” FOX’s Joe Davis said on the broadcast. “Look out, Tyler Steen is throwing punches.”
And that’s exactly what fans saw - Steen taking on what felt like the entire Commanders defense. Social media lit up with reactions, many comparing Steen’s flurry of fists to recent boxing headlines.
One fan joked, “Tyler Steen landed more punches than Jake Paul,” while another quipped, “Next Netflix fight? Tyler Steen vs.
Jake Paul.” Others simply marveled at the chaos, with one post reading, “Tyler Steen decided to fight the entire Commanders defense by himself.”
Steen was eventually escorted off the field by none other than Dom DiSandro - the Eagles’ beloved security chief known to fans as “Big Dom.” If you’re familiar with the Eagles sideline, you know Big Dom is usually the calm in the storm. This time, he was the guy making sure it didn’t get worse.
Despite the late-game fireworks, the Eagles kept their focus where it mattered most: the scoreboard. They closed out a 29-18 win, locking up the NFC East title and officially slamming the door shut on the Dallas Cowboys’ playoff hopes.
The Commanders, meanwhile, are just playing out the string. With their postseason hopes long gone, they’ve already shut down rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels for the year.
And on Saturday night, things went from bad to worse when backup Marcus Mariota was shaken up after the opening drive of the second half. He headed into the blue medical tent, then to the locker room, initially evaluated for a concussion.
Though he was cleared on that front, the team later listed him as questionable to return with a right hand injury.
That meant third-stringer Josh Johnson - yes, the well-traveled vet - took over under center for the remainder of the game against the defending Super Bowl champs.
On the Eagles’ side, the biggest bright spot (aside from the division-clinching win) was the resurgence of Saquon Barkley. The star running back looked every bit like the game-breaker he’s been in the past, racking up 132 yards on 21 carries, including a vintage 49-yard burst and a touchdown. After the game, Barkley didn’t shy away from the rivalry’s intensity.
“This team don’t like us and we don’t like them either,” Barkley said in the locker room. “It’s chippy out there, we have a lot of history. It’s the truth.”
And that’s exactly what this game felt like - a rivalry matchup where the scoreboard didn’t tell the full story. The Eagles got the win, the division crown, and maybe a little more fire heading into January.
The Commanders? They got a reminder of how far they still have to go.