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12/20 19:16 CST Jalen Hurts and the Eagles win their second NFC East title in a row by beating the Commanders 29-18 Jalen Hurts and the Eagles win their second NFC East title in a row by beating the Commanders 29-18 By HOWARD FENDRICH AP National Writer LANDOVER, Md. (AP) --- This was not a terrific performance by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, from a fumble on the opening kickoff to a pair of penalties on the tush push to three wide-left field-goal tries to a halftime deficit. Still, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and company eventually got going in the right direction and clinched a second consecutive NFC East title by beating the Washington Commanders 29-18 on Saturday night. The game included a late brawl after Barkley tacked on a 2-point conversion to increase the Eagles' lead to 19 points. Starting plays under center far more frequently than he did earlier in the season, Hurts completed 22 of 30 throws --- with 15 of those caught by A.J. Brown or DeVonta Smith --- for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. He connected with Smith from 5 yards out in the first half and with tight end Dallas Goedert from 15 to put Philadelphia ahead 14-10 in the third quarter, capping a 17-play, 83-yard, 10 1/2-minute drive. Hurts also did plenty of damage on the ground, gaining 40 yards on seven carries for the Eagles (10-5), who have followed a three-game losing streak by winning two in a row. They are the first team to top the NFC East in back-to-back seasons since Philadelphia did it every year from 2001 to 2004; the gap since then was the longest drought without a repeat champ for any division in NFL history. Barkley added a 12-yard TD run for the Eagles, part of his 21-carry, 132-yard performance. With the Commanders (4-11), now losers of nine of their past 10 contests, already eliminated from postseason contention, there was plenty of green in the stands. Chants of "E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!" frequently rang out and cries of "Cooooop!" greeted Cooper DeJean's interception of Josh Johnson, Washington's third-string quarterback, who came in when Marcus Mariota went out after the opening drive in the third quarter with an injured right hand while Washington led 10-7. Mariota started Saturday in place of Jayden Daniels, the reigning AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year who led the Commanders to the NFC title game last season --- where they lost 55-23 to Philadelphia --- but has been shut down in 2025 after dealing with a series of injuries and appearing in only seven games. The chilly evening started inauspiciously for the Eagles: Will Shipley coughed up the opening kickoff when he was hit by Mike Sainristil, and Washington recovered at Philadelphia's 27, eventually getting a field goal. The Eagles went up 7-3 on a drive that was nearly all Hurts. He was 4 for 5 passing for 53 yards, including a 6-yard TD toss to Smith, and added a 14-yard run, too. That's not to say Hurts was perfect. Hardly. He missed open receivers, including one particularly egregious overthrow of Brown and another miscommunication with Smith.

Jake Elliott, leaning left The Eagles' Jake Elliott managed to send three field-goal attempts wide left in the first half. Elliott entered 17 for 22 on field goals this season and hadn't missed more than one in a game. But he was off on a 43-yarder in the first quarter. Then, 13 seconds before halftime, Elliott couldn't get a 57-yarder to go through the uprights --- but that one didn't count, because Washington's Tyler Owens was flagged for being offsides. Given another chance, now from 52 yards, Elliott went wide left once more.

Eagles numbers Philadelphia outgained Washington 385 yards to 220. ... Goedert has 10 scoring receptions this season, tying the record for an Eagles tight end, set by Pete Retzlaff in 1965. ... DE Brandon Graham, 37, whose two sacks last week made him the oldest Eagles player to record one, added another Saturday.

Injuries Eagles: LB Nakobe Dean (hamstring) exited in the first quarter. Commanders: Mariota was evaluated for a concussion and cleared, but his hand sidelined him. ... WR Jaylin Lane (ankle) left in the first quarter.

Up next Eagles: At the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 28. Commanders: Host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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