Redskins beat up Eagles’ defense on way to 27-20 victory

They were held to a season-low 239 yards and rookie quarterback Carson Wentz was sacked five times, including on the Eagles’ final two offensive plays when the team was trying to drive for a game-tying touchdown. He finished 11 of 22 for 179 yards with no touchdowns. He has caught 24 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Pederson had to scheme protection help toward the rookie, and when he didn’t, Vaitai was overmatched against Ryan Kerrigan.

Washington piled up just 7 yards shy of 500 for the game against a defense that had been ranked No. 2 in the league before this week’s slate of games.

I understand where Doug Pederson was coming from when choosing Vaitai to start this weekend.

“They’re doing it a lot of different ways”, Gruden said. But this much we know: Washington has proved this year they can beat teams with winning records (their last three opponents were over.500 at the time they played them) and is in prime position to earn a second straight division title for the first time in 32 years.

The Eagles racked up 13 penalties for 114 yards, averaged just 5.4 yards per pass and were 4-of-12 on third-down conversions. There were even rumors floating around that tight end Zach Ertz would be back in the lineup when “The Bird Gang” headed to “The Motor City”.

Peters, who’s pulling down almost $9 million this season, never even tried to block his man, who was in on the tackle to stop Kenjon Barner for no gain on a crucial third-and-4 play from the Washington 20-yard line early in the fourth quarter. The Redskins answered by driving for a touchdown. The Eagles were called for 14 penalties and the Lions just two.

Vaitai was making his first career start, and was on the field only because offensive lineman Lane Johnson – the team’s usual starter – was serving the first game of his 10-game suspension for a second failed PED test.

“I’ve got to be better, especially late in the game”, Wentz said Sunday.

Last season the Washington Redskins were a surprise victor of the NFC East. They’d gained more yards, 285, by halftime than the Eagles had allowed in any of their first four contests. The Redskins and quarterback Kirk Cousins were driving down the field and looked like they were going to score for a third time on the day.

To celebrate, Davis celebrated with his old free-throw routine: shooting the football through the uprights as though it were a basketball. Redskins had a 14-0 built up before that kick return. Wendell Smallwood surfed a seam in the left side of the coverage for 86 yards to cut the deficit in half. Tyrod Taylor threw two touchdown passes in helping Buffalo win four consecutive for the first time since the start of the 2008 season. Malcolm Jenkins intercepted Cousins and returned it 64 yards for a touchdown, but Philadelphia struggled to stop Washington for most of the day. Given a fresh set of downs on the 2 after Fletcher Cox’s roughing the passer penalty erased what would have been fourth-and-goal from the 4, the Redskins went ahead when Jones scored from 1 yard out.

That pass came in the third quarter and it was the sort of athletic play that had first made Eagles coaches think they had something special in the spring. If the Redskins can continue to get pressure with the d-line that not only helps the secondary but also get the high-scoring offense on the field more. “I think it was tough for us to get in the groove today”. After losing their first two games of this season a repeat did not look like it was in the cards. Pederson said he’s week to week, so he likely won’t play vs. the Vikings.

With TE Jordan Reed out with a concussion, there was an added emphasis on being balanced. And, Kirk Cousins, who I felt, still feel actually, is not a franchise QB, but, if the Redskins want to pay that for an overrated QB, be my guest.

That’s when Philadelphia crept back into the game.