3 Takeaways From Eagles' Week 3 Win vs. Commanders

Entering this year, the Philadelphia Eagles had last started a season 3-0 in 2016. They also won each of their first three games in 2014. Yet, they missed the playoffs both times.

Now, the team will be hoping that doesn't end up being the case again in 2022.

The Eagles continued their hot start to the season with a 24-8 road win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday at FedEx Field. That victory came after Philadelphia beat the Detroit Lions on the road in Week 1 and took down the Minnesota Vikings in its home opener in Week 2.

The Week 3 win was a dominant performance by the Eagles, which scored all 24 of their points in the second quarter. They held the Commanders scoreless for the first 45 minutes and 54 seconds, as Washington scored all eight of its points in the fourth quarter, when the game was already out of hand.

Here are three takeaways from Philadelphia's Week 3 victory.

Passing Attack Has Taken Huge Step Forward

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) runs during an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022 in Landover. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)

Everything about the Eagles' passing offense is better than it was a year ago.

Jalen Hurts has greatly improved from his first two NFL seasons, A.J. Brown has been the impact playmaker the team expected him to be when it traded for him, and DeVonta Smith continues to be electric.

On Sunday, Philadelphia had no trouble moving the ball through the air. Hurts passed for 340 yards and three touchdowns, one each to Brown, Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert.

Smith had eight catches for a career-high 169 yards, while Brown had five receptions for 85 yards.

There were plenty of impressive moments, but Smith may have had the best one on the final play of the first half. On 4th-and-goal, he hauled in a two-yard touchdown catch by making an acrobatic grab while covered in the back-left corner of the end zone.

“By the eyes he might be a little slight, but he plays like a big boy,” Hurts told reporters. “He’s a guy when his number’s called, I know he’ll answer the phone.”

Same thing with Brown. And as long as Hurts has these two star wide receivers to throw to, the Eagles' passing offense should continue to produce positive results moving forward.

Pass Rush Made Things Difficult for Wentz

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (97) pulls down Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz (11) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Carson Wentz never really had a chance for a revenge game against his former team. That's because the Commanders quarterback spent much of the day on the ground.

Philadelphia recorded nine sacks, the most any NFL team has had in a game this season. Brandon Graham led the way with 2.5 sacks, Haason Reddick, Fletcher Cox and Josh Sweat each had 1.5 sacks, while T.J. Edwards and Javon Hargrave each recorded one. The Eagles got six of their sacks in the first half and hit Wentz 17 times overall.

"Everybody wanted to eat," Graham said, per Dave Spadaro of the team's official site. "We had the mindset that we wanted to get after Carson because he likes to keep a play alive and extend things, so you just keep after it on every play."

Wentz, who played for Philadelphia from 2016-20, had never previously faced his former team. With how things transpired on Sunday, he may not be looking too forward to the next time these NFC East rivals meet in Week 10.

In the meantime, the Eagles' pass rush will look to keep wreaking havoc on opposing QBs. And if it keeps playing like this, it should be successful in doing so.

Eagles Are Clear Early Front-Runner in NFC East

AP Photo/Alex Brandon

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, center, greeting linebacker Haason Reddick (7) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

If the New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, they'll improve to 3-0. If they lose, then the Eagles will be the only undefeated team in the NFC East (and one of only two in the NFL, along with the Miami Dolphins).

Either way, it's evident Philadelphia is the clear front-runner in the division at this point. It has a more talented roster than New York. Dallas is trying to get by without injured quarterback Dak Prescott (fractured right thumb), and Washington has been unimpressive while losing each of the past two weeks.

Not only have the Eagles scored 86 points over the first three weeks, but they're also averaging an NFL-high 447 total yards per game. They're third in the league in passing offense (296.7 yards per game), fifth in total defense (296.7 yards allowed per game) and tied for third in turnover differential (plus-four).

Philadelphia is playing well on both sides of the ball, and it seems to be a better overall team than it was in 2021, when it went 9-8 and made the playoffs.

Anything can happen the rest of the way, but right now, the Eagles appear to be a safe bet to make the postseason and potentially capable of a deep run once they get there.