NFL Week 16 kicked off early with a fantastic Thursday Night Football matchup. Fans didn’t have to wait long for more football, with Saturday delivering a two-game slate that was led off by the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Washington Commanders.
Let’s dive into the winners and losers from the Eagles vs Commanders game, with Philadelphia winning convincingly thanks to a second-half takeover.
Winner: A.J Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
While A.J. Brown had a relatively quiet performance a week ago versus the Las Vegas Raiders, that had more to do with it being a blowout. Jalen Hurts has gotten his No. 1 receiver more involved in the last few weeks, as evidenced by his 383 receiving yards and four touchdowns in the last four games. Brown continued to shine in Week 16, eclipsing 95 receiving yards and drawing double-digit targets for the fourth time in the last five games. Now, Philadelphia does still have a 2-3 record during that stretch, but this does not look like a team with any intention of trading its top pass-catcher this offseason.
Loser: Jake Elliott, K, Philadelphia Eagles
It is shaping up to be a bad weekend for kickers. In college football, we witnessed some abysmal kicking by Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Miami in the College Football Playoff. Jake Elliott at least made his fellow kickers at the collegiate level feel like they have company in the NFL. Elliott went wide left from 43 yards out on his first field-goal attempt in the second quarter. When a shot at redemption came, well, at least he was consistent. After missing wide on a 57-yard field-goal attempt before the half, Elliott got bailed out by a penalty to give him a second chance from 52 yards away. He kicked it to the exact same spot, with the football hooking left and going wide of the post by several feet.
Related: Week 16 Fantasy Kicker Rankings
Winner: Brandon Graham, EDGE, Philadelphia Eagles
It is shaping up to be an interesting stretch for the Philadelphia Eagles. The return of 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers might be slightly overshadowing Brandon Graham coming out of retirement, but Graham is still producing at 37 years old. With Jalen Carter sidelined, Philadelphia has called upon Graham to provide some pass-rushing juice on the interior, and he has made quite the impact as of late. Coming off a two-sack performance versus Las Vegas, Graham delivered his third sack of the season on Saturday night. While he did not start seeing the field until the second week of November, Graham has a shot at recording his highest sack total since the 2022 season. Not bad for someone who was enjoying retirement when the season kicked off.
Read More: NFL Defense Rankings 2025, Weekly Defensive Evaluations
Loser: Kevin Patullo, Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator
Neither the fan base nor the organization should be elated about how the Eagles offense performed on Saturday. Consider that the Commanders defense entered Week 16 allowing a 6.2 yards-per-play average (31st in the NFL), 38 yards per drive (31st), and 2.62 points per drive (30th) to opponents this season. Prior to the team’s final scoring drive that ended in a touchdown in overtime, Philadelphia’s offense managed to average just 5.1 yards per play, and its third touchdown of the game came on a drive that started at the Commanders’ 37-yard line. Yes, the Eagles clinched the NFC East and a home playoff game with Saturday’s victory. However, Kevin Patullo’s play-calling and the numbers this Eagles offense is putting up continue to raise concerns about how this unit will perform come playoff time.
Related: Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator Candidates to Replace Kevin Patullo
Winner: Jordan Davis, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles might want to explore a contract extension with Jordan Davis this offseason. Coming into the night, Davis was one of the best run-stuffing interior defenders in football. He continued that performance versus Washington, recording four solo tackles and two tackles for loss. The breakout season continues for the 6-foot-6 defensive tackle, who is now responsible for career-highs in tackles for loss (nine) and sacks (4.5) just 15 games into the season. Putting those numbers into even more perspective, Davis had just six tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks in 46 career regular-season games coming into the year.
Loser: Adam Peters, Washington Commanders GM
After last season, Commanders general manager Adam Peters merited consideration for Executive of the Year. The team’s unbelievable run to the NFC Championship Game led to Peters going all-in this offseason, trading draft capital to acquire left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Deebo Samuel. It has proven to be a massive swing and miss by Peters. Tunsil is sidelined by an injury, Samuel has shown he is well past his prime, and the rest of this Commanders roster has been rather abysmal. It has all demonstrated that the 2024 season was a massive fluke, and Peters needs to do a lot of long-term work on this roster, especially since this is the oldest team in the NFL.
Winner: Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Saquon Barkley is starting to heat up at the right time. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on Saturday night, giving him over 3,500 scrimmage yards in 31 games since landing in Philadelphia. Barkley delivered explosive plays, including a 48-yard run, excelled at picking up yards after contact, and fought his way to a highly efficient 132 rushing yards versus Washington with a 6.3 yards-per-carry average. Over his last three games, Barkley has delivered 332 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
