Dec 20, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Commanders in the second half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke
The "no repeat NFC East champions since 2004" graphic can finally rest.
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders 29-18 Saturday evening, clinching their second consecutive NFC East championship and ending the NFC East's historic 21-year streak without a repeat champion.
Although the final score signaled a comfortable win, for the majority of the game, it was a much closer contest than the score suggested. Let's get into it.
The fourth-year defensive tackle is having the season of his life in 2025. Before Saturday's game, Davis' 4.5 sacks, 59 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and six quarterback hits were already all career highs. But the big man stepped up big time in the division-clinching game.
Davis made his presence known in the run game, including stuffing Jacory Croskey-Merritt on first-and-goal in the second quarter.
Then there was this tackle for loss in the fourth quarter:
Jordan Davis is the best DLineman in the NFL #FlyEaglesFly #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/oOVzippxj6
With Jalen Carter recovering from procedures on both his shoulders, it was imperative that someone on the defensive line stepped up in his absence. Davis has done just that. In three games without Carter, Davis has tallied 16 total tackles and four tackles for loss.
Davis should be in All-Pro consideration. His development has been nothing short of a pleasure to witness.
Jake Elliott is so important to the history of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise. He's kicked in three Super Bowls, won two rings, and had countless highlight reel moments. It almost feels like sacrilege to make this point.
But I'll make it anyway, because it's time. It needs to be said.
Saturday's game against the Commanders was Elliott's worst of the season. The box score will only list two missed field goals for Elliott – a 43-yard attempt and a 52-yard attempt – but he effectively missed three, with the other miss wiped away by a penalty. All three misses went wide left.
Elliott's 2025 season has been bad, full stop. His field goal percentage of 70.8% is by far the worst mark of his career, and what's more concerning is that it appears to be a downward trend. Elliott made 93.8% of his field goal attempts in 2023. That number sank to 77.8% in 2024, and then to 2025's current mark of 70.8%.
Elliott has missed a field goal in four of the Eagles' last five games. Late in the game, the Birds elected to go for two, and the FOX Sports broadcast booth theorized that it was because Sirianni didn't want Elliott kicking the ball anymore.
The kicker will turn just 31 in January, but he's nowhere near as automatic as he once was. His pre-Saturday field goal percentage ranked 32nd in the NFL. He's taking points off the board at this point. Unfortunately, Elliott can officially be classified as a liability.
It's Week 16. If the Eagles were going to learn discipline, they would have done it about three months ago. At this point, this is who they are.
Against the 4-10 Commanders, the Eagles shot themselves in the foot numerous times, especially on special teams. Will Shipley set the tone for the Eagles' first half during the opening kickoff:
Well, this is an auspicious start for the Eagles
(@NFLonFOX) pic.twitter.com/EhoNTlpCuX
Five penalties set the Eagles back by 61 total yards, including a few mistakes in pivotal red zone moments. Fred Johnson false started on a tush push formation in the first quarter, and Landon Dickerson false started on another tush push attempt in the third quarter. Pre-snap mistakes continue to negatively impact the Birds.
And that's not even mentioning the brawl that gave us this visual masterpiece:
Absolute cinema taking place in Eagles-Commanders pic.twitter.com/zi0PMg7nXX
Tyler Steen was throwing punches after the Eagles' successful two-point conversion, earning himself an ejection:
Tyler Steen was ready to RUMBLE after the Eagles’ two-point conversion😳 pic.twitter.com/iYkkkplFEC
What an all-time NFL scuffle right there.
Well, the Eagles are NFC East champions! They will face the final major test of the 2025 season when they head up north to face the 10-4 Buffalo Bills on Dec. 28. The Bills have had uncharacteristic struggles in 2025, similar to the Eagles. The Birds will need to be at the top of their game to knock off reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen.
