Eagles defeat Redskins, 20-13

LANDOVER, Md. - It's not over yet, not this early.

The Eagles breathed life back into their season Sunday with a 20-13 win over the Redskins, improving to 2-4 and avoiding the kind of start that would have almost certainly doomed their playoff chances.

The team still has significant work to do to meet the expectations for this season, but their second victory bought some breathing room for coach Andy Reid and sent the Eagles into their bye week within two games of first place in the NFC East.

"We were desperate for a win," said wide receiver DeSean Jackson.

Now the Eagles get a week of rest followed by three home games that present a chance to climb out of their early-season hole.

"Right now we should be in a better position. I think we all know that," said quarterback Michael Vick. "But we're just going to take it one game at a time."

The Eagles won by reversing many problems that plauged them through a four-game losing streak. They created more turnovers than they gave up. They tackled with force and stopped the run, holding Washington to 42 rushing yards.

The defensive backs made plays - starting with Nnamdi Asomugha delivering a big early hit and continuing with safeties Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman combining for four interceptions, three by Coleman.

The Eagles went back to LeSean McCoy, giving him a career-high 28 carries that turned into 126 yards and a touchdown.

And when the Redskins cut into the Eagles' 17-point halftime lead, the defense came up with critical plays.

The under-fire Reid stuck to his one-game-at-a-time mantra. But asked about facing the media after a win, he allowed, "It beats the other way around."

Several players said that after a team meeting last week, each took it on himself to fix his own errors and worry less about the rest of the team.

"Individually," said McCoy. "You can't worry about the defense stopping guys. You can't worry about the offense stopping with the turnovers. You can't worry about that. Just do your job."

"We started to build a better attitude here," said defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. "The second half of that Buffalo game gave us a lot of momentum defensively, and we were definitely able to carry it over into this week."

Notably, the defense tightened up its front four alignment in several run situations, at times switching out of the wide-nine set that emphasizes the pass rush but leaves huge running lanes. The result was the best defensive performance of the year. Every other opponent had run for 138 yards or more.

"Guys were just really focused on stopping the run at any cost, knowing that if we stop the run then they'll have to pass, and we can pass rush pretty good," said defensive end Darryl Tapp.

After the game, defensive coordinator Juan Castillo sat beaming on a metal chair. Eagles president Joe Banner walked by, slapped Castillo on the knee and said, "Good job."

"I thought that we would have run the ball better on that team," said Washington tight end Chris Cooley. "I don't think we played physical enough."

The run defense forced the Redskins to rely on erratic quarterback Rex Grossman, whose four interceptions got him benched. The Eagles had created only five turnovers all season before Sunday.

"As a defensive back, you hope the quarterback throws your direction," Coleman said. "You never know if he's going to."

But Grossman did, again and again and again, including one throw Coleman snared two plays after the Redskins had intercepted Vince Young at Eagles' 18.

On offense, the Eagles weren't flashy, but they were smarter. With Winston Justice filling in for an injured King Dunlap at right tackle, they relied on a heavy dose of three-step drops and runs to McCoy.

"Whenever we shuffle the O-line around and get a big, crucial game, it's easier to run than pass," said Todd Herremans, who moved from right tackle to left Sunday. The run game is less prone to big mistakes.

Vick was a pedestrian 18 for 31 passing for 237 yards, but cut down on turnovers. His lone interception was on a tipped pass just outside Washington's end zone. The Eagles had two turnovers, their fewest since Week 1.

"I told the guys to just focus in the moment on protecting the ball, and I see every guy making a conscious effort to do so," Vick said.

There were still some worries. The Eagles scored two early touchdowns but couldn't return to the end zone, despite three more trips inside Washington's 20.

The Redskins lost Cooley and offensive linemen Kory Lichtensteiger and Trent Williams to injury. They were saddled by Grossman's mistakes yet rallied behind backup quarterback John Beck.

But the defense held the lead, and the offense chewed up the last 2 minutes, 44 seconds on the ground.

"We love our coach to death, and we'll go to bat for him each and every week," Vick said after the game.

The Eagles are still in last place in their division, and only 13 2-4 teams have reached the postseason since the NFL went to its current playoff format in 1990. The rest of the schedule will include tougher tests.

But the remaining games remain relevant today - and probably will for some time - thanks to a crucial win.