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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

NFC East Tightens With Week 10 Results

The Washington Football Team's offense huddles together before Alex Smith calls a play against the Detroit Lions on Nov. 15, 2020. (Zack Silver/Washington Football Team)
The Washington Football Team's offense huddles together before Alex Smith calls a play against the Detroit Lions on Nov. 15, 2020. (Zack Silver/Washington Football Team)

After 10 weeks, all four teams are still in contention for the NFC East division title. Here's how each of them fared this past weekend.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-2 division, 3-5-1 overall)

The Philadelphia Eagles are atop the division for the third straight week, but their lead has dwindled after suffering a 27-17 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday.

Trailing, 14-3, to begin the second half, the Eagles' offense and quarterback Carson Wentz got to work at Philadelphia's 16-yard line. On the fifth play of the drive, Wentz handed the ball off to running back Boston Scott, who found a hole amongst a clutter of players and burst through it. At that point, he was off the races for a 56-yard touchdown.

After cutting the Giants' lead to 21-17 in the third quarter, New York's defense was able to pin down the Eagles' offense by making big stops on two fourth downs attempts. As the Giants held the Eagles scoreless for the remainder of the game, kicker Graham Gano stepped up to make two field goals and seal the win.

The Eagles will look to maintain their lead next week as they take on the 6-3 Cleveland Browns.

New York Giants (3-2, 3-7)

New York has quickly moved their way from the bottom of the division to second place after winning back-to-back division games. This past Sunday, the Giants defeated the Eagles 27-17, putting them both in a race for the top spot with three wins a piece.

The Giants got off to an early start, leading 14-3 by the time halftime rolled around. From that point on, it was a game of catch up for the Eagles, who ultimately fell short as the Giants only let their lead slip to as low as four points. Quarterback Daniel Jones finished the day with 21 completions for 244 yards and led the team in rushing yards with 64.

New York will have this week off to rest, but it will be looking to keep the momentum rolling when it faces the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 29.

Washington Football Team (2-2, 2-7)

The Washington Football Team suffered yet another close loss, this time falling to the Detroit Lions, 30-27.

Washington found itself trailing, 24-3, with less than eight minutes left in the third quarter. While this isn't an ideal situation, it's a position that Washington has been in several times this season. With Alex Smith leading the charge, Washington started to make a comeback, which led to the team tying the game at 27 with 16 seconds left in the game. But because of a roughing the passer penalty with six seconds remaining, kicker Matt Prater nailed a 59-yard field goal to send the Lions to victory.

Despite the loss, Smith had a career day in his first start since his leg injury. The veteran quarterback racked up 390 yards on 38 completions, making it the first time in his career that he racked up back-to-back 300-plus yard games.

Although Washington is in third place, it is still just one game back of the Eagles in the loss column, prompting head coach Ron Rivera to have this approach the rest of the season: "The most important game you're about to play is the one you're about to play. That's the truth of the matter. But, I do think you have to know what's going on around you. Again, to me, that's important because if you know what's happening around you, it keeps your focus on what you have to do."

With that philosophy in mind, Washington will be looking to bounce back at FedExField against the 2-6-1 Cincinnati Bengals.

Dallas Cowboys (1-2, 2-7)

After having a week of rest, the Cowboys have fallen into last place in the division.

Dallas is on a four-game losing streak, but its quarterback situation appears to be figured out as Andy Dalton cleared concussion protocol and returned to practice. Dalton's last bit of action came three weeks ago against Washington, and prior to being placed in the concussion protocol, he had nine completions for 74 yards in a 25-3 defeat.

Dalton will look to lead the Cowboys to victory against the surging Minnesota Vikings this weekend.

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