Washington Flips the Script in Comeback Win Over Eagles

Chase Young (99) pressures Carson Wentz (11) causing a fumble in the first half. Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to a Week 1 'Victory Monday' for the Washington Football Team. This is uncharted territory since 2014, so bear with me. During their Week 1 matchup in 2019, Washington led the Eagles 17-0, and Philadelphia came back to win 32-27. The Eagles led 17-0 in Sunday's game, and Washington returned the favor.

Philadelphia looked well on their way to their 7th straight W against Washington in the first quarter. Carson Wentz was dicing up the middle of Washington's defense so much we thought Philly Tight Ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert were on their way to career-highs. Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio and the defense made some adjustments, and boy did things turn around after that.

With 1:37 left in the first half, Fabian Moreau intercepted Carson Wentz which allowed Washington to score and grab some momentum heading into the locker room. Jimmy Moreland stepped up for an interception early in the 3rd quarter, and Peyton Barber scored on the subsequent drive for Washington.

Washington's pass rush made life very difficult for an Eagles offense that was down three starters on their line and lost rookie right tackle Jack Driscoll along the way. This was our 1st Key to the Game.

Ryan Kerrigan played a terrific game and now holds the most sacks in Washington franchise history with 92 total, passing Dexter Manley. It's early, but Chase Young looks the part of a Defensive Rookie of the Year Candidate racking up 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Matt Ioannidis picked up right where he left off last season with 1.5 sacks, while Jon Bostic and Montez Sweat had one each. Payne and Allen combined for one sack as well, totalling 8 sacks for a defensive line loaded with 5 first round picks. Safe to say this was a bad matchup for a battered Eagles O-Line.

By the end of the 3rd quarter Washington had all the momentum.

The offense took some time to get going. Dwayne Haskins started 3/12 but managed the game nicely and finished 17-31 for 178 yards and 1 touchdown. QB1 didn't appear to get flustered when things were going sideways in the first quarter. In fact, by all accounts Dwayne fired up the team at halftime while Coach RIvera was getting an IV.

Fabian Moreau detailed the speech with NBC Sports Washington postgame show:

“He just basically got everybody riled up and put everyone on his back,” cornerback Fabian Moreau said after the game. “Like a leader, he stepped up and gave a speech and everyone felt it, it was strong and it helped us.”

I can speak for fans of the this team and say this is a big sigh of relief to see DC's quarterback taking control of the team in a positive way.

Ron Rivera went for a 4th down in the red zone half way through the 4th, which Peyton Barber converted. This was the final blow needed to put Philly away.

The Coordinators Jack Del Rio and Scott Turner had great pace to their play calling, and much like Haskins, they never seemed flustered when things were not going well. Which is good moving forward because the offense was pretty tough to watch in the first quarter.

3 Keys Recap

1. Get after Carson Wentz

Washington produced 8 sacks, 2 interceptions and constant pressure on Carson Wentz, allowing them to climb back form a 17 point deficit. As predicted, this was the catalyst WFT needed to win the game.

2. Protect Dwayne Haskins

The offensive line for WFT gave up 2.5 sacks and the left side of Wes Martin and Geron Christian was suspect at times, but ultimately did enough to give Dwayne Haskins enough time to make plays when needed.

3. Utilize Antonio Gibson

Unfortunately Gibson only had 9 carries for 36 yards and 2 receptions for 8 yards, totalling 11 touches for 46 yards. Gibson averaged a touchdown 17% of the time he touched the ball in college. Look for Washington to keep trying to find new ways to use AG in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Peyton Barber was solid in short distance opportunities, converting key 3rd and 4th down runs and scoring 2 touchdowns on the day.

Next week Washington will have their hands full against a fine-tuned Arizona Cardinals team fresh off a week 1 victory over last year's super bowl contender San Francisco 49ers. The defense will be up against their first major test in dynamic second year QB Kyler Murray and newly acquired superstar wide receiver Deandre Hopkins. Haskins and the Washington offense will get a look at rookie phenom linebacker Isaiah Simmons. Look for Washington to build on this defensive performance and take this confidence to Arizona in Week 2.