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Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson called out the Washington Commanders after taking control of the NFC East on Thursday Night Football.
“Respect y’all, but y’all know this s–t runs through us,” Gardner-Johnson said when entering the locker room following the Eagles’ 26-18 victory over the Commanders.
Washington sat at 7-3 entering the contest while Philadelphia owned a 7-2 record, meaning that the winner determined the No. 1 spot in the division. The Eagles ended up gaining a head-to-head win against their NFC East opponent, which could help them in potential playoff scenarios down the line.
Gardner-Johnson finished with three tackles and one pass defensed in the win.
He helped the Eagles stifle a Commanders team that owned the fourth-best scoring offense in the NFL prior to Thursday’s contest. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels finished 22-of-32 for 191 yards and an interception before scoring a late touchdown with Washington trailing by two scores and roughly 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
While the Eagles aren’t reigning NFC East champions after the Dallas Cowboys took the division crown in 2023, they’ve still spent much more time atop the standings compared to the Commanders.
Since divisions were restructured due to expansion ahead of the 2002 season, Washington has won the NFC East three times. Over that same span, Philadelphia has secured nine division titles.
As for Gardner-Johnson, he’ll look to back up his trash talk in the second meeting between both teams in Week 16.