At the start of the second half of a must-win game for the Eagles, opportunity knocked. The Eagles did not take advantage.
Gifted with a fumble on the second-half kickoff, the Eagles started from the Washington 16 and did not gain a yard. Then Cody Parkey missed a 34-yard field goal.
Parkey missed a second field goal in the third, and turnovers, penalties and the ongoing struggles of the secondary allowed the Redskins to claim a 27-24 victory over the Eagles, putting the team's playoff hopes on life support on Saturday night at FedEx Field.
The Eagles received the opening kickoff, but another turnover allowed the Redskins to score first. Mark Sanchez fumbled on a strip sack by Ryan Kerrigan, giving Washington the ball at mid-field. The Redskins turned that into a 25-yard field goal.
The Eagles responded with a 79-yard drive, capped with an 11-yard run by LeSean McCoy for a touchdown.
But Washington wasted no time getting the points back. A 51-yard pass from Robert Griffin III to DeSean Jackson and a 28-yard touchdown run for Alfred Morris were part of a three-play, 80-yard drive for the Redskins.
The Eagles would lead going to the half as a 15-play, 93-yard drive ended with a three-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Riley Cooper.
The Eagles got possession to start the second half as Andre Roberts fumbled the return. Malcolm Jenkins forced the fumble and Nolan Carroll recovered at the Washington 16. But the Eagles didn't gain any yards in three plays and Parkey missed a 34-yard field goal.
The Redskins charged downfield on a 12-play drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run for Darrel Young.
Parkey missed from 46 yards on the Eagles next possession and Washington went back downfield for a four-play, 64-yard drive capped with another one-yard run for Young.
The Eagles didn't go quietly, as Sanchez led an 11-play, 85-yard drive. The final play of the drive was a 16-yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Cooper, cutting the Redskins lead to three with 10 minutes to play.
Following the touchdown, the Eagles defense successfully stopped the Redskins as Nate Allen intercepted a pass on third down to give the Eagles good field position. The Eagles drove inside the 10 before being stopped and tied the game on a 22-yard field goal.
The Eagles had a chance to take the lead in the closing minutes of the game before a Sanchez interception gave Washington the ball with 1:31 left at their own 42.
The Redskins drove down the field and kicked a 26-yard field goal with five seconds left to claim the victory.
The Eagles finished the game with 495 total yards of offense compared to 305 for the Redskins. Both teams had two turnovers. The Eagles had 13 penalties for 102 yard. Washington had three for 15 yards.
Sanchez was 37-for-50 for 374 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. McCoy rushed for 88 yards on 22 carries and had a touchdown. Zach Ertz led the team in receiving, setting a franchise record with 15 catches for 115 yards. Cooper had five catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns.
Mychal Kendricks led the Eagles with 10 tackles. Kendricks and Fletcher Cox each had one sack.
Griffin was 16-for-23 for 220 yards with one interception. Morris rushed for 83 yards on 21 carries and one touchdown. Jackson had 126 yards receiving on four catches.
Ryan Clark and Will Compton tied for the team lead with 15 tackles. Bashaud Breeland had the interception in the final two minutes of the game.
The Eagles dropped to 9-6 on the season and lost their third straight game. The Eagles will also officially be eliminated from the playoffs if the Dallas Cowboys win on Sunday.
They close the season next Sunday in New York against the Giants. Kick-off is at 1 p.m.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
