Philadelphia finally ended the NFC East’s two-decade weirdness on Saturday night, locking up back-to-back division titles with a 29-18 win over Washington. The result clinched the division, and it also kept the spotlight on how the final minutes played out, not just the standings.
ESPN reported that the flashpoint came late, when Philadelphia went for a two-point conversion that pushed the lead to 19 with 4:26 left.
The decision immediately fueled “running up the score” chatter, and the play ended with a fight that got three players tossed: Eagles lineman Tyler Steen, plus Washington defensive end Javon Kinlaw and safety Quan Martin.
Nick Sirianni said afterward that the call wasn’t about sending a message. In his explanation, being up 19 felt safer than being up 18, because 18 leaves a clean path for an opponent to tie with two touchdowns, two two-point tries, and a field goal.
Sirianni’s point was that one extra point changes the math, and in his mind, that isn’t the same thing as piling on. ESPN also noted Washington players seemed less focused on the two-point decision itself than on what happened after the whistle.
The tension didn’t erase what actually won the game. Jalen Hurts played within himself and still moved the offense, finishing 22-of-30 for 185 yards and two touchdowns, plus 40 rushing yards on seven carries.
One of those scoring throws was a 15-yard touchdown to Dallas Goedert at the end of a long, 17-play, 83-yard drive in the third quarter. Afterward, Hurts credited Goedert for the finish and emphasized execution and will to close the game.
Saquon Barkley handled the heavy lifting on the ground with 132 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, and the Eagles used that control to keep the game from turning into a coin flip late.
Philadelphia can enjoy the division banner, but the takeaway going into the next week is straightforward: when a team plays the math at the end, it still has to keep the temperature down after the play ends.
