CNN
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The Philadelphia Eagles scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns, including two by star running back Saquon Barkley, to pull away and defeat the Washington Commanders 26-18 Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

Barkley finished with 146 rushing yards and two scores as the Eagles extended their winning streak to six straight games and now hold a 1.5-game lead over the Commanders for first place in the NFC East.

Washington opened the scoring in the first quarter with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels orchestrating a four-play, 58-yard scoring drive to give the Commanders a 7-0 lead. Daniels had completed a screen pass in the backfield to Austin Ekeler earlier in the campaign to move Washington down the field, and the running back initially eluded the defender before being brought down for a 34-yard gain .

Meanwhile, Brian Robinson rushed for an 18-yard gain a few plays later, before finally getting an inside handoff near the goal line for the touchdown.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts momentarily left the game in the second quarter and was evaluated for a concussion after being tackled from behind by defensive back Quan Martin and another Commanders defender. As he fell forward, Hurts’ head was pressed to the turf by Martin’s chest.

The 26-year-old entered the blue medical tent, then later ran into the locker room at halftime with the Eagles leading 7-3. Hurts was cleared by the medical staff and played the entire second half.

Hurts completed 18 of 28 pass attempts for 221 yards, adding 39 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

“What we talked about at halftime was this was going to be a grimy, gritty game, and keep going because we know we’re grimy and gritty,” said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, after the match. “We kept going, it was the halftime speech, like, ‘Hey, it’s a street fight.’ It’s not about who is harder, but who is harder for longer.

The turning point of the match came in the fourth quarter. Trailing 12-10, with the Commanders facing a fourth-and-2 field goal, Washington elected to go for a first down. Daniels bounced the snap before attempting to rush for the first, but was tackled along the sideline.

“It was huge. It’s huge. That’s a turnover in our eyes,” Sirianni said of the fourth stop. “Jayden Daniels is obviously a very good athlete, a very good football player. It was nice to be able to put this thing on and call it a day. It was huge because we went down and had a two-point game.

After the turnover on downs, Barkley scored his first touchdown, breaking for a 23-yard run to put the Eagles ahead 19-10. On the ensuing possession, the Philadelphia defense caught a pass from Daniels on the first play of the drive, giving the Eagles offense the ball at the Washington 46-yard line.

Barkley, who nearly made a big play on the previous snap, torched the Commanders defense again, hitting the open hole and sprinting across the middle of the field for the 39-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 26-10 lead with 4:38 to play. in the game.

Playing his first season with the Eagles, Barkley eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards in a season for the fourth time in his career, accomplishing the feat 10 games into Philadelphia’s campaign – the fastest he has ever reached this milestone.

The Commanders scored a touchdown on their final possession, with Daniels connecting with tight end Zach Ertz for a five-yard score, but it was too late for a comeback.

Daniels finished with 191 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception in the loss as the Commanders lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.

The Eagles (8-2) next face the Los Angeles Rams (4-5) on Nov. 24, while the Commanders (7-4) travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys (3-6).