“They were exhausted,” Rivera acknowledged about his own team. It was an arduous and demanding drive.

Indeed, it was. The resilience displayed by the Commanders, particularly by Howell, who had endured nine sacks from the Buffalo Bills the previous week, suggested that the NFC East might not dismiss Washington quite so easily this season. Rivera highlighted the Commanders’ ability to execute strong drives throughout the season, but accomplishing it against the Eagles, with the game on the line, was especially impressive. Rivera emphasized this point by pounding his fist on the lectern.

“Moral victories don’t count,” Rivera stated firmly. “”We’ll take valuable lessons from this, and I’m confident it will contribute to our improvement going forward.”

For the initial month of the season, the Eagles have consistently stressed that they are a work in progress after each victory. This latest win won’t alter that narrative or alleviate the concerns of Eagles fans. However, it should provide a sense of confidence that everything is on track. Most of the apprehension had revolved around Jalen Hurts and the sluggish start to the passing game. But on this day, Hurts threw for 319 yards, two touchdowns, and committed no interceptions. This was achieved against the best defensive front the Eagles had faced, and they still managed to rush for 104 yards. Patience was required before the offense clicked, with Hurts beginning the game with short passes, eventually launching a 59-yard bomb to A.J. Brown and connecting with him again for a 28-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

“I believe that tension and pressure build character,” Hurts remarked after the game. “We needed a game like this. A victory like this does wonders for team spirit because winning is not simple; it’s challenging.”

The Eagles’ defense would certainly concur. They faced challenges, struggling initially to generate a pass rush (Howell was sacked five times) and allowing Howell to amass 290 passing yards. It was the first game this season where they allowed more than 76 rushing yards (the Commanders managed 107). Nevertheless, the Eagles held the Commanders scoreless in the third quarter, during which they mounted their comeback. They also benefitted from a stroke of luck when Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin appeared to catch a pass from Howell on third down in the opening possession of overtime. However, McLaurin landed on Reed Blankenship’s forearm, preventing him from staying in bounds and extending the drive. Instead, the Commanders were forced to punt, and they never regained possession.

Nothing has come easily for the Eagles in the first four weeks of the season. Hurts was penalized for intentional grounding during the game-winning drive, eliciting a collective groan from the stadium, one of 11 penalties that nearly derailed the Eagles. It was a taunting penalty on Brown, following his late-game touchdown that briefly gave the Eagles the lead, which provided favorable field position to the Commanders to initiate their game-tying drive. The Eagles need to be battle-tested for a challenging stretch of games starting in three weeks, following winnable matchups against the Rams and Jets. From mid-October to nearly two months later, they face contests against the Dolphins, Commanders once more, Cowboys, Chiefs, Bills, 49ers, and the Cowboys once again.

After the game, Brown acknowledged that he can’t afford mistakes like the taunting penalty, and it was Hurts who reinforced that message on the sideline. Refining these finer points of the game is another aspect of progress that the Eagles are diligently working on. They are far from a finished product, but with one of the league’s most talented teams, the finish line remains far on the horizon.

“I’d love to see us dominate a team,” stated center Jason Kelce. “But I’ll take it. A win is a win. We’re not playing our best football right now, but we’re still finding ways to win games.”