The Philadelphia Eagles set the stage for a dramatic closing stretch of the NFC East with a 28-13 victory over Washington on Monday at Lincoln Financial Field.

By extending their winning streak to two, the defending Super Bowl champions pulled even with Washington at 6-6 and within one game of the 7-5 Dallas Cowboys for the division lead. Washington is trending in the wrong direction without the injured Alex Smith—and now Colt McCoy—and dropped its third straight.

ESPN's Lisa Salters reported on the broadcast McCoy suffered a fractured right fibula during Monday's loss.

Carson Wentz led the way for Philadelphia at 27-of-39 for 306 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while Adrian Peterson countered with 98 rushing yards and a score for the visitors.

Wentz's Litany of Weapons Expanding at the Perfect Time

All of Wentz's weapons were on display during Monday's victory.

Zach Ertz, Alshon Jeffery, Golden Tate, Nelson Agholor and Corey Clement all had three or more receptions, while Tate and Jordan Matthews caught touchdowns. Tate also mixed in a two-point conversion to extend the lead to nine in the fourth quarter.

The former Detroit Lions playmaker appears fully adjusted now after joining the Eagles via trade earlier in the season. This was his fourth game in the City of Brotherly Love, and he posted his most receiving yards (85) and his first touchdown with his new team.

He wasn't the only one to reach a milestone, as Ertz etched his name in the Philadelphia record book by consistently finding openings in Washington's secondary on his way to nine catches for 83 yards:

The combination of Jeffery, Tate and Agholor operating on all cylinders with Ertz as one of the best tight ends in the league means Wentz has speed, height to win jump balls and physicality in one-on-one situations to target. The Eagles figure to have a matchup advantage on every play, and Washington couldn't deliver a critical stop when it needed one in the second half.

Philadelphia's backfield just has to be serviceable with so many options in the passing game, and Darren Sproles returned for the first time since the season opener and found the end zone. What's more, Josh Adams posted 85 rushing yards, and Clement served as a receiving threat with 47 yards through the air.

The defending champions were an ugly 23rd in the league in points per game entering Monday's contest, but the offense will take on a different look with Sproles back and Tate settling in as a primary target.

The expanding offense comes not a moment too soon, considering Philadelphia's brutal closing stretch with three of its final four games on the road. It is at the Cowboys, at the Los Angeles Rams, home against the Houston Texans and at Washington to finish the season, and three of those clubs are first-place teams.

All those weapons will pose a problem for those defenses as the Eagles look to climb back into the playoff picture and set up an opportunity to defend their Lombardi Trophy.

Riding AP Is Washington's Only Chance to Compete Down the Stretch

Washington was already facing an uphill battle to remain in playoff contention after Smith was lost for the season with a broken leg, and it became even more difficult with McCoy's injury.

That leaves the quarterback position to Mark Sanchez, who just signed on Nov. 19 and hadn't thrown a regular-season pass prior to Monday since 2016 when he was a member of the Cowboys. He finished 13-of-21 for 100 yards and an interception in defeat.

Two of his 18 attempts were intercepted in 2016, and he has failed to live up to expectations since the New York Jets selected him with the No. 5 overall pick in 2009 with 86 touchdown throws and 87 interceptions.

JP Finlay of NBC Sports noted tight end Jordan Reed is the emergency quarterback, which isn't exactly what fans of a playoff contender want to hear in December.

Enter Peterson, who gave his team the lead in the second quarter with a 90-yard touchdown run after McCoy exited. According to NFL Research, the 33-year-old became the oldest player in league history with a rushing touchdown of 90 or more yards, and he showed off his wheels at the back end of the run after cutting through the front seven.

Peterson tallied 758 rushing yards in the first 11 games of the year and appears on his way to an eighth 1,000-yard season. Monday marked his sixth game of 2018 with more than 90 rushing yards, and he moved into a tie with Jim Brown for fifth all-time in rushing touchdowns:

There aren't many other offensive weapons at Washington's disposal, and the problems go beyond the quarterback injuries.

Football Outsiders ranks the injury-plagued offensive line 23rd in the league in run blocking and 16th in pass protection, and no wide receiver had more than 334 receiving yards entering play Monday. Only Reed (537) had even solid numbers in the category.

Washington can't rely on difference-makers on the outside, doesn't have the offensive line to maintain clean pockets for Sanchez and is dealing with a quarterback who is far from a proven commodity.

Peterson is a league MVP, seven-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro selection, and it will be up to him to bring individual brilliance on a weekly basis down the stretch if his team has any chance at a late playoff push.

What's Next?

Both teams face divisional foes in Week 14, with Philadelphia at the Cowboys and Washington hosting the New York Giants.

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