NFL Twitter was not expecting the Commanders to be the one to hand the Eagles their first loss of the season but Taylor Heinicke silenced Philly.
The Eagles were supposed to curb-stomp the Commanders on Monday Night Football. They were double-digit favorites. They were undefeated. They had already beaten Washington earlier in the season.
Yet somehow, everything everyone expected on Monday got turned on its head.
Philadelphia, a team that thrived by protecting the football, turned it over three times. The second-quarter specialist Eagles were outscored 13-0 in the second quarter. Taylor Heinicke got the win, not Jalen Hurts.
How did NFL Twitter process that one?
Best memes and tweets after the Commanders upset the Eagles
Out of all teams to beat the Eagles.. the commanders?!
— Dee (@Deestroying) November 15, 2022
the @Commanders spoiling the Eagles' perfect season like pic.twitter.com/Flwxk48Eya
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 15, 2022
Giants, Cowboys and Commanders fans all celebrating the Eagles finally losing a game pic.twitter.com/UIV4K78p6B
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) November 15, 2022
Refs see all the late hits but no face masks? #FlyEaglesFly #Eagles pic.twitter.com/qrn61srWxM
— Ducis Rodgers (@duciswild) November 15, 2022
Eagles fans waiting for the refs after the game pic.twitter.com/yELp2oT192
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) November 15, 2022
The refs leaving after the Eagles game pic.twitter.com/jYBIdh8UXk
— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) November 15, 2022
HEINICKE LET ’EM KNOW 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/HjyNGyvCng
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 15, 2022
Not a single team has been able to beat the Philadelphia Eagles this season, until Old Dominion legend Taylor Heinicke showed up. pic.twitter.com/K5IYA89evM
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) November 15, 2022
In retrospect Carson Wentz having to watch his backup beat the #Eagles should have been predictable
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) November 15, 2022
Taylor Heinicke to Carson Wentz when he comes to take back the QB1 job pic.twitter.com/ib3ZcT5EIs
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) November 15, 2022
I've never been to Times Square on NYE but I imagine it sounds like the noise emanating from Commanders locker room right now even behind closed doors.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) November 15, 2022
The Eagles started the game just fine. Hurts scored a touchdown on the ground then hit Dallas Goedert for a six-yard touchdown to put his team ahead 14-7 in the first quarter.
However, the Commanders dominated the second quarter. Joey Slye hit field goals from 44 and 58 yards while Brian Robinson Jr. punched in a one-yard touchdown.
Washington led 20-14 at halftime and they extended their lead with another field goal from Slye.
DeVonta Smith opened the fourth quarter with an 11-yard touchdown to pull Philadelphia back within two points. The Eagles just couldn’t find the endzone again in the final minutes of the game because of two costly turnovers.
One of those, a Goedert fumble, had NFL Twitter fuming because the refs missed a blatant facemask penalty on the play.
The Eagles can bounce back next week on the road against Indianapolis. The Commanders will look to begin a winning streak on the road against the Texans.
In the meantime, this was a good reminder of how unpredictable the NFL can be.