Eagles CB’s nonsense talk at Commanders rings true – but not quite the way he meant it

PHILADELPHIA – As Philadelphia Eagles cornerback CJ Gardner-Johnson trotted back to the home locker room, he opened and closed his right palm as if to imitate someone talking.

“Washington – respect y’all,” Gardner-Johnson shouted. “But you all know this shit goes through us.”

The Eagles had just outlasted the Washington Commanders, 26-18, giving Philadelphia control of the postseason stretch.

At 8-2, the Eagles are now 1.5 games and a head-to-head tiebreaker ahead of the 7-4 Commanders in the NFC East. It’s unlikely the 3-6 Dallas Cowboys and 2-8 New York Giants will catch up or even make the playoffs.

So Gardner-Johnson, a member of the 2022 Eagles team that won the NFC title game, shared a bit of his signature trash talk.

He pointed to an upstart Commanders team whose rebuild has come about much faster than the league expected. But Gardner-Johnson didn’t just want respect for the commanders. He wanted respect for his own team.

The Eagles have won six in a row. They’ve come into shape under each of their first-year (in Philadelphia) coordinators, Kellen Moore on offense and Vic Fangio on defense. And while Washington’s lead after three quarters on Thursday was a sign of what should be the return of a major division rivalry between teams led by Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels, the Eagles have already built the caliber of team Washington wants.

The Eagles coaches and players expressed full respect for what the Commanders are once again becoming under the new leadership of team owner Josh Harris, head coach Dan Quinn, general manager Adam Peters and quarterback Daniels.

Gardner-Johnson tempered the praise after the Eagles’ defense held Washington to 3-of-12 on third down, in addition to securing a key fourth-down stop that paved the way for Philadelphia to beat Washington 20-8 in the fourth quarter (and 20-0 for the final 30 seconds).

Daniels completed 22 of 32 passes for 191 yards, the last-second touchdown and an interception. He also rushed seven times for 18 yards on a day when the Eagles emphasized containing him.

Gardner-Johnson, who had three total tackles and one of Philadelphia’s four pass breakups, spoke to the division’s pecking order.

“We’ve been doing this since before I got here,” he said from his locker after the game. “You know who’s running[s] this division; no disrespect. That’s a great team, but we know what’s happening. We know what to do.

‘We hear all the noise, but we understand that we have won this division for the last three, four years? It’s not a diss or a shot at anyone.

“We just have to understand: Keep what is rightfully yours. Just keep playing with the ball.”

Gardner-Johnson’s facts were a bit off, perhaps excusable because the only previous season he played for Philadelphia, 2022, the Eagles won the division. This year they have the upper hand. Gardner-Johnson played for the New Orleans Saints from 2019 to 2021 and the Detroit Lions last year in an NFC North that has become increasingly competitive.

Mercy aside, the NFC East hasn’t seen a repeat champion since the Eagles defended their title in 2003 and 2004. The Cowboys won the division in 2023, the Eagles in 2022, the Cowboys in 2021 and the Commanders in 2020.

The streak of changing hands is on track to continue this season as a 3-6 Cowboys team prepares to play its final eight games without franchise quarterback Dak Prescott. (Prescott underwent season-ending surgery on Wednesday to repair a torn hamstring).

Gardner-Johnson’s teammates and coaches had a different tone after their latest victory. Even running back Saquon Barkley, who advanced to the playoffs just once in five Giants seasons, was cautious about celebrating the regular-season success he didn’t experience in New York.

“We’re not getting a midseason trophy,” Barkley said. “So in the end we have to move on.”

The Eagles’ talent pool suggests so. This isn’t just about a top-tier offensive line now working with a talent collection that includes Hurts, Barkley and receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. This is also about a front office finding defensive anchors in the draft and free agency, from homegrown defensive tackle Jalen Carter and rookie cornerback duo Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean to free-agent linebacker Zack Baun who are the best in football five-year career.

The Eagles held top Washington receiver Terry McLaurin, who has six touchdowns and four 100-yard games this season, to just one catch for 10 yards.

The talent is there. If the Eagles can keep up this pace, a division title could soon be crowned. Head coach Nick Sirianni’s halftime message to his team on Thursday evening also applies halfway through the season.

“It’s a street fight,” Sirianni said, “and it’s not about who’s stronger – it’s about who’s stronger longer.”