With a strong defensive effort and a successful mix of passes and runs, the Washington Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-20 Sunday at FedEx Field.
The Redskins three-headed rushing machine of Matt Jones (135 yards on 16 carries), Robert Kelley (59 yards on five carries) and Chris Thompson (37 on nine carries) was simply too much for the Eagles’ defense to handle.
Kirk Cousins finished the game with 18 completions on 34 pass attempts, throwing for 263 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
The Redskins sacked Eagles’ quarterback Carson Wentz five times, including two by linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. Linebacker Will Compton and safety Will Blackmon led all Redskins in tackles with six apiece.
The Redskins opened the scoring with a nine play, 90 yard drive. After a 35-yard reception by DeSean Jackson, immediately followed by a 15-yard by Jones, Jamison Crowder caught a 16-yard pass for a touchdown.
The next drive, Vernon Davis caught his first touchdown of the season, a 13-yard reception from the end zone. Davis was then flagged for an excessive celebration, a 15-yard penalty.
On the ensuing kickoff, Eagles kick returner Wendell Smallwood took advantage, taking with an 86-yards touchdown return on the penalty shortened field.
On the next drive, Cousins threw an interception, returned by Malcolm Jenkins for a 64-yard touchdown. The two scores would be the only two touchdowns for Philadelphia on the day.
Before the end of the first half, Jones would pound in a one-yard touchdown run, giving the Redskins a 21-14 lead at half.
The second half didn’t feature any touchdowns, but Redskins kicker Dustin Hopkins sealed the win with two field goals, one from 32 yards and another for 50 yards.
The win gives the Redskins their fourth of the year and their fourth straight. Washington now sits second in the division behind the 4-1 Dallas Cowboys, who play the Green Bay Packers in Week 6.
• Tommy Chalk can be reached at tchalk@washingtontimes.com.
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