The gist
- Final: Commanders 24, Eagles 17. The regular-season finale, and we didn't finish it clean.
- Tank Bigsby carried the run game — 16 rushes, 75 yards, and the go-ahead touchdown in the third.
- Nine flags for 123 yards vs. Washington's four for 19. That's the whole ballgame in one line.
- Josh Johnson ran it in with 2:32 left. Not a sentence we love typing.
Philly closes the regular season on the wrong side of 24-17
Tanner McKee got the start under center and did about what you'd want from a backup asked to close out Week 18 — 21-of-40 for 241 yards, one touchdown to Grant Calcaterra on a 15-yard strike in the second quarter, one interception the other way. Not electric, not a disaster. The problem wasn't him.
The one we're actually taking notes on is Tank Bigsby. Sixteen carries, 75 yards, and a 2-yard touchdown plunge in the third to put Philadelphia up 14-10. That's the kind of hard, unfussy run work that ages well in January. DeVonta Smith chipped in 3 catches for 52. On defense, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. led everyone with 12 tackles.
The fourth quarter, and the flag count
The Birds carried a 17-10 lead into the fourth after a Jake Elliott 39-yarder late in the third. Then Josh Johnson — yes, that Josh Johnson — found John Bates for a 2-yard score to tie it at 17, and after Philly's offense stalled out, Johnson himself walked in from a yard out with 2:32 to play for the game-winner. Washington held the ball for 34:09 to the Eagles' 25:51. That's a lot of the game to spend on defense.
| Stat | Eagles | Commanders |
|---|---|---|
| Total yards | 307 | 274 |
| Passing yards | 227 | 131 |
| Rushing yards | 80 | 143 |
| First downs | 18 | 25 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Penalties | 9-123 | 4-19 |
| Time of possession | 25:51 | 34:09 |
Circle the penalty row. Nine flags for 123 yards from Philadelphia against four for 19 from Washington — a 100-plus-yard swing in a one-score game. You can survive that against the Commanders' backups. You cannot survive it against a real offense next weekend.
What people are saying
National writers zeroed in on the seeding wrinkle. PFF flagged that the loss cost Philadelphia the NFC's No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. ESPN's game page pinned the swing on Johnson's back-to-back scoring drives in the fourth against Philly's second-string defense.
Our take
Hot take: this one stings less than the scoreboard reads. If you were going to lose a Week 18 game with a backup-heavy lineup, this is the box score you'd want — a run-heavy young back going 16-75-1, a backup QB who kept his composure, and a defense that got out healthy.
Here's our real read though: the penalty count is the tell, and it isn't a rest-game excuse. Nine for 123 is a discipline problem, not a scheme one. Fix it in the film room this week or a real offense turns it into a bloodbath.
Bigsby just made himself a January weapon. Ride him.
The seeding thing? Yeah, we would've preferred the bye. But this team's been better as the hunter than the hunted anyway. We can live with it.
Next up
11-6 punches the ticket — wild-card weekend is on the calendar. The bracket sorts itself out once the rest of Sunday finishes. We'll be back when they're back, and if you want the fantasy angle on the run to February, our 2025 season awards and regular-season wrap are already up.
Until then: the Birds still have real football left — and if you'd rather back your reads than just shout them, that's literally the game.