LANDOVER, Md. - Sunday night was another ugly chapter for the Eagles, and the box score told the story just fine: a 27-10 loss to the Washington Commanders, a team that came in with only one win, and a performance that never really found its footing after an early 10-point lead disappeared.
There were a few isolated bright spots, but not nearly enough of them. The Eagles were sloppy, short on answers and beaten in too many phases to make much of a case for themselves.
Tanner McKee finished 23 of 34 for 212 yards with one interception and one lost fumble, and the turnover problem was hard to ignore. He did hit a few nice throws and even picked up 15 yards on a scramble to move the chains, but the pocket issues and the giveaways were too much.
The fumble came at a brutal moment, with the Eagles near field goal range and in a spot where they simply could not afford to get sacked. If this keeps going, it’s fair to wonder whether Joe Milton gets a look.
Saquon Barkley tried to fight through hamstring and back injuries, and that mattered. He carried 13 times for 30 yards and scored the Eagles’ only touchdown on a direct snap in the first half.
That was about as much room as he had all night. Elijah Mitchell added 34 yards on 11 carries, but the Eagles clearly don’t have the same version of Barkley right now.
At receiver, Makai Lemon kept building on what has been one of the few encouraging threads during this six-game losing streak. The rookie from USC caught 6 of 9 targets for 57 yards and continued to show strong hands and the ability to work through traffic.
He nearly hauled in a spectacular diving catch in the first half right in front of DeVonta Smith on the sideline. Smith and Wicks were both out, which left the group thin.
Darius Cooper finished with 2 catches for 19 yards, and Hollywood Brown had 2 for 17.
The tight end group had a little more production. Eli Stowers caught all 3 of his targets for 53 yards, and those were his first NFL receptions.
Dallas Goedert added 4 catches for 30 yards, including a 16-yard grab on third down to keep a drive moving. Johnny Mundt continued to struggle as a blocker, and the Eagles even used Grant Calcaterra as a lead blocker out of the backfield, which was a strange choice.
Up front, the offensive line never settled in. The Eagles had the same configuration for a second straight game, but it didn’t change the result.
Even against a Commanders defensive front missing its top couple defensive tackles, the Eagles couldn’t open lanes in the run game and allowed McKee to be sacked five times for 35 yards. Markel Bell and Jordan Mailata also drew back-to-back penalties in the fourth quarter that wiped out points and helped close the door.
The communication problems, especially against blitzes, remain a real issue.
The defensive line was better than it was on Monday night against the Cowboys, but that still wasn’t enough. Washington finished with 135 yards, and Jayden Daniels was sacked just twice for 13 yards.
Jalen Carter had 5 tackles, a sack and a pass breakup, while Jalyx Hunt, Moro Ojomo and others had moments. Still, this is supposed to be the strength of the defense, and it hasn’t played like it.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. stepped into the lineup with Jihaad Campbell out and handled the assignment well enough. He started next to Zack Baun and played every snap, leading the team with 10 tackles. Baun added 7 tackles and a fumble recovery.
The secondary got some help early from Daniels missing throws, but it still gave up too much. Daniels finished 16 of 29 for 217 yards and a touchdown, and the Commanders did damage even without Terry McLaurin, who is out for the season.
Treylon Burks, Antonio Williams and Stefon Diggs all made plays, and Quinyon Mitchell was beaten over the top by Burks. Drew Mukuba posted 9 tackles, a pass breakup and a forced fumble, though the Eagles’ takeaway total remains just four on the season.
He also had an interception erased by a penalty.
Special teams had its own problems. Braden Mann punted five times and averaged 44.2 yards, with three punts downed inside the 20, but the unit gave up a 44-yard kickoff return to start the game and later allowed a 27-yard return that set up a field goal drive.
Jake Elliott made his first kicks since the Jacksonville game, drilling a 40-yarder in the first quarter and a 36-yarder in the fourth. But after Jordan Mailata was flagged for lining up illegally, Elliott’s 41-yard attempt hit the left upright.
The record now sits at 2-6, and the bigger issue is how the Eagles keep beating themselves. The effort didn’t look like the problem.
The details did. Nick Sirianni’s “tough, detailed, together” line still applies, but right now the Eagles may be tough and together without being detailed enough to survive it.
Vic Fangio’s defense hasn’t looked like itself, the offense is searching, and even the few creative wrinkles - like Barkley’s touchdown and the direct snap to Goedert - are hard to celebrate when the season keeps slipping away.
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