PHILADELPHIA — DeSean Jackson’s much-anticipated return here on Sunday ended up being about the third or fourth most notable aspect of the Eagles’ 37-34 win over the Redskins.

After a wild affair at Lincoln Financial Field that took nearly four hours and featured a full-scale brawl, multiple ejections, almost 800 yards of offense and another double-digit Philadelphia comeback, Jackson was practically a footnote.

The veteran wide receiver had a terrific game against his former team despite playing against doctors’ advice, including an 81-yard touchdown grab, but Jackson wasn’t even the biggest story on his own team.

That tag instead applied to quarterback Kirk Cousins, who was mostly sensational — save for one killer mistake down the stretch — in his first start since Robert Griffin III was sidelined indefinitely by an ankle injury the previous week.

It will be interesting to see if Griffin can regain the Redskins’ job again after Cousins picked up where he left off against the Jaguars in Week 2 by completing 30-of-48 passes for 427 yards and three touchdowns in the loss.

But Cousins was upstaged himself by gutsy Philadelphia counterpart Nick Foles, who was battered all day behind a patchwork offensive line but still managed to lead the Eagles to their first 3-0 record since 2004 — the last time they went to a Super Bowl.
Foles completed 28-of-42 passes for 325 yards and three scores, carrying the Eagles on a day when star running back LeSean McCoy mustered just 22 yards on 20 carries and might have suffered a concussion in the first half.

“Nick just stood in there today,” Eagles coach Chip Kelly said. “He’s a tough sucker.”

Foles led the Eagles back from a 17-7 first-half deficit — their third comeback from double-digits in as many games this season — and was the key figure in a massive second-half brawl that was in the finest tradition of this old-school NFC East rivalry.

The fisticuffs started with 10:07 left in the fourth quarter, when Foles’ overthrow appeared to be intercepted by Bashaud Breeland.

Redskins’ defensive tackle Chris Baker blindsided Foles with a vicious cheap shot on the return that appeared to knock him out and brought Foles’ teammates charging over in his defense.

The brawl spilled onto the Redskins’ sidelines and was so intense the officiating crew ordered both teams to their respective benches for a brief cool-down session while Baker and Eagles’ Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jason Peters were ejected.

Foles required medical attention after Baker’s hit but managed to stay in the game. The interception was overturned, and with the help of a 21-yard pass interference penalty, Foles marched the Eagles 76 yards for the go-ahead score — a 27-yard toss to Jeremy Maclin that put Philadelphia ahead for good at 34-27.

It was the capper to an especially memorable day for Maclin, who showed Jackson the Eagles don’t miss him after cutting him for still-mysterious reasons in the offseason.

While Jackson caught five passes for 117 yards and one memorable touchdown (which he punctuated by taunting the crowd with an energetic end-zone celebration), Maclin methodically took apart the Redskins with eight catches for 154 yards and a score.

“I just played the game with a lot of energy and emotion,” said Jackson, who refused to shake hands with his former teammates afterward. “We didn’t win the game, but we’ll get another shot down the road.”

Watching Maclin run wild wasn’t the only painful takeaway for the 1-2 Redskins, though.

Washington also lost starting cornerback DeAngelo Hall for the season with a torn Achilles’ tendon and might not have Jackson available for Thursday’s home game against the Giants after requiring a heavy dose of painkillers just to play Sunday.

And it wouldn’t be a Redskins’ game without dreadful special teams. Washington allowed a 102-yard kickoff return to Curtis Polk for a score in the first quarter (the Eagles’ first ever at Lincoln Financial Field), and kicker Kai Forbath’s miss of a 33-yard chip shot in the fourth quarter ended up being the difference.

“It was a fight,” Foles said. “You all saw it. It was a fight, literally there were fights during the game, so it was a fight. It was a hard-fought game. Washington came out fighting and we fought right back, and I’m glad we ended up on top.”