Eagles tackle Jason Peters makes a block in Birds 27-24 loss to the Redskins. Photo by Jesse Simmers / contrastphotography.com

For the Eagles, it was all hands on deck for the game against Washington at FedEx Field. Win and there was a realistic chance to grab the NFC East title and get a home game in the playoffs.

All those hands showed up, but unfortunately for Eagles fans, those palms all had a hand in the Birds stunning 27-24 loss to the Redskins.

The loss eliminated the Eagles from Wild card contention. Their only hope is that Dallas loses to both the Indianapolis Colts Sunday and to the Washington Redskins.

The Eagles would have to defeat the New York Giants next week for any of those long shots to work.

The Eagles admitted they only have themselves to blame.

Three sacks allowed, two costly turnovers by quarterback Mark Sanchez including an interception with 1:36 left in the fourth quarter and the score tied 24-24.

The Eagles committed 13 penalties for 102 yards, several were crucial in that they kept Washington drives alive.

”We’re beating ourselves with the penalties,” defensive coordinator Bill Davis said. ”They stay on the field, and they get more shots on goal, and bad things happen in the NFL.”

The Eagles came to FedEx Field with a win-or-season-over mission.
The Birds did not make that mission easy on themselves from the start.

The Eagles took the opening kickoff and were moving the ball, when, on a third and 14 at the Washington 47, Mark Sanchez went back to pass…unfortunately if you hold the ball like you are in line at Wawa with a 10-inch classic in your hand, and Ryan Kerrigan is within arm’s length, you will lose the hoagie and Sanchez did.

Kerrigan pounced on the ball at the Eagles 47-yard line and the Redskins were in business.

Robert Griffin III drove his team to the Eagles seven-yard line where the drive stalled.

The Eagles were lucky to escape with just a field goal allowed.
After Griffin threw an incomplete pass that would have made Redskins kicker Rai Forbath kick a 33-yard field goal.

But Cary Williams inexplicably shoved a Redskins player going out of bounds and was called for it. The Redskins were given a first down at the seven-yard but the Eagles held.

The Eagles wasted a turnover on the opening kickoff of the second half when Malcolm Jenkins forced a fumble. The Eagles recovered at the Redskins 16-yard line but failed to move the ball at all.

Then the normally reliable Cody Parkey missed a 34-yard attempt.

The Redskins took over at the 24.

Griffin led the Redskins 76 yards for a touchdown and a 17-14 lead.

The Eagles had two roughing the passer penalties to aid Washington on the drive. The missed Parkey field goal and subsequent Redskins drive constituted a 14-point swing against the Eagles.

The day seemed doomed from that point on.

NOTES:

Ertz So Good … TE Zach Ertz set a franchise record with 15 receptions and also recorded his first-career 100-yard game with 115 receiving yards. The previous record was 14, held by Brian Westbrook (2007) and Don Looney (1940) … His 15 receptions also tied for the second-highest total by an NFL tight end since 1960, trailing only Jason Witten’s 18 on 10/28/12.

Offensive Quick Hits … WR Jeremy Maclin had four receptions for 62 yards, upping his season totals to 82 and 1,269 which rank tied for fourth and fourth in Eagles history, respectively … WR Riley Cooper scored his second and third receiving touchdowns of the season, marking his third multi-score game in the last two seasons … Cooper has 53 catches this year, eclipsing 50 for the first time in his career and marking just the second time in franchise history that the Eagles offense has featured three wide receivers with over 50 receptions in the same season (2011 –Maclin, DeSean Jackson, Jason Avant).

Yard Marker … QB Mark Sanchez set an Eagles record with 37 completions and a career high with 374 yards … It was his fourth 300-yard game of the season, which is also a career high … Sanchez and QB Nick Foles each have four 300-yard games this year, marking the first time the Eagles have ever had two different quarterbacks with four each in the same season … Sanchez and Foles also became the second pair of teammates in NFL history to both throw for over 2,000 yards in the same season, joining St. Louis’ Kurt Warner and Trent Green in 2000.

Real McCoy … RB LeSean McCoy scored his fifth rushing touchdown of the season. The Eagles now have two running backs with at least five rushing scores in the same season for the first time since 2003 … The Eagles have accomplished that feat just eight times in franchise history and three times since 1995 … McCoy also had 88 yards, upping his season total to 1,220 which is tied for the ninth-best single-season total in Eagles history.

Defensive Nuggets … LB Mychal Kendricks tied a career high with his fourth sack of the season … S Malcolm Jenkins forced a fumble on special teams that was recovered by CB Nolan Carroll II, the first of his career … DE Fletcher Cox has a sack in three of the last five games and four of the last seven … S Nate Allen picked up his third interception of the season, tying a career high.

Birdseed … K Cody Parkey has 30 field goals this season, tying for the most ever by an Eagles rookie and the fourth-highest total in team history … His 140 points are the fourth-highest total ever by a rookie in the NFL and the third-highest total ever by an Eagle … The Eagles have scored 440 points this year, which is the second-highest total in franchise history and just two off of the record set last season. Their 50 touchdowns are also tied for second … The Eagles had 30 first downs against Washington, upping their season total to 333 which ranks as the third-highest total in team history.