How the Commanders pulled the upset to end the Eagles' undefeated season

PHILADELPHIA -- And past determination were none.

The Philadelphia Eagles' tally arsenic the NFL's last remaining undefeated squad came to an extremity Monday night, arsenic a Washington Commanders squad that entered the nighttime arsenic double-digit underdogs came distant with a shocking 32-21 victory astatine Lincoln Financial Field.

How did the Commanders (5-5) bash it? What was the operation of beardown Washington play, Philadelphia mistakes and questionable officiating that kept the Eagles (8-1) from immoderate further pursuit of the 1972 Miami Dolphins' undefeated mark? And moreover, what does the effect mean going guardant for some teams?

A look astatine the highlights and lowlights from a astonishing nighttime successful Philly:

Controlling the clock

Washington held possession for 40:24: Washington has waffled astatine times connected its violative identity, but that wasn't the lawsuit Monday nighttime arsenic the Commanders ran the shot 49 times -- their astir successful a crippled since 2002 -- for 152 yards. It wasn't explosive, but it was highly effective. It helps that moving backmost Brian Robinson Jr., who missed the archetypal 4 games aft being changeable successful August, has gained a bushed to marque a bully pairing with Antonio Gibson.

"We tin tally the ball; we person to marque definite we enactment with it," Washington manager Ron Rivera said. "The biggest happening we person to bash is recognize wherever we are, who we are and what we tin be."-- John Keim

Why Eagles couldn't halt it: The lack of rookie antiaircraft tackle Jordan Davis looms large. The Texans rumbled for 168 yards successful Week 9 against Philly with Davis out. It was evident Washington would effort and travel suit, and yet Philly had nary answers. With Davis sidelined until astatine slightest Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans, antiaircraft coordinator Jonathan Gannon needs to fig retired however to plug the leak to forestall his portion from going into a tailspin.

"[We're going to proceed to beryllium tested against the run] until we halt it," antiaircraft extremity Brandon Graham said. "I'm ready. Bring it on. That's the cognition you've got to have." -- Tim McManus

Turnovers

How the Eagles struggled: Philly entered with a plus-15 turnover differential -- by acold the champion successful the league. This marks the archetypal crippled this play successful which the Eagles mislaid the turnover battle. One wasn't their responsibility -- the refs missed a blatant facemask connected choky extremity Dallas Goedert that contributed to his mislaid fumble -- but the different 3 were, including an interception from backmost Jalen Hurts that helium threw into treble sum connected a heavy walk to A.J. Brown. The Eagles knew determination would beryllium immoderate regression to the mean erstwhile it came to the takeaway/giveaway game, but that doesn't excuse this level of sloppy play against an inferior opponent.

"It's precise important to power the things that you tin -- controlling your shot security, knowing wherever the cognition of the play and wherever it's expected to go, conscionable execution," Hurts said. "Those are each things that we tin power and we person to bash a amended occupation of that." -- McManus

Who made the quality for Washington: Washington forced 4 takeaways.

• an interception by information Darrick Forrest, who besides recovered a fumble

• a fumble betterment by linebacker Jamin Davis that led to a tract goal

• a last-second scoop and people by extremity Casey Toohill to extremity the game

Forrest's interception led to a touchdown thrust and 17-14 lead. He said coaches told him each week that Hurts "throws a batch of 50-50 balls. I knew I would person to marque a play connected the ball; my manager told maine erstwhile helium gives you your shot, marque that play. That's what I did." -- Keim

Efficient play from QB Taylor Heinicke

What is it that Heinicke did truthful well? Aside from turning the shot implicit twice, helium was fantabulous astatine managing the crippled and making clutch throws connected aggregate 3rd downs. It helped that of Washington's 21 3rd downs, 12 were for 4 yards oregon little truthful the discourtesy could support Philadelphia off-balance. Heinicke besides wisely recovered receiver Terry McLaurin often -- 8 times for 128 yards. Heinicke besides sprinted backmost 19 yards to retrieve a shotgun drawback that sailed implicit his caput and was capable to propulsion it incomplete. That enabled Washington to proceed a touchdown drive. Later, helium took a genu arsenic helium scrambled connected third-and-7 with 1:45 remaining and was subsequently drilled by Brandon Graham for a 15-yard penalty. "It's the biggest triumph of my career," Heinicke said.

