National Football League
Washington 27, Philadelphia 22
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 11, 2016
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Temperature: 35°
Head Official: Tony Corrente
Attendance: 69596

PHILADELPHIA -- The Washington Redskins were just hoping to pick up a few yards to keep their drive alive and the clock moving. They got a lot more than they bargained for, even though their clock strategy didn't exactly work out as planned.

Running back Chris Thompson scored on a 25-yard run with 1:53 left to lift the Redskins to a 27-22 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

The victory keeps the Redskins (7-5-1) in the hunt for an NFC wild-card playoff spot and the Eagles fell to 5-8 overall and 0-4 against NFC East rivals.

The Redskins close out the season with games against Carolina, at Chicago and at home against the New York Giants.

"I was just hoping for five, six, seven yards and to run the clock down and kick a field goal," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said of Thompson's sweep around left end. "But I'll take the touchdown."

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 14 of 21 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yarder to former Eagles player DeSean Jackson, good for a passer rating of 116.0.

Eagles rookie QB Carson Wentz completed 32 of 46 passes fpr 314 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, giving him a passer rating of 86.7.

The Eagles had taken a 22-21 lead on Caleb Sturgis' 41-yard field goal with 4:49 left. The Eagles forced to use tight end Trey Burton as the long snapper after starter Jon Dorenbos and backup Brent Celek left the game with injuries.

Philadelphia had a shot to pull it out at the end after they drove to the Washington 14-yard line with 21 seconds left, but Redskins defensive end Ryan Kerrigan sacked Wentz and forced a fumble that Washington recovered to end the game.

"That's been the story all year and it's very, very frustrating," Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox said. "This isn't the first time we've been in a position to win and just couldn't make the plays we needed to make when we needed to make them."

After the Eagles were forced to settle a couple of field goals and Wentz was intercepted in the end zone by safety Deshazor Everett, the Redskins put together a complete drive. They cashed in when running back Robert Kelley broke loose on a 22-yard run for a 7-6 lead with 4:11 left in the first half.

The Eagles' offense woke up and drove the length of the field before Wentz found running back Darren Sproles in the back of the end zone with a 4-yard touchdown pass. They went into their locker room at halftime leading 13-7.

After that came a defining sequence in the game. Sproles returned a punt 78 yards for an apparent touchdown, but that was wiped out by an illegal block by Zach Ertz.

The Eagles were forced to punt the ball back to the Redskins, and on second down, Jackson beat defender Leodis McKelvin deep for his 80-yard touchdown reception gave the Redskins a 14-13 lead with 9:14 left in the third quarter.

"Those were obviously key plays," Eagles center Jason Kelce said. "That's a big point swing and momentum swing in a close game, and it definitely came back to bite us on the butt. But that's the way things have gone for us this season."

After the Eagles missed a 50-yard field goal attempt, the Redskins moved in for another touchdown, on a 15-yard pass to wide receiver Pierre Garcon, to make it 21-13 as the third quarter ended.

But then the Eagles got the break they were looking for when McKelvin intercepted a pass intended for Jackson and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown that made 21-19 before the Redskins eventually rallied for the victory.

"It wasn't pretty, but most games in the NFL aren't pretty," Redskins defensive end Ricky Jean Francois said. "The good teams find a way to win games like this. They find a way to make a big play when it counts the most, and that's what we did today."

NOTES: The Redskins played without two starters on the offensive line -- C Spencer Long (concussion) and LG Shawn Lauvao (groin) -- as well as starting FS Will Blackmon (concussion). They were replaced, respectively, by John Sullivan, Arie Kouandjio and Duke Ihenacho. ... The Eagles also had to shuffle their o-line when RG Brandon Brooks was a last-minute scratch. He was replaced by rookie Isaac Seumalo. ... Eagles WR Jordan Matthews and RB Ryan Mathews were back in the lineup after missing last week's game with ankle and knee injuries, respectively. Jordan Matthews said it was the first game he has ever missed, including Pop Warner. ... Redskins TE Jordan Reed started after missing last week's game againt Arizona with a shoulder injury. Jordan came into Sunday's game tied for the team led in receptions with 59, even though he has missed three games. ... Long-snapper Jon Dorenbos played in his 162nd consecutive game with the Eagles, tying the club record set by WR Harold Carmichael from 1972 to 1983. He later left the game with a wrist injury.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Washington   Philadelphia
Robert Kelley Player Ryan Mathews
16 Attempts 15
63 Yards 60
3.9 Avg Yards 4.0
1 Touchdowns 0
22 Long 21
Receiving
Washington   Philadelphia
DeSean Jackson Player Zach Ertz
3 Receptions 10
102 Yards 112
34.0 Avg Yards 11.2
1 Touchdowns 0
80 Long 29
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Washington 334 107 227 4 0 1 4.0 2
Philadelphia 383 95 288 2 3 1 2.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game on the road against Baltimore. The Eagles have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .286 after a loss.
  • Washington will play their next game at home against Carolina. The Redskins have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .500 after a loss.