PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Eagles extended their NFC East lead, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter to defeat the second-place Washington Commanders 26-18 at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, while quarterback Jalen Hurts put Philadelphia ahead with a touchdown run to start the final quarter. The Commanders scored their only touchdown in the first quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Brian Robinson Jr.

Here are the most important things to know for both teams starting Thursday evening:

The story of the Eagles’ season so far has been Barkley’s incredible play and the surprising performance of Vic Fangio’s defense. That continued in Thursday’s crucial divisional victory over the Commanders.

On a night when Hurts struggled to get going, the defense contained rookie quarterback sensation Jayden Daniels and came up with a key interception in the fourth quarter courtesy of safety Reed Blankenship to snowball in Philly’s favor to help create. There were only modest expectations for the defense entering the season, but the Eagles entered the week ranked second in yards allowed per game and tied for fifth in points allowed per game, numbers that will hold up beyond Thursday.

Barkley scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns in the span of 20 seconds, turning what was mostly a nail-biter into a comfortable win for Philadelphia, which has now won six straight.

According to ESPN Analytics, the Eagles’ chances of winning the division shot up from 63% to 81%. They will enjoy their mini-bye before turning their attention to a Week 12 matchup against the Rams. It will be their last flight of the regular season.

Most surprising achievement: The normally reliable Jake Elliott had a sub-par night, missing field goal attempts from 44 and 51 yards in the first half. He followed up with a missed extra point early in the fourth quarter after the Eagles had taken the lead. Elliott entered the game tied for the second-highest field goal percentage (90.9%) among NFL kickers with 80-plus attempts since 2021, but has now missed five field goals this season.

Promising trend: Barkley had his eighth game this season with at least 100 yards from scrimmage, the most in the NFL this season. He finished with 198 yards (146 rushing, 52 receiving on two receptions). It was Barkley’s fourth straight game with 100 scrimmage yards against the Commanders, marking the longest streak against Washington in his career. –Tim McManus

Next game: at Los Angeles Rams (8:20 PM ET, Sunday, November 24)

The Commanders showed the NFL what to expect through the first nine games of this season. But Thursday night showed they still weren’t good enough to challenge NFC East supremacy, losing their second straight game and falling 1.5 games behind Philadelphia.

The Commander defense limited explosive Eagles receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith for most of the game. But Barkley cut them down as a runner and as a receiver, while the Commanders couldn’t match his offensive output against one of the NFL’s best defenses.

Washington has already won three more games than last season and is ahead of schedule in coach Dan Quinn’s first season. But the Commanders also showed that if they want to win the division, they will need more firepower to combat the Eagles’ diverse and explosive offense.

The Commanders averaged at least 5.3 yards per play in each of their first nine games. Over the past two weeks they averaged 4.1 and 4.2 respectively. That will have to improve before they can get any further than a pleasant surprise this season.

Crucial game: On fourth-and-2 from the Eagles’ 26-yard line with 8:01 left in the game, Washington sidestepped a field goal and a potential 13-12 lead, trying to get more points to support an exhausting defense. Instead, Daniels wobbled the shotgun snap, causing a delay on a QB sweep around the right sideline. Eagles linebacker Zack Baun stopped him two yards for a first down to hand the ball to Philadelphia, which scored touchdowns on its next two possessions. The Commanders had converted their first 11 fourth-down attempts this season, but now failed on their last two.

Troubling trend: The offense was held to less than 300 yards for the second consecutive game, albeit against two of the NFL’s best defenses in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Both defenses caused problems for Daniels, but the Eagles also consistently pressured him. Washington converted just 3 of 12 third downs after going 5-14 a week ago.

QB breakdown: Daniels had a special start to the season, but Thursday was his worst game of his young NFL career. He couldn’t connect with his receivers on Thursday – the wideouts combined for four catches and 28 yards. Daniels’ legs haven’t been a factor lately; he has rushed for 13 yards over the past two games as teams have done well to keep him in the pocket. Daniels threw one interception and wasn’t much of a threat to the Eagles’ defense. –John Keim

Next game: vs. Dallas Cowboys (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, November 24)