"He plays with nary fear," McLaurin said. "Everything's not beauteous but helium continues to springiness america chances to marque plays. He'll widen plays with his legs and get the pugnacious yards. You consciousness assured with a feline backmost determination similar that. A batch of radical measurement his height, his arm, each those things. But you can't measurement what's wrong his chest." -- Keim

What the Eagles had occupation stopping: Besides the run, it was McLaurin. Cornerback Darius Slay took work for McLaurin's biggest gainer of the nighttime -- a 41-yarder -- but different felt it was a beauteous adjacent matchup. Slay followed McLaurin erstwhile helium lined up extracurricular but did not screen Washington's apical receiver erstwhile helium moved into the slot, which is wherever helium did a batch of his damage. The Eagles were operating without starting slot country Avonte Maddox, who was placed connected injured reserve Monday with a hamstring injury. Slay joked that he'll person to person the coaches to thatch him much slot skills truthful helium tin determination wrong much successful the future. -- McManus

Questionable calls against Eagles

On a third-and-1 aboriginal successful the 4th quarter, with the Eagles trailing by two, Hurts completed a walk to Goedert for a would-be archetypal down. Commanders linebacker Jamin Davis grabbed and pulled Goedert's facemask arsenic helium attempted to tackle him, and a simultaneous deed by antiaircraft tackle John Ridgeway knocked the shot loose. Washington recovered, and tacked connected a 55-yard Joey Slye tract extremity to up the pb to six. It was a blown call, plain and simple, and it proved costly. "We didn't spot a look disguise connected the field," referee Alex Kemp said afterward.

The punishment that helped seal the crippled was a idiosyncratic foul connected antiaircraft extremity Brandon Graham for hitting Heinicke, who had fixed himself up by taking a genu successful the official's presumption and truthful was ruled to beryllium a defenseless player. The interaction was besides to the caput and cervix area, Kemp said. "I conscionable privation to marque up for it by what I bash adjacent week," Graham said. "I'm decidedly going to instrumentality that 1 and marque definite that adjacent clip I don't fto the squad down successful a concern similar that." -- McManus

Where does this permission some teams and what's next?

Commanders: Washington is present 5-5 and has won 4 of its past 5 games heading into Sunday's crippled astatine Houston (1-7-1). The Commanders present person to physique connected this triumph by beating a atrocious squad connected the road. Their past 2 losses were by 4 points to Tennessee and by 3 to Minnesota. They needed a large triumph implicit a bully team.

"For america to get a triumph similar that, we person a batch of confidence," Heinicke said. As Gibson said, "It shows what we're susceptible of, it's conscionable different triumph we've got to support building." But Washington remains a .500 squad and 2 games down Dallas for 3rd spot successful the NFC East. Rivera said, "We person to travel it up. We can't conscionable accidental we arrived; we person not arrived." -- Keim

Eagles: The Eagles are present tied with the Minnesota Vikings for the champion grounds successful shot astatine 8-1, holding the head-to-head tiebreaker having beaten Minnesota earlier this year. Entering Week 10, Philadelphia had the easiest closing docket successful football. The speech successful the locker country afterward was astir being bare to reply to this archetypal spot of adversity, with Hurts saying "I've got a bully feeling however we'll respond." Not that the nonaccomplishment was welcomed, but receiver A.J. Brown noted afterward that "now each this 17-0 s--- is implicit with." It's a accidental for them to reset earlier facing the Indianapolis Colts connected Sunday. -- McManus