Eagles defense and DeVonta Smith created a nightmare for Carson Wentz’s Commanders in a 24-8 win

LANDOVER, Md. — DeVonta Smith turned his head and noticed the football coming his way. He quickly twisted his body, catapulted himself from his spot in the corner of the end zone, and leaped over Commanders cornerback Kendall Fuller. At the peak of his jump, Smith hauled in the ball from quarterback Jalen Hurts, utilizing his midnight green gloves like a sticky magnet.

Smith tumbled hard to the ground, but the second-year receiver popped up immediately and celebrated with his teammates. His touchdown gave the Eagles a 24-0 lead heading into halftime, and it boosted him into the team’s history book.

Smith was nearly unstoppable against the Commanders on Sunday afternoon. He set career highs in catches (eight) and receiving yards (169). His elite performance paved the way to a 24-8 victory that makes the Eagles 3-0 to start the season. They are one of three remaining unbeaten NFL teams.

“He’s a great all-around player,” Hurts said of Smith. “He’s the slim reaper. By the eyes, he might be a little sly. But he’s plays like a big boy. He’s a grown man.”

Leading up to Week 3, the Eagles were confident they had built the perfect game plan to contain Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon wanted to affect the former Eagles quarterback and force him into stressed and difficult throws. Gannon believed if his defense set the tone, Wentz would be in for a long day.

The Eagles executed the plan to perfection.

Wentz was sacked seven times in the first half alone. Protected by a battered offensive line, Wentz also fumbled twice. Eagles pass rushers Brandon Graham, Haason Reddick, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Josh Sweat combined for nine sacks and 17 quarterback hits. Linebacker T.J. Edwards finished with a game-best 10 tackles, including two quarterback hits and two tackles for losses.

“That was a big emphasis — hitting the quarterback,” Reddick said. “We wanted to get after him, put pressure on him. Sacks, fumbles, knocking it out. We want to be the team that takes away the ball. Just get after him.”

Too often, Wentz held onto the football too long. His tendencies sent flashbacks to the end of his tenure in Philadelphia. He completed just 25 of 43 passes for 211 yards with zero touchdowns. The Eagles outgained the Commanders by 400 to 240 in net yards.

When asked about the defensive game plan, coach Nick Sirianni offered an animated reply: “Get after the quarterback! We wanted to get them in known passing downs, then our defensive line went out and hunted.”

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Last Monday night’s win was a welcoming sign for the Eagles offense with four pass catchers exceeding 60 receiving yards each.

That momentum carried over at Washington. Smith surely led the way, but there were multiple playmakers involved. Smith and A.J. Brown generated 22 combined targets; Brown had five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Hurts completed passes to seven players. Wide receiver Quez Watkins was the only receiver who didn’t register a catch, although Watkins garnered a key defensive pass-interference penalty on his lone target. The game-day process between Sirianni, offensive coordinator/play caller Shane Steichen, quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson, and Hurts has reached a new level. For the second consecutive game, Hurts showed maturity from the pocket, and he exceeded 300 passing yards.

The 24-year-old quarterback is still improving, but his willingness to trust his protection is commendable. Hurts completed 22 of 35 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He also rushed nine times for 20 yards.

Hurts noted that his touchdown pass to Smith was actually an audible that he called at the line of scrimmage. At that point right before halftime, the Eagles were in the hurry-up offense with no timeouts.

“One thing we talk about all week is trying to be on the same page,” Hurts said. “So when there is a situation where our communication is maybe not the best, maybe I’m not getting the play in because of how loud it is our whatever, they expect me to make it work. I’ve got to put us in an advantageous place to make a play. It was a really big-time play by him to snatch the ball in the air.”

The passing game was hot, but the Eagles struggled to generate momentum in the running game.

Running back Miles Sanders finished with a game-high 15 rushes and 46 yards. Kenneth Gainwell had 6 yards on three carries, while Boston Scott had no yards on two carries. On one of Scott’s rushes, he was stopped inside his own end zone by Daron Payne for a safety.

The Commanders boasted a stout defensive front led by Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, and Payne. But entering Sunday’s game, the Commanders were ranked as the 31st rushing defense in the league. The Eagles didn’t score in the second half.

“My message is the same thing every week,” Sirianni said. “Enjoy this tonight, and it’s back to work tomorrow. We compare this to a 17-round heavyweight boxing match. We can’t ride the waves of the season.”

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The Eagles have remained relatively healthy through the first few weeks, but they experienced their share of injuries Sunday. Cornerback Darius Slay missed one series during the first half with lower body cramps. He was replaced temporarily by second-year cornerback Zech McPhearson. While he was out, Slay worked on agility drills on the sideline.

Defensive lineman Milton Williams also sustained a lower body injury during the first half. On the play when he was hurt, Williams attempted to shed a double team before falling to the ground. He gingerly walked off the field. Reddick also sustained an injury in the second half, but said after the game he was OK.

Tight end Dallas Goedert, after catching a touchdown pass, sustained a shin injury near the end of the first half. He was listed as questionable but returned in the third quarter. With Goedert missing the first series of the second half, he was replaced by rookie tight end Grant Calcaterra, who made his NFL debut. Calcaterra caught one long pass for 40 yards. After the game, Goedert said he’s feeling fine and he noted that his ankle was taped during halftime.