Instant notes on the Eagles’ performance in their 26-18 victory on Washington’s commanders:

Quarterback: B

Jalen hurts had another difficult first half. He missed open receivers, looked down at the run and held the ball too long. But he settled in, righted the ship and played within himself as the Eagles rode Saquon Barkley and the running game in the second half. Hurss, perhaps most importantly, did not turn the ball over. He made some impressive throws and made first downs on the ground.

» LEARN MORE: Eagles-Commanders Stock Watch: Saquon Barkley and defense lift Eagles to win

In the first half, he seemed to miss an open game DeVonta Smith on third down on the Eagles’ second possession. But Hurts missed and was sacked. He later threw off AJ Brown on the third try. Taking Hurts out of the pocket seemed unnecessary. He was examined by a neurologist for a possible concussion just before halftime, but was cleared to return.

In the second half he was much better. His best throw was when he hit Brown moving to his left for 17 yards.

Revenant: A

Saquon Barkley surpassed 100 rushing yards for the sixth time this season. He iced the game with a 23-yard run late in the fourth quarter. In total, Barkley rushed 26 times for 146 yards. He also made the Eagles’ longest catch – a 43-yarder in the third quarter. Earlier in the game, Barkley rushed for over 1,000 yards for the fourth time in his career. This is the first day he achieved his goal. He broke a tackle on a 9-yard run just before halftime.

Kenneth Gainwell spelled Barkley early in the fourth quarter and was huge. He had three carries for 34 yards that moved the offense to the 4-yard line. Gainwell also made a nice downfield block on Hurts’ run before the break. Finished with 49 total yards on five touches.

Receiver/Tight End: B

Tight end Dallas Goedert and Brown led the Eagles with five receptions each. Goedert’s biggest grab came in the fourth quarter when he ran free in the secondary and caught a 32-yard pass. The tight end lost the ball, but the backup tight end Grant Calcaterra Johnny was there and recovered Goedert’s fumble. Brown took a 25-yard slant on a running pass option play on the Eagles’ first drive. He did well to get back to the ball during a Hurts scrum and had 17 yards.

Receiver DeVonta Smith caught 4 of 6 targets for 29 yards. He started with a 21-yard slant just before halftime, but earlier he dropped a pass near the sideline in the first quarter. Jahan Dotson got his number on his first play against his former team, catching a screen pass for 8 yards. The receiver then dropped a first-quarter pass on a third-down slant.

Tight end CJ Uzomah was recalled from the practice squad and played a few snaps as a blocker.

Offensive line: A

The O-line kept Hurts clean for most of the night. He was sacked several times, but they were more about the quarterback than anyone else. The return of Jordan Mailatawho missed four games with a hamstring injury, was welcomed back. The left tackle, accompanied by the right tackle Lane Johnsonkept Hurts protected on the edges.

But it was the O-line’s run blocking that helped the Eagles win. The unit took over in the trenches in the second half as the Eagles rushed for over 200 total yards. Johnson made a key block on Barkley’s touchdown run. Landon Dickerson was a bully in the middle even though the left guard had his right leg rolled up on the third play from scrimmage. Tyler Steen came in for the remainder of the drive before Dickerson returned. Right guard Mekhi Becton had some shaky moments. He was called for an early catch. In the third quarter, he whiffed on a pull-up block and Barkley was dropped for no gain.

Center Cam Jurgens struggled at times early on, but started rolling in the second half. He appeared to miss his assignment on a run in which Barkley was tackled in the backfield on the Eagles’ first drive. Jurgens took out his frustration on the next series when he steamrolled a Commanders defender on an 8-yard run by Barkley. In the third quarter, he made a second-level block on linebacker Bobby Wagner that freed Barkley.

Defensive line: B+

The Eagles’ run defense stabilized after some rough early times. Nose tackle Jordan Davis was at the center of it all, even though he finished with just three tackles. The entire defense played a role, but the D-line helped hold the Commanders running backs to under 4 yards per carry. Quarterback Jayden Daniels never started the read game either.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter made some big running stops and was credited with several pressures on his rushes. He rushed into the backfield for a loss on a Brian Robinson run in the third quarter and ended the initial pressure. Josh is sweatingThe sack of the second quarter.

