Spadaro: 6 takeaways from a 26-18 win featuring a fourth quarter to ...

It felt like a playoff environment Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field with first place in the NFC East on the line and the Washington Commanders in town. On a Salute to Service game, the Eagles played that kind of gritty, physical, pounding, and efficient football in beating Washington, 26-18, and winning their sixth straight game.

The Eagles are now 8-2, two games ahead of Washington (7-4) in the loss column. It was a great football game, a knock-down, drag-'em-out NFC East Division game, and the Eagles played their kind of football: No giveaways, a suffocating defense, and a fourth quarter to cherish.

Here are some observations after the thrilling win in prime time on Thursday night …

1. This Eagles defense had its best game of the season

We've seen the Eagles take huge leaps forward defensively this season, and what they did against a Washington offense averaging 29 points per game was beyond impressive. It was dominating. The Eagles, in their first look at quarterback Jayden Daniels, were physical, tackled well, had great discipline, and played with incredible intensity. The stop on fourth-and-2 midway through the fourth quarter, when Daniels bobbled a snap and then tried to run around the right edge, only to be stopped by linebacker Zack Baun – with help from Reed Blankenship and others – was the highlight. But the defense was just dominating all night – Daniels had only 18 rushing yards on 7 carries, Washington gained just 93 yards on 28 carries, and wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has had big games in the past against Philadelphia, had 1 catch for 10 yards on 2 targets. Washington managed only 264 total net yards, 70 of them on the final scoring drive when the score was 26-10.

"Great team defense," said safety Reed Blankenship, who had his third fourth-quarter interception of the season. "We were well prepared, we played as a team, and we were sound on our assignments. Much respect to that offense, but we just played as a unit tonight."

2. The fourth quarter belonged to the Eagles – as it has much of the season

It took some time, but once the Eagles got things rolling, they didn't stop. Philadelphia outscored Washington 20-8 in the fourth quarter, with touchdown drives of 11 plays, 76 yards, then 5 plays and 74 yards, and then 2 plays and 46 yards, and the defense came up with a stop on downs and then the Blankenship interception. Want a great number? The Eagles have outscored opponents 88 to 43 this season in the fourth quarter of games. Talk about finishing strong …

3. Wash, rinse, repeat – Saquon Barkley is a special, special player

We see it every week and it becomes more and more amazing to witness: Saquon Barkley is as good as they come. More numbers: Barkley had 26 carries for 146 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including the 39-yarder that was just a cut and a sprint to the end zone to put the Eagles ahead 25-10, and a 23-yarder around the right corner that came earlier in the fourth quarter. Barkley now has 1,137 rushing yards this season, a wowwowow number and he's averaging 5.8 yards per carry with eight rushing touchdowns. Oh, and Barkley had 2 receptions for 52 yards giving him a whopping 198 yards from scrimmage tonight. Barkley has 23 receptions for 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns as a receiver.

"Having those guys (the offensive line) up front, it's easy to get stronger because they're doing a lot of the load and leaning on those guys and again just keep trusting them, keep trusting the scheme, and try and make the right read because they're doing a hell of a job," Barkley said.

4. Some love here for Kenneth Gainwell and the entire running game

It is never just one player, of course, and so here is some deserved kudos for running back Kenneth Gainwell, who helped break things open with some fine downhill running. He had runs of 14 yards, 13 yards, and 7 yards to set up quarterback Jalen Hurts for a Brotherly Shove 1-yard touchdown to give the Eagles their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter, and Gainwell finished the night with 4 carries and 43 yards as the Eagles again dominated in the running game – 40 carries for 228 yards and 3 scores. Left tackle Jordan Mailata returned to the lineup and played the entire game and this offensive line – tight ends included – what a game! They just wear out defenses, which was obvious in the fourth quarter.

"It really started with Kenny (Gainwell). Kenny got in there, got it going, and opened it up a little bit and the O-line, we just kept leaning on them and trusting them," Barkley said.

5. Balance is the name of the game with this offense

The Eagles ran for 228 yards and Hurts passed for 221 yards and that kind of balance is very difficult to defend. The offense moved the ball early, left some points on the board that they will work on for future games, and still did this: 23 first downs, 9-of-16 on third down, 434 total net yards, and 33 minutes, 4 seconds of time of possession. The offense scored on its final five possessions – two field goals and three touchdowns. The offense had the ball for four possessions in the second half and scored a field goal and three touchdowns. A.J. Brown had 5 catches and 65 yards, Dallas Goedert gained 61 yards on 5 catches, and DeVonta Smith caught 4 passes for 29 yards on his birthday. Hurts completed 18 of 28 attempts for 221 yards, zero interceptions, and 10 carries for 39 yards. This is an offense that is just starting to show how good it can be.

6. The pass rush was awesome

Let the record show that the Eagles sacked Daniels 3 times, which doesn't feel like a lot, right? But the front had constant pressure. Tackle Jalen Carter dominated with 7 total tackles (4 solo), a very, very high number for a defensive lineman. Baun was all over the field with 14 total tackles and a tackle for loss and a pass defensed on third down. Linebacker Nakobe Dean and Blankenship both had 10 total tackles.

Again, though, the pass rush: Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, and Nolan Smith had the sacks, but there was also pressure on Daniels nearly every time he dropped back to throw the football. The Eagles were able to rush the quarterback effectively and NOT give him any running lanes. Beautiful. Just terrific. This defense gets off the ball and attacks, plays downhill, attacking-style ball, and doesn't let up. Relentless. That's what this front seven is, with a sticky back four or five in coverage that adds up to one of the best D's in the entire NFL.

"You had to get to him (Jayden Daniels). Any quarterback who's out there that's making plays and scoring points. You got to get to them and make them uncomfortable. And I think up front, we did a good job of that, and we stopped the run," Graham said.