Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels threw five touchdown passes as the Commanders rallied to a 36-33 victory over Philadelphia, ending the Eagles’ 10-game NFL winning streak.
It was a particularly painful loss for the Eagles, who saw quarterback Jalen Hurts leave in the first quarter with a concussion.
Philadelphia failed to clinch the NFC East division title and found itself tied for the best record in the NFC, still shared by the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings who both won on Sunday to improve their record to 13-2.
The Commanders had five turnovers to win, putting up 22 points in the fourth quarter.
Daniels, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, found Jamison Crowder on a nine-yard touchdown pass with six seconds left to secure what seemed an improbable victory.
“The game’s never over until the clock hits zero,” Daniels said after a victory that kept the Commanders’ playoff hopes alive while eliminating Dallas and San Francisco from contention.
“It’s awesome,” Daniels said. “Everyone can now enjoy Christmas.”
The Eagles, who hadn’t lost since September, were injury-free for most of the game after his head hit the turf when he was tackled by Frankie Luvu at the end of a 13-yard run.
Kenny Pickett replaced him and threw for 143 yards with a touchdown and Saquon Barkley ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns, but the Eagles fell to 12-3 and also saw Pickett injure his ribs.
Meanwhile, NFC North rivals Detroit and Minnesota both improved to 13-2.
The Lions beat the Bears 34-17 in Chicago to set a franchise record with their 13th win of the season while the Vikings held off the Seattle Seahawks 27-24.
Stung by a loss to Buffalo that ended their 11-game winning streak, the Lions took a 20-point lead en route to setting a single-season franchise record for points scored with 493 so far. ‘now.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, including an 82-yarder to Jameson Williams, who had a career-high 143 receiving yards.
In Seattle, Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold hit Justin Jefferson with his third touchdown pass of the game with 3:51 remaining and the Vikings escaped with their eighth straight victory.
Less than two minutes earlier, the Seahawks took their first lead of the game when quarterback Geno Smith connected with AJ Barner on a four-yard scoring pass.
– Bills are holding Pats back –
The Buffalo Bills remained in search of the top seed and home field advantage in the AFC, recovering from a 14-0 deficit to beat the New England Patriots 24-21.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen had a lackluster day, completing 16 of 29 passes for 154 yards and later saying he was suffering from numbness in his hand after taking a hit to the elbow.
The Los Angeles Rams remained in control of the NFC West division with a 19-9 victory over the New York Jets.
In Atlanta, rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. made his first career start in place of the struggling Kirk Cousins and threw for 202 yards in a 34-7 victory over the New York Giants.
The victory owed much to Atlanta’s defense, with safety Jessie Bates and outside linebacker Matthew Judon returning Giants quarterback Drew Lock’s interceptions for touchdowns.
The Falcons finished the day with the upper hand in the NFC South after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were defeated 26-24 by the Cowboys in Dallas.
Indianapolis running back Jonathan Taylor ran for 218 yards and three touchdowns as the Colts kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a 38-30 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow threw three touchdowns as the Bengals stayed in the playoff race with a 24-6 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
The Miami Dolphins also maintained their playoff bid with a 29-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
breakfast/dhc
