LANDOVER, Md. - The Eagles needed some help from the Bears on Sunday afternoon and they got it. But that wouldn't have mattered if the Eagles couldn't beat the Redskins.
The Eagles didn't just beat the Redskins. They demolished them. They played a hurting team and stepped on their throats.
Ready for the most telling sign of this beatdown?
*Chip Kelly, please turn away*
The Eagles' held the ball for 43:19 and the Redskins held it for just 16:41. That's an insane disparity.
"We wanted to go out there and dominate," said Wendell Smallwood, who had 12 carries for 53 yards.
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
They did.
Here's a closer look into that insane TOP disparity:
• The Eagles' 43:19 against Washington was their highest TOP in a game since 1994 (also against Washington).
• That 43:19 is obviously the highest in the Doug Pederson era, topping the 40:12 the Eagles had against Indy earlier this year.
• Two of the top four spots in single game TOP this season in the NFL now belong to the Eagles.
• The Eagles set their TOP record on Sunday with the help of one major drive. In the second quarter, they had a 19-play, 87-yard drive that took 11:49. It was the Eagles' longest drive, in terms of plays, since 1997, according to Elias.
• It was also their longest drive (time wise) this season, surpassing an 11:18 drive against the Colts. The Eagles own the two longest drives in the NFL this year.
• This season, the Eagles are second in the NFL in TOP, behind just the Ravens. They averaged 32:39 per game in the regular season with a leading rusher that finished with 511 yards.
• In the three years under Pederson, the Eagles have held the ball for 26:05:35 to lead the league. This comes after the Eagles were obviously last in the league in TOP under Chipper.
When a team holds the ball for over 43 minutes, it's not just the offense. It's an entire team effort. Sure, the offense has to hold the ball, but the defense needs to get off the field. The Eagles did both on Sunday.
The Eagles' offense went 8 for 14 on third downs (and 1/1 on fourth down), which helps them stay on the field. And the Eagles' defense gave up just four first downs until the last meaningless drive. Here's how the Redskins' possessions went: INT, punt, punt, punt, end of half, punt, punt, downs, downs.
"Forcing a lot of three-and-outs today allowed us to stay on the field for long periods of time," Zach Ertz said. "Anytime you post a shutout in the NFL, it's really tough to do. It's impressive what those guys did today and very thankful all those guys are on our team."
Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.
