Even without Terrell Owens, the Eagles scored first by dissecting the Washington secondary. With little more than three minutes left, Donovan McNabb found Reggie Brown, Owens's replacement, in the middle of the field on a slant pattern. Brown found nothing but open space in front of him, and he raced by Shawn Springs and Sean Taylor for a 56-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Cornerback Lito Sheppard was called for pass interference, leading to Mike Sellers's one-yard touchdown run and a 10-7 Redskins lead. The Eagles forfeited a short field goal attempt at the end of the half by trying a fake spike that only faked out their offensive line. McNabb dropped back to pass, but a confused offensive line blocked nobody. Phillip Daniels sacked McNabb as time expired.

With 6 minutes 34 seconds left in the quarter, the Eagles had to settle for a 34-yard David Akers field goal. Less than three minutes later, Clinton Portis completed a Redskins drive with a six-yard touchdown run. It was his fourth of the season, and likely his most important. It gave the Redskins a seven-point cushion heading into the final quarter.

The Eagles managed a long drive in the final two minutes, only to fall short against a stingy Washington defense once they made it inside the 10-yard line. On three plays from the 7 to tie the game, McNabb dropped back and found nobody open. When he finally did find somebody to throw to, it was Redskins defensive back Ryan Clark, who made the game-clinching interception.