Commanders vs. Eagles Preview (11-13-24)
By: Jaden Golding
Headline Photo Credit: Washington Commanders
Philadelphia, PA—The Washington Commanders will head to Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. on Amazon Prime for a first-place NFC East battle with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia (7-2) overtook the Commanders for first place in the division after their dominant victory Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Cowboys, 34-6. The Eagles have now won their last five games.
Washington (7-3) lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 28-27 in a battle-tested affair before the Eagles’ late afternoon window game.
Thursday’s game marks the first time in nearly 30 years that both Washington and Philadelphia entered the contest four games over .500. The stakes for Thursday’s game are high, in which a win for either team will give them a one-game lead over the loser.
Keys To Victory
● Limit The Big Plays Through The Air: Washington’s defense ranks fifth in total passing yards allowed per game. While that is a great statistic to report, the Commanders’ secondary has left a lot to be desired on the field. The main thing is splash plays through the air that has resulted positively for opposing teams. Last week, Mike Williams scored the go-ahead eventual game-winning touchdown after grabbing a 32-yard pass from Russell Wilson, week nine tight-end Theo Johnson worked the middle of the field securing the 35-yard touchdown pass, and finally earlier in the year against Cincinnati, Ja’Marr Chase grabbed a 31 and 41-yard touchdown pass. If the Commanders are going to play spoiler they must not allow AJ Brown and Devontae Smith to come up with big-time catches and slip behind them in the secondary.
● Utilize The Ground Game: Great news for Washington fans! Brian Robinson Jr. will be available for Thursday’s game. What does that mean exactly? Establish the run and get B-Rob going early in the game. Robinson Jr. brings a physicality to the offense fighting for every yard and breaking tackles that spark up the energy. Also, they must get back to using Jayden Daniels’ legs making the defense play on its hills, and second guess their decision-making on the RPO’s offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury likes to set up.
● Stay Disciplined: An offside on Johnny Newton in the fourth, Benjamin St-Juste called for defensive pass interference, and a personal foul call on John Bates that resulted in a drive settling for a field goal. Calls like that can stall drives, and help continue drives for the opponent. Dan Quinn and his staff surely reminded the team of that during this week and their film sessions. Against a high-powered offense in the Eagles, the Commanders cannot hurt themselves with mistakes and must make the most out of every opportunity presented.
Philadelphia and Washington Player To Watch
● RB Saquan Barkley: Barkley has been an excellent addition to the already dynamic Eagles offense as he has run for 991 yards entering week 11. Washington as a team is familiar with Barkley thanks to his time in the Big Apple where he ran for a career-high 189 rushing yards back in 2019. Barkley is a dynamic, shifty, and masterful runner who excels when getting out in space and using his feet to make plays.
● QB Jayden Daniels: Just as his teammates feel, Daniels was upset with the loss against Pittsburgh and described it as “a feeling he doesn’t like.” The stakes are high entering this contest and Daniels will look to go back to his winning ways making up for the plays he felt he left in week 10. The Eagles defense hasn’t faced a dynamic quarterback in Daniels so far and will see what that looks like tomorrow.
History Against Philadelphia
Thursday’s contest marks the 189th time the two franchises have met. Washington leads all-time 89-84-5 (one postseason matchup). The Eagles have won 7 of the past 10 head-to-head matchups, sweeping the season series last year (34-31 W/OT in week 4 & 38-31 in week 8).
Injuries
CB Marshon Lattimore- out (hamstring): Lattimore misses his second contest as he has yet to practice since joining Washington at the trade deadline due to a nagging hamstring injury.
LB Nick Bellore- out (knee)
K Austin Seibert- out (hip): Seibert missed this week’s practice sessions.
Tackles Brandon Coleman, Andrew Wylie, and Cornelius Lucas are questionable due to shoulder and ankle issues.
Final Verdict
This will be a fun matchup to watch between both teams. It will be a physical and competitive division rival game. The team that wins the turnover battle limits the penalties, and takes advantage of the big moments will come out victorious.
