The Eagles held the lead through three quarters of Sunday's game against Washington, but a last-gasp effort came up short and the Eagles dropped their fourth straight game, falling 27-22. Here are some 'news and notes' items from inside the locker room after the game, along with some milestones that the Eagles accomplished on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field ...

1. Zach Ertz Makes Statement On The Field

Zach Ertz bounced back in a big way on Sunday, hauling in 10 catched for 112 yards (both season highs). Ertz came under fire after his performance last week, but on Sunday he put his head down and gave a gritty performance. 

"Everyone deals with adversity in different ways. I'm not going to let one play define my career by any means, good or bad," Ertz said. "There was a lot of hoopla surrounding that play last week and I just wanted to tell my teammates I have their back regardless of what's going on, on the outside. I was focusing on being the best tight end I could be today and being the best teammate I could be and I think I did that today."

2. Matt Tobin: Ryan Kerrigan Beat Me Around Edge

With the Eagles driving late in the fourth quarter, it looked as if Carson Wentz and the offense were going to find a way to pull out a come-from-behind victory in the final minutes of regulation. The Eagles marched 48 yards to Washington's 14-yard line, but Wentz was sacked by linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, the ball came free and Washington recovered to seal the victory. On the play, Kerrigan beat Matt Tobin, who was forced into action at right tackle after Allen Barbre left with a hamstring injury.

"He just beat me around the edge," Tobin said after the game. "He got around the edge with speed. … I didn't make the play. He did."

3. Defense Keeps Cousins, Redskins In Check

Though the final score was in the Redskins' favor, the Eagles did show improvement on the defensive side of the ball. Kirk Cousins threw for only 234 yards and running back Robert Kelley was limited to 63 yards at 3.9 yards per carry. Cousins was sacked twice and threw an interception that was returned by Leodis McKelvin for a touchdown.

The defense wasn't perfect by any means, but it did take a step in the right direction after tough outings against Green Bay and Cincinnati.

"It's obviously disappointing. It was a tough day. A lot of things kind of didn't swing in our direction, but we felt like we kind of gave ourselves a chance," said safety Malcolm Jenkins. "It was a hard-fought game that just didn't swing in our direction."

"I thought we got some of the stuff fixed today and we'll continue to try to improve and correct the mistakes," said defensive end Connor Barwin.

"Everybody wants to get out there and make sure that we played hard and that we didn't lose the way we lost last week," added fellow defensive end Brandon Graham. "I think we went out there and we played hard but you know, obviously, you have to make more plays than them to win the game."

4. McKelvin Makes Redskins Pay With Pick-Six

McKelvin's interception was one of the highlights for the Eagles on Sunday, as he stepped in front of a Cousins' pass and ran it back 29 yards for the touchdown.

"It was something that I really needed," McKelvin said afterwards. "They ran that play earlier and obviously I just came back and Kirk threw the ball late and I made them pay for it.

"You just have to keep fighting. You never know how things are going to work out in the end."

Milestones

1. Darren Sproles became the first player in NFL history with 30 receiving touchdowns, 20 rushing touchdowns and five total kick and punt return touchdowns. He's just the eighth player in NFL history with 30 receiving touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns, and the first player to accomplish the feat since former Eagle Brian Westbrook.

2. Jon Dorenbos appeared in his 162nd consecutive game with the Eagles, tying Harold Carmichael for the longest streak in franchise history.

3. Caleb Sturgis connected on three field goals on Sunday, including the 100th successful field goal of his NFL career. Sturgis now has 108 points on the season, the third 100 point season of his career and second such year with the Eagles.