Eagles vs. Washington score, takeaways: Washington rallies from 17-point deficit to give Ron Rivera first win

Washington gets its first win for head coach Ron Rivera in his debut

The Washington Football Team is undefeated with its new name, rallying for 27 unanswered points and erasing a 17-point deficit to stun the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener at FedEx Field. Ron Rivera won in his first game as Washington head coach. Just like Rivera's teams in Carolina, Washington didn't quit and did not commit a single turnover in the victory, compared to the two committed by the Eagles that led to two Washington touchdowns. 

This game certainly was a tale of two halves, as the Eagles dominated Washington for the first 23:06 in blitzing to a 17-0 lead led by two Carson Wentz touchdown passes. After a 34-yard strike to Dallas Goedert, this game was all Philadelphia for a little while.

Slowly but surely, Washington crawled its way back into the game -- aided by two Wentz interceptions that led to touchdowns. In the fourth quarter, Wentz took a sack on 4th-and-4 at midfield that led to a Washington field goal, which tied the game at 17-17. After that point, the Eagles had -3 yards of offense while Washington scored 10 fourth =quarter points en route to the victory. 

Dwayne Haskins finished with no turnovers and a touchdown pass in the victory, making his first Week 1 start for Washington. Peyton Barber scored two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 6:13 to play. Goedert finished with 101 receiving yards and a touchdown for Philadelphia, while Wentz threw for 255 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The Eagles actually outgained Washington in total yards, but the two turnovers were the difference in this one. 

Washington won its season opener for the first time since 2018 and a home opener for the first time since 2014. The Eagles lost their first season opener under Doug Pederson and are 0-1 for the first time since 2015. 

Be sure to stay tuned for takeaways and catch a recap of the Washington victory in the live blog below! 

Why Washington Won

A dominant performance by a Washington defensive line got this team to 1-0 -- Washington was as good as advertised up front. Washington finished with eight sacks from seven different players. Matt Ioannidis and Chase Young each had 1.5 for Washington, but Ryan Kerrigan was the difference maker with two sacks and a forced fumble. Kerrigan is now the franchise's all-time sacks leader with 92. Washington also had zero turnovers and scored on five consecutive possessions that started in Eagles territory. A solid performance all-round as Philadelphia made mistakes throughout the afternoon. 

Why The Eagles Lost

The Eagles looked like one of the worst teams in football after taking a 17-0 lead with 6:54 left in the second quarter. An inexperienced right side of the offensive line ended up leading to their demise as Washington blitzed Philadelphia the remainder of the game with the Eagles getting 95 yards on their final 11 possessions. Carson Wentz threw two interceptions and fumbled during that stretch. Doug Pederson did Wentz no favors either with questionably aggressive play calling despite holding a big lead.

Turning Point

The Eagles were up 17-0 with 1:44 left in the first half when Wentz threw his first interception of the day to Fabian Moreau, who took Washington to the Eagles' 45-yard line on the return. Washington scored its first touchdown of the game five plays later to trail 17-7 going into the half. Philadelphia never gained momentum back as the Eagles ran 7 plays for 8 yards over the next three possessions with another Wentz interception as Washington crawled back into the game. 

Play Of The Game

Ryan Kerrigan's forced fumble on Wentz with Washington up 24-17 and 3:15 left sealed this one. Kerrigan and Daron Payne sandwiched Wentz, who was trying to go deep but didn't have enough time, and Kerrigan forced the fumble and recovered it at the Eagles' 42-yard line. Washington kicked a field goal five plays later to take a 27-17 lead. 

Quote

"We didn't come here to tie, we came here to win the football game." - Ron Rivera on Washington going for it on 4th-and-1 at the Eagles' 4-yard line tied 17-17 in the fourth quarter. Peyton Barber got the first down and then scored the go-ahead touchdown three plays later. 

Up Next

Washington (1-0) travels to Arizona for its first road game of the year next week. The Eagles are 0-1 and host the Los Angeles Rams in their home opener in Week 2, looking to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2015. 

[Sep 13, 2020 at 4:19 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

That will do it in this one. Huge win by Washington and an emotional win for Ron Rivera with everything he's been through. Washington erases a 17-0 deficit to win 27-17 and advance to 1-0. A dominant day by the Washington defensive line, which will be a problem for years to come.

That's it for the live blog. It was fun discussing this game as Philadelphia has a lot of work to do while Washington is on the upswing. Jeff Kerr signing off. Have a great rest of your Week 1.

[Sep 13, 2020 at 4:12 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

This wis an embarrassing loss for the Eagles. Up 17-0 and in full control of the game. Bad coaching, poor QB play from late in the second quarter on, and a pitiful performance by an offensive line missing its starting RT and having a right side of the line that played just 3 career snaps coming into today.

Washington's D-line did what I thought they were going to do today. Dominated.

[Sep 13, 2020 at 4:09 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

Ryan Kerrigan has been tremendous today. 2 sacks and a forced fumble. Still incredible in his early 30s. Love watching him play.

[Sep 13, 2020 at 3:56 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

Zach Ertz's drop likely hands the game to WSH. He's been clutch before, but not there.

[Sep 13, 2020 at 3:52 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

If I'm the Eagles, I just go to the TEs. 12 personnel every play.