Pro Sports

Eagles beat Washington, get help to clinch playoff berth

Posted January 03, 2022 6:00 am

By STEPHEN WHYNO

Fans falls onto Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) as the railing collapsed following the end of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. Philadelphia won 20-16. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Associated Press

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) - Jalen Hurts scrambled out of trouble to avoid a handful of sacks and ran the ball when needed with Miles Sanders out.

He even needed to make an evasive maneuver after Philadelphia's game at Washington was over.

Hurts ran six times for 45 yards and narrowly escaped a railing collapse walking to the tunnel after the Eagles held on to win 20-16 Sunday. They've won seven of nine since starting 2-5 and clinched an NFC wild-card spot hours later when Minnesota lost to Green Bay.

'œWe just bought in to who we are, bought in to what we could be and trusted in the grind in approaching every day the way we do,'ť Hurts said. 'œI couldn't be more proud of this team.'ť

Hurts was 17 of 26 passing for 214 yards in leading the Eagles to a fourth consecutive victory.

'œJalen was awesome today,'ť coach Nick Sirianni said. 'œWe all know he's dealing with an ankle injury and fighting through it. He's tough. This guy is so tough.'ť

Sirianni said Hurts told him to call whatever plays he wanted and he would make it work, and the second-year quarterback remained calm throughout a tense game.

The poise under pressure continued after the game when fans waiting for Hurts fell onto the field after a railing in the corner of FedEx Field gave way. Hurts helped some fans to their feet and expressed relief that most of those involved appeared to be OK.

'œIt's crazy,'ť Hurts said. 'œIt's crazy stuff right there. That was a real dangerous situation.'ť

Mark Tenally, a photo runner for The Associated Press who was standing under the railing, was injured and attended to by medical personnel. The team said in a statement: 'œTo our knowledge, everyone involved was offered onsite medical evaluation and left the stadium of their own accord. We're very glad no one appears to have been seriously injured. The safety of our fans and guests is of the utmost importance and we are looking into what occurred.'ť

Philadelphia (9-7) started slowly yet again, and its league-leading rushing attack was held to a season-low 3.4 yards per carry with Sanders out because of a broken left hand. Twelve days after racking up 238 yards on the ground against Washington (6-10), the Eagles had 119 yards rushing.

But the defense finally got to Taylor Heinicke, and the Eagles wore down a banged-up opponent, erasing a 16-7 deficit. Jake Elliott connected on field goals of 42 and 41 yards in the fourth quarter, and Rodney McLeod picked off Heinicke in the end zone with 24 seconds remaining to seal it.

'œI wanted to just make sure I closed this game out the right way,'ť McLeod said. 'œIt felt good to be able to finish a game, make a big catch.'ť

Rookie Jaret Patterson rushed for his second career TD for Washington, which was missing top running back Antonio Gibson, left guard Ereck Flowers and punter Tress Way because of COVID-19 protocols. Heinicke flashed some of his trademark elusiveness, evading pressure during a big fourth quarter, but threw an interception for the fifth consecutive game after leading Washington to the Philadelphia 20-yard line.

'œThat safety made a hell of a catch,'ť said Heinicke, who was 27 of 36 for 247 yards. 'œI think if (intended target John Bates) doesn't trip, that's a touchdown. It's unfortunate.'ť

Ravaged by injuries and virus-related absences, Washington's faint playoff hopes came to an end with a home loss that felt more like Lincoln Financial Field because of all the Eagles fans in attendance. It's the team's fourth consecutive loss after winning the previous four games.

'œHopefully we're developing character,'ť coach Ron Rivera said. 'œThe important thing is how we finish. We have one more game to go. We go from there.'ť

Sirianni went for it on fourth and goal twice, leading to two touchdowns from Boston Scott, who got the bulk of the carries in Sanders' absence. The Eagles celebrated another victory, but Hurts was not ready to reflect on the team's journey.

'œThe job isn't done for us,'ť he said. 'œIt's not done. We're not done yet.'ť

SLOW START

The Eagles trailed 10-0 after the first quarter, continuing a recent trend. They've been outscored 35-7 in the first quarter over the past five games yet have won four of them. It's their third consecutive game with no points in the first.

GOLD RUSH

Scott's second touchdown gave the Eagles 24 scores on the ground this season. That's the most in the league and the organization's most in a season since 1949.

INJURIES

Eagles: Right guard Nate Herbig injured his left ankle late in the second quarter but returned in the third. ... LB Shaun Bradley was inactive because of a shoulder injury.

Washington: Tight end Ricky Seals-Jones injured his neck in a nasty collision with a camera operator on the sideline in the second quarter. Seals-Jones had his neck stabilized before he was lifted onto a stretcher and carted off. The cameraman had a cut on his nose but continued to work. Rivera said Seals-Jones was walking around and OK.

UP NEXT

Eagles: Host the NFC East champion Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night.

Washington: At the New York Giants next Sunday.

___

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://apnews.com/hub/pro-32 and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Philadelphia Eagles running back Boston Scott (35) leaps over Washington Football Team cornerback Kendall Fuller (29) to score a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally) The Associated Press

Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Genard Avery (58) celebrates after sacking Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Associated Press

Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) is chased and sacked by Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Genard Avery (58) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally) The Associated Press

Philadelphia Eagles running back Boston Scott (35) running with the ball against the Washington Football Team during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Associated Press

Washington Football Team tight end Ricky Seals-Jones (83) is carted off the field in a stretcher after colliding with a camera during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally) The Associated Press

Philadelphia Eagles running back Boston Scott (35) scores a touchdown against the Washington Football Team during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Associated Press

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs with the ball against Washington Football Team defensive end Casey Toohill (95) and outside linebacker David Mayo (51) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally) The Associated Press

Washington Football Team running back Jonathan Williams (35) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles safety Rodney McLeod (23) middle linebacker T.J. Edwards (57) and outside linebacker Alex Singleton (49) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Al Drago) The Associated Press

Washington Football Team tight end Ricky Seals-Jones (83) lying on the sidelines after a collision with a cameraman during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally) The Associated Press

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) looking doing field to throw the ball against the Washington Football Team during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Associated Press

Benches for the Philadelphia Eagles are seen on the sidelines before the start of the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Football Team, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally) The Associated Press

Fans are seen in the stands prior to the start of the first half of an NFL football game between Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Football Team, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally) The Associated Press

Fans of the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles in the stands prior to the start of the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Al Drago) The Associated Press

Fans falls onto Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) after a railing collapsed following the end of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. Philadelphia won 20-16. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Associated Press

Fans falls onto Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) after the railing collapsed following the end of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. Philadelphia won 20-16. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Associated Press

Fans hit the ground infront of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) after a railing collapsed following the end of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. Philadelphia won 20-16. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Associated Press

Fans lay on the ground after falling onto Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) as a railing collapsed following the end of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, in Landover, Md. Philadelphia won 20-16. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) The Associated Press

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