A.J. Brown stars, Eagles edge Commanders on Jake Elliott’s overtime field goal

The jubilation of what seemed like an A.J. Brown game-winning touchdown gave way to the nervous silence of a last-second, game-tying Jahan Dotson touchdown catch.

It took an extra few minutes, but the Eagles beat the Washington Commanders, 34-31, on a walk-off field goal from Jake Elliott from 54 yards out in overtime. The win moved the Eagles to 4-0 on the season and kept them atop the NFC East.

The Eagles were 90 seconds away from a regulation win, but Washington quarterback Sam Howell led the Commanders 64 yards down the field for a 10-yard touchdown pass to Dotson as time expired and forced overtime.

» READ MORE: Eagles grades: Jalen Hurts comes through with his best game in the overtime victory

The defense made up for it in extra time, stopping a Commanders drive to open the period after the visitors won the coin toss. Jalen Hurts and Co. responded with a 10-play, 33-yard drive to give Elliott a chance to win the game, and the kicker obliged.

“Jake showed up big time,” Hurts said. “I hate sending him on the field, but he showed up and made the game-winning field goal for the team. Those moments like that — I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a game where a guy’s kicked a game-winner and I’ve had to witness that in my career.”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni added, “We won in a different way than we’ve had to win so far this year. I think that builds character, I think that builds a tighter team, I think that builds trust. ... It is good when you’re able to win different ways, that tells you a lot about the character of your football team. I think we showed that today.”

Here’s our instant analysis off the game:

A week after relenting to the “No Fun League,” Brown stood his ground in some pink cleats.

The star wide receiver finished with an eye-popping nine catches, 175 yards, and two touchdowns all while sporting some brightly colored cleats less than a week after the NFL insisted he change out of highlighter-green shoes on Monday Night Football. After the game, Brown said the cleats he wore this week had the NFL’s blessing.

Brown, who wears distinctive cleats so his daughter can spot on him on the field, went into the game without a touchdown but made up for lost time Sunday. His first score came on a stutter-and-go route from the slot, toasting Washington cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and managing an impressive run after the catch for the 59-yard scamper. After the game, Brown said Washington gave Forbes the unenviable task of following him around the field in one-on-one coverage and the Eagles capitalized.

“Shoutout to my teammates for blocking downfield,” Brown said. “And shoutout to [passing-game coordinator Kevin [Patullo] and Nick for calling it against the right defense at the right time. It had been marinating all game. ... I just got the ball and my teammates showed up for me.”

The wide receiver’s second touchdown was even more impactful. Brown, seemingly taking exception with an attempted tackle from Forbes as he went out of bounds a few plays earlier, made the rookie corner pay with a 28-yard touchdown catch on a go route.

Brown was called for a taunting penalty in the aftermath of the touchdown because he dropped the ball into Forbes’ lap, something that caught the ire of Hurts a few minutes later on the sideline, he said.

“I’m a vet, I can’t do stuff like that,” Brown said. “It cost us some yardage on the kickoff, so I have to be better than that.”

DeVonta Smith made his share of plays as well, most notably managing an acrobatic 37-yard catch to set up an Eagles field goal at the end of the first half. He finished with seven catches for 78 yards.

With three minutes left in the fourth quarter and the game in the balance, Hurts delivered.

He made timely throws, including a crucial completion on the final drive of regulation to slot receiver Olamide Zaccheaus on third-and-eight.

Hurts finished 25-for-37 for 319 yards and two scores while contributing 33 yards on the ground as well.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts comes alive, finds Eagles playmakers A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, D’Andre Swift in OT

After the game, Brown and Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata both said they noticed a more animated Hurts than usual. Brown called it a “fire” that the team could sense as the game tightened late, which Hurts said comes from his experiences throughout his career.

“My whole career has kind of been a roller-coaster in terms of being in different and unique, unprecedented moments,” Hurts said. “[It’s] what you may call pressure, and stormy and ‘fire,’ but that’s what I’ve warranted. It’s a unique feeling being in those situations because you work so hard and you prepare so hard and you go through so much to put yourself in a position where you’re comfortable in those moments.”

When asked what went into the decision to take a shot to the end zone on the fourth-quarter touchdown to Brown, Hurts said it boiled down to instinct.

“It’s a feel thing,” Hurts said. “In those moments, high-intensity and pressure moments, it comes down to feel. I think winners find a way, and we found a way to win.”

The Eagles’ woes at safety continued with Terrell Edmunds filling in for injured starter Justin Evans.

With Evans out with a neck injury and rookie safety Sydney Brown sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Eagles went into the game with just three healthy safeties, one of whom was practice-squad call-up Tristin McCollum.

The Eagles had nowhere to turn even as Edmunds struggled and the lack of any trustworthy depth behind him was apparent.

The 26-year-old committed costly penalties, missed several tackles, and dropped an interception in the end zone. Edmunds was called for two unnecessary roughness penalties, one for a hard hit on Washington tight end Logan Thomas over the middle of the field in the first quarter and the second coming in the fourth quarter when he shoved a scrambling Howell to the ground as the quarterback stepped out of bounds.

The team went into the season with question marks at safety and those questions loomed large over Sunday’s game.

The Eagles linebacking corps has settled in nicely after a shaky start to the season largely thanks to the disruptive play of Nicholas Morrow.

Morrow, who started the season on the practice squad after signing with the Eagles in free agency last spring, had a team-high three sacks and 11 tackles, second behind only Zach Cunningham’s 13. The 28-year-old linebacker was stout against the run and was an effective blitzer when new defensive coordinator Sean Desai called his number, particularly out of the “double mug” look lined up over the A-gap with another linebacker threatening to rush next to him.

Cunningham, Morrow’s running mate, was also solid when coming downhill against the run. It wasn’t all perfect, as Cunningham was called for defensive holding on a pivotal third down early in the game that may have actually been on Morrow, but it’s a long way from the porous play the Eagles got at both linebacking spots in the season opener against the New England Patriots.

The pass rush in general was effective in key moments, with edge rusher Haason Reddick logging his first sack of the season in the fourth quarter to thwart a Washington series. Morrow got his third sack on the final Washington drive of regulation as well, getting some help from Reddick on the rush.

The Eagles weren’t very efficient on fourth downs against the Commanders, both in decision-making and execution.

An offsides penalty — however questionable it may have been — wiped away a quarterback sneak in the second quarter and led to Sirianni deciding to punt on fourth-and-six from the Eagles’ 45-yard line. According to opensourcenfl.com analytics writer Ben Baldwin, the Eagles would have increased their win probability by 1% by choosing to go for it.

Sirianni stayed conservative relative to the analytical suggestion in the third quarter when he chose to send the field-goal unit out on a fourth-and-three from the Washington 30. Baldwin’s model gave the Eagles a 50% win probability when going for it and just a 45% chance to win with the field goal.

It’s important to note the Eagles did have two successful conversions on fourth down, one coming on a Hurts fake quarterback sneak from the Eagles’ 34-yard line in the second quarter to sustain a drive that ended in a field goal and then again on fourth-and-1 in overtime when Hurts converted a vital quarterback sneak on the game-winning drive.

Cam Jurgens was sidelined coming out of halftime with a foot injury, giving way to Sua Opeta filling in at right guard to open the half. Jurgens was limited in practice earlier in the week with a groin injury following the team’s Monday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The second-year interior lineman has been a mostly seamless replacement for Isaac Seumalo on the starting offensive line, sandwiched between All-Pro duo Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce.

Jurgens was ruled out midway through the third quarter and wasn’t on the sideline for the remainder of the game and had a walking boot on his right foot in the locker room after the game.