LANDOVER — Dwayne Haskins’ best performance as an NFL quarterback couldn’t compete with the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense at its best.
Carson Wentz connected with Greg Ward for a game-winning 4-yard touchdown with 26 seconds left as the Eagles beat the Washington Redskins on Sunday, 37-27, knocking Washington down to 3-11 for the season.
The Eagles trailed by three but pieced together an 11-play, 75-yard drive — their fifth drive of at least 56 yards — and reached the red zone with plenty of time to take a few shots at the end zone.
Ward caught the pass over cornerback Josh Norman, who was relegated to back-up status in recent weeks and had to come in due to injuries to Jimmy Moreland, Aaron Colvin and Fabian Moreau.
Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham returned a Haskins fumble for a touchdown as time expired to create the 10-point margin of victory.
Haskins finished 19-for-28 for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Miles Sanders powered the Eagles’ offense, with 122 rushing yards and two total touchdowns.
After a Washington punt to open the game, the Eagles took their first drive 88 yards on 16 plays but were held to a field goal. The Redskins struck on the first play of the ensuing possession when Haskins found Terry McLaurin over the middle; the third-round draft pick broke one tackle and sprinted the rest of the way for a 75-yard touchdown.
The scoring remained back-and-forth the rest of the afternoon. The Eagles scored early in the second quarter after a 75-yard drive was helped along by an unnecessary roughness penalty called on safety Montae Nicholson. Philadelphia reached the 1-yard line and Sanders walked in his first score of the day.
But the Eagles were also guilty of several penalties Sunday, including two on the next Washington drive and a third that was declined. Haskins took the offense into the red zone and connected with rookie Steven Sims Jr. in the back of the end zone to give Washington the 14-10 lead.
That’s where the score stood until midway through the third quarter, as both offenses stalled for a while. Wentz brought the Eagles back into the red zone and pulled out a highlight-reel 15-yard touchdown pass to Sanders. Wentz evaded pressure in a collapsing pocket, scrambled right and drilled a pass to Sanders in the back corner. The running back somersaulted backwards from the impact of the catch.
Washington came back with another impressive drive. At the end of the third, Haskins kept the ball on an option on third-and-1 and found a hole to gain 23 yards and enter the red zone. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Adrian Peterson ran left to find a wall of men, bounced right and scampered in for a 10-yard score, tying Walter Payton all-time with his 110th career rushing touchdown.
Sanders came back with a 56-yard run downfield before being brought down in the red zone. The Eagles completed the drive with a short touchdown toss to Zach Ertz, putting them ahead 24-21 and marking the seventh lead change of the day.
Washington came back with Dustin Hopkins field goals of 53 and 43 yards, the latter arranged when Wentz lost a fumble around midfield, before Philadelphia conducted its game-winning drive.
Because the New York Giants prevailing over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Week 16’s game between New York and Washington will feature two 3-11 clubs and play a vital role in determining the top of the 2020 draft order — a final home game befitting the Redskins’ forgettable 2019 season.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.