LANDOVER, Md. -- With 6:05 left on the fourth quarter clock, the Eagles' defense took the field looking to hold the Washington Redskins out of the end zone one last time. If they could do that, they'd travel back to Philadelphia with a 2-2 record and two straight wins in a division that is up for the taking.
Instead, the defense, which has been such a strong point for the Eagles through the first quarter of the season, couldn't come up with that one final big play, and Washington drove 90 yards for what would be the game-winning touchdown.
The drive, which drained 5:39 of game time off of the clock, featured a steady mix of both run and pass, a pair of costly penalties on the Eagles and was capped off by a 4-yard pass from Kirk Cousins to Pierre Garcon.
"Credit goes to them. They made the plays on that last drive to get the in the end zone," defensive coordinator Bill Davis said after the game. "I don't want to take anything away from them. They made plays.
"They had a lot of clock to work with, so they used it. The run and pass were both options for them. They had a long 15-play drive, and they made more plays than we did."
On the final play of the driving, ultimately the dooming play for the Eagles, rookie cornerback Eric Rowe broke on the ball and stuck Garcon with a nice hit in an attempt to knock the ball loose, but he was just a hair too late.
"I should have known that they weren't going to throw the ball to the running back. He was there to clear me out," Rowe said. "I feel like I had a good jump, but I could have had a better jump because right when the ball was snapped he looked right at Pierre. He's there main player and in crunch time they need him to make a play. I should have jumped it earlier."
Prior to that last drive, the Eagles had only allowed the Redskins to find the end zone once, which came on a 1-yard quarterback sneak by Cousins. Brandon Graham also forced a fumble that was recovered by Jordan Hicks, marking the 10th straight game that the Eagles have forced a turnover. Still, it all came down to that final drive.
"It's a tough position to be in defensively, but you've just got to find a way to make a stop," said safety Malcolm Jenkins. "I think execution was the issue. That was the first time that they ran the ball more than we would have liked. They got a few plays with the run and then a couple of third-down conversions on third-and-short, and then a couple of penalties to extend the drive. That will take you 90 yards right there."
Now, the Eagles find themselves as 1-3, an identical record to where they were in 2013 before they turned things around and made a run to the NFC East championship. Sunday's loss may be a tough pill to swallow, but it's a learning point for the defense, and the team overall, and it presents another opportunity for the team to turn the corner and move in the right direction.
"We collectively have to look at it and see where we can get better and then go to work to get better, not hang our heads," said Davis. "I'll take that scenario every time, where we have to make the play. Tonight, we didn't make the play. Credit goes to them, but we're not going to hang our heads. We're going to keep fighting and getting better."
The extreme weather couldn't keep the Eagles from traveling to Washington for their Week 4 match up. View the full gallery here...
RB DeMarco Murray takes off
PHIvsWAS
Waiting to make their attack
WR Nelson Agholor makes the one-handed grab
S Malcolm Jenkins celebrates the stop
Waiting for the verdict
The pass is in the air
QB Sam Bradford takes the field
Eagles Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Lurie and Vice President of Player Personnel Ed Marynowitz watch pregame
Heading to the field
Kickers Caleb Sturgis and Cody Parkey talk during pregame
RB DeMarco Murray prepares for the game
Catching up before the game
Ready to run
An intense practice
Ready to take the field!
Eagles on three!
Ready for the game to start
Pregame focus
Stretching out for #PHIvsWAS
RB Kenjon Barner catches a pass during pregame
The #SproleTrain has arrived
LB Connor Barwin gets the pass
Preparations...
C Jason Kelce
RB Darren Sproles goes through his routine
DB Walter Thurmond and WR Nelson Agholor jog on the field
T Dennis Kelly goes for the block during pregame warm-ups
WR Miles Austin flies high for the ball
Suit up
FlyEaglesFly!
RB Darren Sproles and QB Sam Bradford take the field
Ready to rock!
LB Mychal Kendricks is in position
Ready to make his move
LB Najee Goode looks on
DT Bennie Logan takes in the moment
WR Josh Huff shoes his #EaglesTBC support
LB Jordan Hicks during the National Anthem
The Eagles defense makes the stop
QB Sam Bradford looks down the field
Always prepared
EaglesNation is well-represented at the game!
High-fives all around
Ready to support their Eagles!
LB Connor Barwin goes for the ball
RB DeMarco Murray protects on the run
T Jason Peters protects along the outside
QB Sam Bradford looks for a receiver
P Donnie Jones kicks it away
RB DeMarco Murray tries to shake off the tackle
Walking the sidelines after the play
A true Eagles fan!
QB Sam Bradford scrambles
K Caleb Sturgis makes his debut as an Eagle
Watching it soar
DE Fletcher Cox sticks with the tackle
Hitting the open field
WR Nelson Agholor pulls the ball in
Blocking for RB DeMarco Murray
DT Bennie Logan sets up
Head Coach Chip Kelly
LB Jordan Hicks is ready for the snap
Examining the coverage
LB Connor Barwin eyes up the offense
On the run!
RB Darren Sproles escapes for the open field
QB Sam Bradford has time to make the throw
T Dennis Kelly runs off
DB Eric Rowe and LB DeMeco Ryans make the tackle
Protecting the ball
WR Nelson Agholor takes off
Now that's control!
RB Darren Sproles makes his move
Sproles in stride
As the National Anthem is sung...
It's a celebration!
WR Jordan Matthews runs with the ball
TE Brent Celek celebrates the touchdown!
DE Fletcher Cox marks up
The Eagles defense stops the offense
WR Jordan Matthews has no problem making the catch
WR Jordan Matthews hits traffic
WR Riley Cooper has the touchdown!
WR Riley Cooper celebrates with LB Connor Barwin
QB Sam Bradford joins in on the celebration
TE Brent Celek makes the catch!
Celek scores!
CB Byron Maxwell doesn't let him get away
T Jason Peters braces for impact
DE Fletcher Cox and LB DeMeco Ryans power through the tackle
DE Fletcher Cox tracks down the ball
The kick is good!
K Caleb Sturgis gets ready for the kick
The handoff to RB Ryan Mathews
LB Brandon Graham goes for the tackle
RB Darren Sproles slips through the tackles
Pressure on QB Sam Bradford
Going for it
A pile of Eagles make the tackle
WR Jordan Matthews prepares to take off
WR Miles Austin finds the endzone
The defense attacks from all angles
C Jason Kelce congratulates WR Miles Austin
The offense protects QB Sam Bradford
Incoming!
It's good!
All smiles for the wide receivers
Everyone is pumped up for WR Miles Austin
A beautiful throw from QB Sam Bradford and an amazing catch from WR Miles Austin
DE Vinny Curry tires to block the pass
The defense working together
Before the throw...
Stopped in his tracks
TE Trey Burton and LB Bryan Braman are fired up
RB Darren Sproles keeps running
RB Ryan Mathews runs through traffic
RB Ryan Mathews finds the opening
WR Miles Austin protects the ball