Brandon Graham I didn’t play like a 36 year old. The defensive end led the way with a third-and-1 stop in the fourth quarter. Graham was credited with what can only be described as a coverage sack in the second quarter. He wasn’t fooled by Daniels’ poor play in the third quarter.

Nolan Smith got a third sack in the third quarter when he turned the corner against Commanders left tackle Brandon Coleman. Bryce Huff didn’t take the field until late in the first half. The end is playing with a cast on his left wrist, but he has clearly fallen off the depth chart.

Defensive tackle Milton Williams left in the fourth quarter with a foot injury.

Linebacker: B+

Zack Baun led the Eagles with 15 tackles. The reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week delivered another game-changing play when he took Daniels out of bounds on the Commanders’ fourth down in the fourth quarter. He also completed a diving third-down pass on Washington’s first series. Baun had some difficulty in the coverage as Daniels attacked him in the air. He was late to cover a swing pass and Austin Ekeler then carried it about 10 yards. A few plays later, Baun couldn’t bring Robinson down on a run up the middle.

Dean Nakobe was solid all match. He had an early run stop for no gain and did well to hold on and prevent a scrappy Daniels from converting a third down in the first quarter. He put his fingertips on a third wobbler that had fallen.

Cornerback: A+

If we give out game balls, each of the Eagles cornerbacks… Quinyon Mitchell, Darius Slay, And Cooper DeJean – take one. Mitchell receives special notification for lock up Terry McLaurin, the Commanders’ top receiver. The rookie helped keep McLaurin in check throughout the game. Slay was just as clingy on his side of the court. The veteran picked up a tackle for loss during a check in the first quarter.

DeJean was flagged for third-down pass interference in the third quarter when he appeared to grab the jersey of Commanders receiver Noah Brown. McLaurin’s only catch came at the expense of DeJean – a 10-yard catch on a return route in the fourth quarter.

Safety: A

Reed Blankenship had his third interception of the season in the fourth quarter and added 10 tackles. While the Eagles seem to play a fair number of two-high shell coverages, CJ Gardner-Johnson and Blankenship hasn’t been tested much in the field – and that’s to their credit. They kept Daniels from throwing too much down the field.

Both safeties also helped in the run defense.

Special teams: C

Jake Elliott I had a nightmare night. He missed two field goals and an extra point. Elliott rebounded to score his final two extra points as well as his two field goals earlier. He had field goal attempts of 44 and 51 yards wide left in the first half. Elliott’s five misses through the first 10 games match his combined miss total from the previous two seasons.

Braden Mann finished with a net average of 42 yards on three punts. Will Shipley had a 33-yard kick return in the first quarter. Jalyx Hunt caused a fumble that Washington recovered on the opening kickoff of the second half. Sydney Brown had a holding penalty that brought back a decent kick return from Gainwell in the third quarter.

Training: A

Nick Sirianni has the Eagles 8-2 and alone in first place after beating NFC East rival Washington. Her team was sloppy early, but came out after the break and blew the doors off the Commanders. Sirianni’s decision on the fourth try was wise. He had Elliott attempt the 51-yard field goal on fourth-and-7 when analytics suggested it was a toss-up. It was also a game of chance on the call on fourth down and field goal from the 3 yard line. Sirianni went for a short field goal and a 7-3 halftime deficit.

Vic Fangio‘S defense has been mostly exceptional. The unit continues to improve. Aside from Washington’s lone goal, Fangio’s defense was solid in the first half. He tightened up the run defense and had Daniels checking for most of the night.

Kelly Moore I’ve had a few shaky calls. The offensive coordinator pulled off an inexplicable double reverse on first down at the Washington 39. The Commanders smothered him and Hurts was sacked and the back of his helmet hit the ground. His mesh concept play call before halftime allowed Brown and Smith to meet.