Washington vs. Eagles: Twitter Reaction and Full Postgame Quotes

The Philadelphia Eagles bested DeSean Jackson and NFC East rival Washington 37-34 in an instant classic, improving their record to 3-0 in the season. When the dust settled, though, all anybody wanted to talk about was the brawl between the two teams in the fourth quarter.

Washington nose tackle Chris Baker and Philadelphia All-Pro left tackle Jason Peters were ejected from the contest for their parts in inciting a melee on the field. Following an apparent interception (that would be overturned by replay), Baker delivered a crushing blow to Eagles quarterback Nick Foles after the play had ended. Peters arrived on the scene in ill humor, attacking Baker.

A melee ensued.

Once the squads were separated, Baker was expelled for the hit, Peters for throwing punches. As for the defender’s intent, the Eagles did not attempt to hide their feelings that it was a cheap shot, plain and simple.

Peters showed remorse for getting ejected, while Foles praised his teammate for having his back.

Baker didn’t regret his role the fracas at all. In fact, he would hit Foles again if given the chance. Keep in mind, these two teams are slated to meet again in Week 16.

Honestly, nobody could’ve blamed Foles if he didn’t get up from the shot. It was one of many he took throughout the afternoon behind a makeshift offensive line that was already missing two starters when the game began. Jason Kelce also left with an abdominal injury, followed by Peters’ exit.

Foles stayed in the game, the score knotted at 27. It would not remain tied for long. Todd Herremans, the one remaining starter on the offensive line, recounted the field general’s attitude before throwing a go-ahead 27-yard touchdown two plays after the incident.

It was part of a huge stat line for Foles that included completing 28 of 42 pass attempts for 325 yards and three scores with zero interceptions. Again, the third-year signal-caller was constantly under duress and was on the receiving end of massive hits throughout the game.

Head coach Chip Kelly expressed admiration for Foles’ gritty performance, easily his sharpest outing of the young season.

It helped that Foles finally got on the same page with some of his wide receivers, especially Jeremy Maclin. The Eagles’ No. 1 wideout had his biggest game of the season as well, showing why the Eagles were comfortable releasing Jackson—a three-time Pro Bowler—during the offseason.

Maclin hauled in eight passes total for 154 yards and the score. If there was any doubt whether Maclin is recovered from a torn ACL or capable of being a feature receiver in the Eagles offense, he's erased it.

For his part, Jackson did exact a tiny bit of revenge against his former employer. His 81-yard touchdown grab prior to the fight would temporarily tie the game at 27, one of five receptions for 117 yards. Considering Jackson was questionable for the game with a shoulder injury, it was a tough performance for the diminutive wideout.

"

DeSean Jackson's shoulder appears to be a bit of an issue. pic.twitter.com/EdH6Tgvh0s

— Bart Hubbuch (@HubbuchNYP) September 21, 2014"

Washington was down to its backup quarterback, though, which began to show in the second half. Kirk Cousins’ line of 30-of-48, 427 yards and three touchdowns may look impressive, but he fell apart after a stellar first few possessions.

Cousins was also intercepted by safety Malcolm Jenkins immediately following Maclin’s go-ahead score, setting up what would turn out to be a game-winning 51-yard field goal by rookie Cody Parkey, one of his three makes. Considering Parkey was only added to the roster in August, Kelly already has a ton of faith in the kid.

It was an impressive all-around team victory for Philadelphia, which has exhibited tremendous resiliency in the face of adversity through three games this season. With the many absences across the offensive line and also missing arguably their best defensive player in interior linebacker Mychal Kendricks, the Eagles managed to survive a brutal tug of war against a division opponent.

As Foles would say after the game, it was a literal fight out there.

The Eagles are standing tall with a knockout victory.