LANDOVER, Md. – DeVonta Smith turned his head and noticed the football coming his way. He quickly twisted his body, catapulted himself from his spot in the corner of the end zone, and leaped over Commanders cornerback Kendall Fuller. At the peak of his jump, Smith hauled in the ball from quarterback Jalen Hurts, utilizing his midnight green gloves like a sticky magnet.
Smith tumbled hard to the ground, but the second-year receiver popped up immediately and celebrated with his teammates. His touchdown gave the Eagles a 24-0 lead heading into halftime, and it boosted him into the team’s history books.
Smith was nearly unstoppable against the Commanders on Sunday afternoon. He set career highs in catches (eight) and receiving yards (169). His elite performance paved the way to a 24-8 victory, as the Eagles extended their record to 3-0.
Harassing Wentz
Leading up to Week 3, the Eagles were confident they had built the perfect game plan to contain Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon wanted to affect the former Eagles quarterback and force him into stressed and difficult throws. Gannon believed if his defense set the tone, Wentz would be in for a long day.
The Eagles executed the plan to perfection.
Wentz was sacked seven times in the first half alone. Protected by a battered offensive line, Wentz also fumbled twice. Eagles pass rushers Brandon Graham, Haason Reddick, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Josh Sweat combined for nine sacks and 17 quarterback hits. Linebacker T.J. Edwards finished with a game-best 10 tackles, including two quarterback hits and two tackles for loss.
Too often, Wentz held onto the football too long. Wentz’s tendencies sent flashbacks to the end of his tenure in Philadelphia. Wentz completed just 25-of-43 passes for 211 yards with zero touchdowns.
More distribution from Hurts, Steichen, Sirianni
Monday night’s win was a welcoming sign for the Eagles offense with four pass catchers exceeding 60 receiving yards each.
That momentum carried over at Washington. Smith surely led the way, but there were multiple playmakers involved. Smith and Brown generated 22 combined targets; Brown had five catches for 85 yards.
Hurts completed passes to seven different players. Wide receiver Quez Watkins was the only receiver who didn’t register a catch, although Watkins garnered a key defensive pass interference penalty on his lone target. The gameday process between coach Nick Sirianni, offensive coordinator/play caller Shane Steichen, quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson, and Hurts has reached a new level. For the second consecutive game, Hurts showed maturity from the pocket, and he exceeded 300 passing yards.
The 24-year-old quarterback is still improving, but his willingness to trust his protection is commendable. Hurts completed 22-of-35 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed nine times for 20 yards.
Room to improve on the ground
The passing game was hot, but the Eagles struggled to generate momentum in the run game.
Running back Miles Sanders finished with a game-high 15 rushes and 46 yards. Kenneth Gainwell had six yards on three carries, while Boston Scott had zero yards on two carries. On one of Scott’s rushes, he was stopped inside his own end zone by Daron Payne for a safety.
The Commanders boasted a stout defensive front led by Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, and Payne. But entering Sunday’s game, the Commanders were ranked the 31st rushing defense in the league. The Eagles didn’t score in the second half.
Injury report
The Eagles have remained relatively healthy through the first few weeks, but they experienced their share of injuries Sunday. Cornerback Darius Slay missed one series during the first half with what appeared to be a lower body injury. He was replaced temporarily by second-year cornerback Zech McPhearson. While he was out, Slay worked on agility drills from the visitors sideline.
Defensive lineman Milton Williams also sustained a lower body injury during the first half. On the play he was hurt, Williams attempted to shed a double team before falling to the ground. He gingerly walked off the field before
Tight end Dallas Goedert after catching a touchdown pass sustained a shin injury near the end of the first half. He was listed as questionable, and he later returned in the third quarter. With Goedert missing the first series of the second half, he was substituted for rookie tight end Grant Calcaterra, who made his NFL debut. Calcaterra caught one long pass for 40 yards.
Reddick also sustained an injury in the second half.
