Eagles vs. Washington Football Team score: Jalen Hurts leads run-heavy attack, Philly gets key NFC East win

And with that, Washington's playoff hopes have further dwindled

The Eagles welcomed Washington to town on Tuesday night for one of the last of the NFL's delayed Week 15 games, and for a while, it looked like they might let their NFC East rivals silence the Philadelphia crowd. Behind journeyman Garrett Gilbert, making an emergency start at quarterback for a club down a combined 20+ coaches and players due to COVID-19, Washington jumped out to a 10-point lead on the road. But then the Eagles' ground game came alive, and Jalen Hurts led Nick Sirianni's run-heavy attack to own the second half and claim a 27-17 victory, maintaining their place in the NFC wild card race while putting a major dent in Washington's chances.

Here are some instant takeaways from Tuesday's Eagles win:

Why the Eagles won

They ran the ball and stopped the run. It may sound cliche, but it's a recipe for success in December, and it just so happens to be something they've done well under Nick Sirianni. Things were ugly out of the gate, with Dallas Goedert dropping a wide-open short pass that turned into a Washington pick and Jalen Hurts losing the ball on a long scramble. But they never panicked and leaned deeper into the ground game as the night wore on, with Hurts, Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard teaming up to gash Washington with both speed and power. A killer showing from the Eagles' offensive line helped, and Goedert made up for his drops with a slew of first-down routes. Jalen Reagor, DeVonta Smith and Greg Ward all contributed key catches, meanwhile, and Hurts really settled in after his sloppy first quarter; he would've finished 23 of 26 if not for the drops. Defensively, Fletcher Cox came alive with 1.5 sacks and additional pressures, while the unit stuffed a banged-up Antonio Gibson all night.

Why Washington lost

They couldn't find any rhythm when they had the ball. Honestly, that was to be expected considering how many bodies they were missing coming into this game. And emergency QB Garrett Gilbert wasn't horrible; the guy literally just joined the team over the weekend, and he stood tall to extend and make a handful of plays to keep Washington battling. But Antonio Gibson struggled to find space in between a lengthy trip to the sidelines, Terry McLaurin was limited to a few big catches, and no one else emerged out wide. Ron Rivera's defense was feisty early on, with Montez Sweat and Jonathan Allen chipping in with plays up front, but the unit had zero answers for Sirianni's rushing attack -- even when it became predictable later in the game.

Turning point

The Eagles scored 20 unanswered points before Washington narrowed Philly's lead to three with a Jaret Patterson TD run. Then, on the Eagles' ensuing drive, facing a third-and-6 near midfield, Sirianni dialed up a bubble screen to Jalen Reagor -- who's been on the wrong end of some game-sealing plays this year. Reagor didn't just catch the screen, though; he exploded for 34 yards down the sideline after avoiding initial contact. Right after that, Hurts found Greg Ward for the Eagles' final score, keeping the home team in front for good.

Play of the game

Landon Collins showcased his awareness by picking off an early Jalen Hurts pass that bounced off Dallas Goedert's heel, but Hurts made a more important play late in the contest when he rifled a perfectly placed end-zone shot to Greg Ward, whose touchdown catch was maybe the best of his career:

What's next

The Eagles (7-7) will return to the field in just five days for a Week 16 rematch with the Giants (4-10), who could be turning to Jake Fromm at QB on Dec. 26 after a blowout loss to the Cowboys. Washington (6-8), meanwhile, will stay on the road to take on the Cowboys on "Sunday Night Football," perhaps with their playoff lives on the line.

[Dec 21, 2021 at 9:46 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Jalen Reagor comes up in a big spot for the Eagles on third-and-6, exploding after the screen and turning an important first down into a huge gain. And then Jalen Hurts comes right back and completes one to Greg Ward for the score. Excellent adjustment in-air by Ward to come back for the ball, and Philly is now up 10 after the extra point. A clutch drive from Nick Sirianni's offense.

[Dec 21, 2021 at 9:36 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Washington has life again, thanks in large part to Garrett Gilbert, who stepped up on a third-down play-action bootleg to find John Bates, who slipped past Darius Slay over the middle of the field for a big gain. Jaret Patterson caps off the series with a TD run, and suddenly we've got ourselves a three-point game. Eagles lead 20-17 with 11:44 to go.

[Dec 21, 2021 at 9:30 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Garrett Gilbert chucks it up along the left sideline on third-and-short, aiming for Adam Humphries, and Washington benefits from the under-throw on a DPI call on Avonte Maddox. Then WFT picks up a 30-yard chunk on a DeAndre Carter reverse flip, only to have it reversed by an illegal blind-side block.

[Dec 21, 2021 at 9:21 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Jonathan Allen with a huge sack for Washington, pushing the Eagles back to a third-and-13. Crowd wanted a face mask penalty, but it wasn't clear if he actually grabbed Hurts' helmet on the way down. Heck of a sack regardless, fighting through his block to bring Hurts to the ground. Big play here for Philly.

[Dec 21, 2021 at 9:17 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

The Eagles are just gashing Washington's run defense now. Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce are feasting up front. Nick Sirianni is keeping everything close to the line, and wisely so, because it's working. Philly now over 200 yards on the ground, with Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard and Jalen Hurts all chipping in.

[Dec 21, 2021 at 9:09 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Washington is going to need points very soon to stay in this game. The Eagles are rolling on the ground, which is what they've done in basically every one of their wins this year, so they can obviously control the clock. And it's already ticking, with under seven minutes to go in the third quarter and Football Team now facing a third-and-long after a botched carry for Antonio Gibson.

[Dec 21, 2021 at 8:52 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Nice play call, with a bunch of wide receivers set up out wide, and Jalen Hurts sneaks it in for a second time tonight. That gives him a franchise-record 10 rushing TDs (for a QB) and, more importantly, gives the Eagles their first lead of the game. It's now 17-10, and the home team has scored 17 unanswered.

[Dec 21, 2021 at 8:48 pm ET · Cody Benjamin]

Eagles haven't featured Jalen Hurts on the ground a ton tonight, but he picks up a first down to extend the team's first drive of the second half. And that sets up a huge Miles Sanders run deep into Washington territory. Wouldn't be surprised at all if Nick Sirianni leans more on the ground in the final 30 minutes.