The Washington Commanders secured their second win of the season with a 27-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Here are five takeaways from Week 8.

1. A slow start on offense.

It took a while for the Commanders to get going Sunday night. The missed field goal and fumble were the most obvious errors, but all of their problems were present in the first 10 minutes. There were pre-snap penalties that spoiled scoring opportunities and drops on critical downs.

It contributed to them spotting the Eagles a 10-0 lead, as Tanner McKee led a battered Philadelphia offense down the field. **Jayden Daniels** then pulled his offense together to deliver a message.

"Honestly, it was complete BS, just how we started and what we were doing," he said at the podium.

Daniels' message provided a spark for the unit. They scored 27 unanswered points, scoring on four of their next five possessions, and outgained the Eagles 318-201 for the rest of the night. In many ways, it was what the Commanders needed to look like coming out of their bye week against a banged-up opponent with a short week of prep.

But the Commanders emphasized playing a complete game in the days leading up to Sunday. By head coach Dan Quinn’s estimation, "we nailed three" quarters. It is progress, but they will need more to salvage their season.

"That's how it has to go down," Quinn said. "But there's a lot that I liked that we emphasized and I'm looking forward to seeing that continue."

2. Daniels was solid in his first win in over a year.

There were some parallels between Daniels' last win, which came on Oct. 5, 2025, against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Sunday's victory. In both games, the Commanders gave their opponents a 10-0 lead before going on a tear to get the win.

And like the rest of the team, it took Daniels some time to find a groove, but he ended the night with another solid performance.

"I see a lot from him in the poise and the location of where to throw deep shots," Quinn said.

Daniels led the Commanders to a field goal drive after addressing the offense, but he did not really look like himself until the following possession. He led the Commanders on an 89-yard drive, completing five of his six passes and rushing for 14. His touchdown pass to **Stefon Diggs** was his sixth of the year, and he is now the only starting quarterback with zero interceptions.

The rest of the night featured flashes from Daniels that helped move the Commanders downfield. Both his 53-yard completion to **Treylon Burks** and 30-yard throw to **Antonio Williams** set up field goals that extended Washington's lead. He did not do much with his legs, but it was enough to keep the chains moving.

It might not have been Daniels' most memorable performance, but it was enough to get the win.

3. The pressure got to McKee.

Washington's defense put the heat on McKee, and the Eagles' backup quarterback felt it all night.

The Commanders generated pressure on 46.5% of dropbacks -- a season high, according to NFL+. It was the defense's strongest pass-rush performance of the season thus far, as McKee was sacked five times and committed two turnovers. McKee did complete 68% of his passes, but the pressure led to him throwing inopportune incompletions for the Eagles.

"It does make it a lot easier, it goes hand in hand," **Trey Amo**s said. "You have to work with each other, that's how to play team ball. That's the result you're going to get."

The Commanders' five sacks were their most in a game since Week 5 of the 2025 season, and it was a complete effort from the unit. **Dorance Armstrong** forced a fumble in the third quarter, the sixth of his career and his first since Week 17 of the 2024 season. **K’Lavon Chaisson** recorded his first game with at least 2.0 sacks since Week 7 of 2025 (2.0). **Charles Omenihu** recorded his first sack of the season and the 24th of his career in the third quarter.

The Commanders had 11 sacks heading into Sunday's game. They nearly got half of that against the Eagles. There is still work to be done with getting more results from their blitzes, but they took a step in the right direction.

4. Drew Stevens stepped up.

Stevens' night did not start well with his missed 55-yarder, but the Commanders kept sending the rookie kicker out there, and he more than made up for his early mistake.

Stevens showed he earned the kicking job in training camp against the Eagles, hitting four of his five field goal attempts. His second kick of the night was actually a yard longer than his early miss, and had he missed again, it would have given the Eagles a chance to take a 13 or even 17-point lead before halftime.

Stevens' aim was true this time, though, and he went on to hit kicks of 39, 25 and 42 yards that gave Washington the lead and extended it in the second half.

Stevens became the first Washington rookie kicker to connect on four field goals in a single game since James Tuthill in Week 8 of the 2002 season. He became one of three rookie kickers this season to have made multiple field goals of at least 50 yards, joining Trey Smack (2) and Dominic Zvada (5).

5. So, you're telling me there's a chance.

The Commanders needed to beat the Eagles for several reasons, but one of the most important realities after Sunday's victory is that the division is still wide open.

The Commanders took care of their part of the job by notching their first division win of the season, moved them to two games back of the New York Giants. But they also got some help from the Dallas Cowboys, who blew a two-score lead to the Arizona Cardinals and lost in overtime.

The Commanders are now squarely in third place in the NFC East, and while it is not advised to look ahead, there are some prime opportunities on the horizon. If the Commanders can beat the Los Angeles Rams and the Giants four days later, there is a chance they will be in first place by Nov. 13, depending on how the Giants and Cowboys perform in the coming weeks.

But the Commanders cannot focus on that right now. They must focus on one game at a time, and they have a difficult matchup next weekend against the Rams, who are looking to be the championship contender many thought they would be in the offseason.