Eagles-Commanders brawl ends in three ejections as NFC East title is secured

A violent brawl erupted with less than five minutes remaining in Saturday night’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, leading to three players being ejected. The Eagles held a 29-10 lead at the time, and the altercation came shortly after Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley scored a two-point conversion for his team. The incident overshadowed a tense late stretch as the Eagles moved closer to clinching the NFC East.

Tyler Steen, the Eagles guard wearing No. 56, was seen exchanging punches and found himself surrounded by Commanders players as tempers flared on the field. On Washington’s side, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and safety Quan Martin were ejected. With the referees apparently running out of flags to throw, the scuffle drew calls for restraint from both benches as coaches and teammates tried to restore order. Fox analyst Joe Davis described the moment, saying, “The chippiness has turned into a full on shoving match. This is getting ugly. Look out, Tyler Steen is throwing punches.”

In the wake of the melee, Steen was escorted off the field by Eagles security officer Dom DiSandro, popularly known to the fanbase as “Big Dom.” Steen was listed as questionable to return with an injured right hand, and the confrontation complicated an otherwise straightforward finish to a game that had already seen Marcus Mariota leave the field for the Commanders with a possible concussion. Washington had previously shut down starting quarterback Jayden Daniels for the season, and against the Eagles, backup Mariota left after a hit on the opening drive of the second half, later being evaluated for a concussion and cleared to resume. Josh Johnson, the third-string quarterback, took the field starting in the third quarter for Washington as the team tried to mount a comeback.

The Eagles ultimately prevailed 29-18, a result that clinched the NFC East title for Philadelphia and dashed any lingering postseason hopes for the Commanders. The victory also erased a portion of the Cowboys’ path to the postseason by widening the Eagles’ division lead. With Steen sidelined and the other two ejected players leaving the game, Philadelphia leaned on its defense and a steady ground game to close out the win.

Running back Saquon Barkley highlighted the offense, reclaiming some of his late-season form as Philadelphia built a double-digit lead. Barkley finished with 132 yards on 21 carries and added a touchdown, including a 49-yard dash that illustrated his personal surge as the season nears January. His performance was tempered, however, by the prelude to the game’s chaos and the late-game fight that drew the attention of fans, analysts and social media alike.

Asked about the fight after his two-point conversion, Barkley told reporters in the locker room, “This team don’t like us and we don’t like them either. It’s chippy out there, we have a lot of history. It’s the truth.” His remarks reflected a long-running, intra-division rivalry that has long colored these matchups and added a combustible backdrop to a game decided by a late push from Philadelphia.

The postgame atmosphere reflected the unpredictability of a late-December showdown that had implications beyond the final score. While the Eagles celebrated a division title, the Commanders evaluated injuries and the health status of key players heading toward the offseason. The game will be remembered for its on-field tumult as much as its on-field outcomes, a reminder that in the NFL, the final minutes can alter more than just the standings.