Eagles near elimination, fall 27-24 to Redskins
LANDOVER, Md. - The Philadelphia Eagles have proven themselves to be a mirage, a team that got away with its faults until it couldn't any longer. Leaders in the NFC East as recently as a week ago, they're now just about done in the playoff race, and they're in no position to argue that they deserve any better.
Penalties, missed field goals, 2 more turnovers by Mark Sanchez and an inability to keep track of former teammate DeSean Jackson turned into a 27-24 loss to lowly Washington on Saturday, the Eagles' third straight defeat and one that gives Dallas two chances to clinch the NFC East.
"We're currently minus-9 in the turnover margin, so us having 9 wins is really impressive for that," said safety Malcolm Jenkins, echoing the mood of a locker room hit with a communal reality check. "And really we were on borrowed time playing that style of football. If we had run the table in December with that kind of football, it would have been surprising, and it's something we didn't fix."
Sanchez's interception with 1:31 remaining - his 13th turnover in seven games - led to Kai Forbath's winning 26-yard field goal with five seconds remaining as the Redskins (4-11) snapped a six-game losing streak.
The Eagles (9-6) will now be rooting for Indianapolis to beat the Cowboys (10-4) today. A Dallas win eliminates Philadelphia. A Dallas loss keeps a modicum of hope alive.
"I'm not going to throw a party and watch it," receiver Jeremy Maclin said. "I'm going to watch it at home."
The loss also knocked Philadelphia from the wild-card race and clinched a playoff berth for Detroit.
Sanchez set an Eagles record with 37 completions in 50 attempts for a career-high 374 yards with 2 touchdowns to Riley Cooper, and tight end Zach Ertz set a franchise game record with 15 catches. But Sanchez lost a fumble for the third time this season and threw his 10th interception to put the Eagles' NFL-leading turnover tally at 36.
Robert Griffin III, back from his recent benching after a season-ending neck injury to Colt McCoy, went 16-for-23 for 220 yards with an interception for the Skins to win in his first complete game in 13 months. Griffin's only other win as a starter this season came when he was injured in the first quarter against Jacksonville in Week 2.