Redskins vs. Eagles: Score and Twitter Reaction for Saturday Night Football

The Washington Redskins defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-24, Saturday night at Lincoln Financial Field to capture their first NFC East title since 2012 and end one of the sloppiest division races in recent memory. 

The Eagles had a chance to seize control of their own destiny with a win and capture an NFC East championship next weekend with a victory over the New York Giants, but they floundered in too many key moments to remain competitive.

After cutting the deficit to six in the third quarter following a DeMarco Murray plunge into the end zone, the Eagles took over with a chance to tie or take the lead on their next possession. However, Murray proceeded to fumble a quick toss, and it resulted in a DeAngelo Hall scoop and score, as the NFL displayed on Twitter: 

At that point, a 13-point cushion was all the Redskins needed. 

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins was in complete command all night long, and he looked sensational in picking apart an Eagles secondary that was working without starters Nolan Carroll (ankle) and Byron Maxwell (shoulder). 

Cousins extended his team record by throwing for at least 300 yards in his seventh game this season, per CSN Mid-Atlantic's Tarik El-Bashir, and he finished the night an efficient 31-of-46 for 365 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. 

B/R Insights shed more light on Cousins' big game: 

"

Kirk Cousins is now the 1st @Redskins QB in the Super Bowl Era to have back-to-back games with 300+pass yds, 4+pass TD and 0 INT. #WasvsPHI

— B/R Insights (@BR_Insights) December 27, 2015"

Redskins receiver DeSean Jackson was relatively quiet against his former team with four catches for 40 yards. 

And while the Eagles offense had its moments, consistency was elusive. Sam Bradford finished 37-of-56 passing for 380 yards and a score on a night when the team rushed 16 times for a meager 45 yards.

Smart Football's Chris B. Brown explained Bradford was hardly to blame for the Eagles' shortcomings when the defense consistently failed to slow the Redskins:   

Zach Ertz piled up 13 catches for 122 yards, and Jordan Matthews added six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn't enough despite a strong start from the guys in midnight green. 

The Eagles burst out of the gate with a six-play, 80-yard touchdown drive punctuated by a one-yard rushing touchdown from Ryan Mathews, but that vintage success proved to be fleeting. 

Washington responded with two brilliant drives by Cousins, each of which ended in a Jordan Reed touchdown. By the time the first quarter ended, Reed had already amassed five catches for 87 yards to go with the pair of scores, which was a rare breakdown from an Eagles defense that has generally defended tight ends well, according to ESPN.com's Bill Barnwell: 

The Eagles proceeded to nosedive entering halftime. As penalties mounted, the offense stagnated, and the defense continued to sputter. Following their game-opening touchdown drive, the Eagles' seven remaining first-half possessions consisted of five punts, a fumble and a field goal. 

However, Washington didn't escape the first half without some mind-numbing antics of its own. On the 6-yard line with six seconds remaining in the second quarter, Cousins opted to kneel the ball in lieu of spiking it to stop the clock. 

The NFL passed along video of the clock mismanagement: 

Redskins head coach Jay Gruden was understandably dumbfounded by his quarterback's decision, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch's Michael Phillips: 

Cousins' mistake meant the Redskins entered halftime up six—not nine—but it ultimately didn't hinder the Redskins' ability to clinch the division title. Every time the Eagles appeared poised to wipe away the deficit, mistakes crept back into the picture and put them in an unmanageable hole. 

The Eagles have plenty of questions to answer as curtains get set to draw on their disappointing 2015 season, but it's safe to say they rarely looked like a playoff-caliber team. 

While back-to-back wins over the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills following a disastrous three-game losing streak offered a glimmer of hope, Philadelphia never harvested enough consistency on either side of the ball to warrant consideration as a legitimate postseason contender. 

The Redskins, meanwhile, are two weeks away from hosting their first home playoff game since squaring off against the Seattle Seahawks in a January 2013 wild-card tilt. 

A potential rematch with the Seahawks is a daunting prospect for an up-and-coming team like the Redskins, but it could also be a nice measuring stick for the NFC East champs. Regardless of how long their postseason stint lasts, the Redskins should be pleased with their ability to emerge as the cream of the crop in a down division. 

Postgame Reaction

According to CSN Philadelphia's Derrick Gunn, Jackson didn't mince words regarding the end of his tenure in Philadelphia: 

Once Jackson retreated to the locker room, the celebration began, per the Redskins' official Twitter account:

"This is the most satisfied I've been as a player," Cousins said, per the team's official Twitter account. "It's a big accomplishment. Now we need to build from here." 

"I don't think we've seen the best yet," Jackson added, per the Redskins' Twitter account. "We have a lot of young talent. We know what we need to do to win the game."

As for the Eagles, head coach Chip Kelly found himself peppered with questions regarding his job security. "If you're worried about being fired, you should already have been fired," he said, per ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan.