The Philadelphia Eagles secured the NFC East title on Saturday night with a score of 29-18 against the Washington Commanders, but the celebration was overshadowed by a massive fight that broke out late in the game. The trouble started with about four and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter. Right after, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley scored a 2-point conversion to put Philadelphia ahead by 19 points with about 4 minutes and 26 seconds remaining. 

Players from both teams began shoving and throwing punches. When the dust settled, officials ejected three players for “unnecessary roughness.” Commander’s safety Quan Martin was amongst the three. During a post-game conference, the player seemed utterly disappointed by whatever transpired. When asked about what actually happened on the field during a post-game interview, he said,

“I’m not sure, to be honest; I was taking my team with me.”

He further said that it was his “first time” that he had been ejected from the game like this and is “frustrated” by the result.

The other two players included were Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen and Commanders defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw. Despite the ugly finish, it was a major victory for Philadelphia. With this win, the Eagles officially became the NFC East champions for the second year in a row. 

Their success also meant that the Dallas Cowboys were officially eliminated from the playoffs. Now that the play is over, the players from both teams surely have more to say. Especially Saquon Barkley.

What did Saquon Barkley have to say about the ‘unnecessary roughness’?

As tensions flared and players from both sidelines surged onto the field, officials were forced to toss six flags to contain the melee. Amid the scuffle, Barkley found himself face-to-face with Commanders veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner, not for a hit, but for a reality check. Barkley credited Wagner with de-escalating his temper during the heat of the moment.

“Bobby Wagner did a really good job of making it make sense to me in that moment, too; ‘What, you get to throw two to three punches, add a helmet, hopefully you don’t break a hand. Just to say you’re a tough guy? It’s not really worth it, and you lose a lot of money too.'”

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He further added,

“I guess it was a theme. … The fans were fighting … and I guess it kinda carried over to the game. It’s chippy out there, and we have a lot of history with this team, especially since I’ve been here,” he further added, “This team don’t like us. This is the truth. And we don’t like them, either. But we got to keep the football.”

Fans are expecting the NFL to announce some disciplinary actions regarding whatever has happened.

But one thing that remains to be highlighted is that the incident didn’t overshadow Saquon Barkley’s standout Saturday. By gaining 132 yards and a score on 21 carries, he officially surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season. He hit the milestone with 12:15 left in the game on an eight-yard run following a handoff from Jalen Hurts.

While the NFL fans expect the organization to face potential fines and disciplinary action for the brawl, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn remained tight-lipped but defiant. When asked about the Eagles’ decision to go for a two-point conversion late in a lopsided game, he said he wanted to learn more about what happened, but Quinn pivoted to the team’s next meeting.

“If that’s how they want to get down, all good,” Quinn said. “We’ll play them again in two weeks.”

The two teams are set for a high-stakes rematch on January 4 in Philadelphia. With Washington (4-11) looking to play spoiler and the Eagles (10-5) eyeing playoff positioning, the regular-season finale promises to be anything but friendly.