Philadelphia Eagles place kicker Jake Elliott (4) celebrates with teammates after the game-winning field goal in overtime of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders on Oct. 1 in Philadelphia.Matt Rourke/The Associated Press
Jalen Hurts threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns, and Josh Elliott kicked a 54-yard field goal in overtime to lift the Philadelphia Eagles to a 34-31 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday for their second straight 4-0 start.
Elliott also kicked field goals of 41, 47 and 36 yards before booming the winner that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
And kept the Eagles unbeaten.
Not before a little-late game drama put the Eagles on the brink of being upset at home by the Commanders (2-2) for the second straight season.
Hurts hit A.J. Brown for a 28-yard touchdown with 1:28 left in regulation for a 31-24 lead. Instead of killing the clock and trying for a winning field goal, the Eagles left enough time for Sam Howell to lead the Commanders down to Philadelphia’s 10-yard line.
Washington’s tying drive got a boost when Brown was flagged for taunting on the score. The Commanders started on the Eagles’ 36 and tied it when Howell hit Jahan Dotson as time expired.
Coach Ron Rivera went for the extra point and the tie on the road, a call that sent them knotted 31-31 into OT.
The Commanders did nothing with the ball in OT. Hurts then converted a fourth-down sneak that pushed the Eagles to Washington’s 48-yard line and helped set up the winner.
Sparked by Brown’s nine catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns, the NFC champion Eagles are 4-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992-93. A year ago, the Eagles’ 8-0 start was spoiled by a home loss to Washington.
The Commanders tried it again and led 17-13 in the third and tied it 24-24 in the fourth.
Hurts came as close as he has all season to the type of dynamic games that punctuated last season’s run to the Super Bowl. He sure knew how to connect with Brown.
After the Commanders rallied – Brian Robinson Jr.’s 15-yard score made it 24-all – the Eagles responded and Brown hauled in a score that sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Howell was 29 of 41 for 290 yards.
A week after Howell threw four interceptions and was sacked nine times, he went 13 of 17 for 161 yards in the first half behind an offensive line that gave him plenty of time to throw and take a 17-10 lead into the break.
Yes, the Commanders used ball control – they had the ball for 17 minutes in the first half – to get a one-yard TD run from Curtis Samuel and Terry McLaurin’s fumble recovery in the end zone for a 14-7 lead.
But the Eagles did their best to give away the game. They were penalized six times in the half.