Inside the Numbers - Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Football Team
The Washington Football Team begins season No. 89 on Sunday afternoon when the Philadelphia Eagles come down I-95 to FedEx Field. The game kicks off at 1 PM ET on Fox.
The two NFC East rivals have played every season dating back to 1934, except for one season. In 1943, the two rivals did not play as Washington and Philadelphia. Due to World War II, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh merged for one season as each team lost so many players to military service, becoming the “Steagles,” who went 1-0-1 against Washington.
Series History
Washington leads the all-time series 86-80-8. Philadelphia has won the previous six meetings. All but one of the previous meetings has been decided by 10 points or more. The exception being the 2019 season-opener, where Washington jumped out to a big lead before Wentz shredded its shaky secondary.
The two teams have met in the playoffs just once, with Washington winning that meeting.
Philadelphia
Philadelphia quarterback Carson Wentz had an impressive 2019, playing in all 16 games for the first time since his rookie year back in 2019. Wentz completed 388 of 607 attempts for 4,039 yards with 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
Considering Wentz was without his starting receivers and, at times, the top four receivers, it makes you realize how special last season was for Wentz.
Oh, and how does Wentz perform against Washington?
Since his rookie season, Wentz has completed 171 of 253 attempts for 1,953 yards for 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. He seems to pull off at least one highlight-worthy play in each game.
Second-year running back Miles Sanders is questionable for this week’s game as he battles a hamstring injury. As a rookie last season, Sanders rushed for 818 yards, while also proving to be a valuable weapon in the passing game with 50 receptions.
Sanders was at his best against Washington, rushing for 147 yards and catching seven passes in two meetings last fall.
Some good news for Wentz is the availability of veteran receiver DeSean Jackson. Jackson played in just three games last season, but one of those games was the aforementioned season-opener, where he caught eight passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns.
In his 13th season, a healthy Jackson is still a game-changing talent.
Veteran tight end Zach Ertz is another Washington-killer. In 14 career games against Washington, Ertz has caught 81 passes for 833 yards. However, despite that productivity, he has scored just two touchdowns.
Defensively, Philadelphia’s biggest issue has been its secondary. The addition of three-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay should change things. Upon arriving in Philly, Slay signed a new three-year deal worth $50 million.
Washington
Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins played in nine games as a rookie, making seven starts. After struggling early in the season, Haskins looked like a different quarterback late. His best performance came in Week 15 against the Eagles when he completed 19 of 28 passes for 261 and two touchdowns.
For the season, Haskins completed 119 of 203 attempts for 1,365 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. His final three games truly showed his growth as he completed almost 68 percent of his throws for 564 yards and five touchdowns. He threw only one interception in his final three starts.
Washington released future Hall-of-Fame running back Adrian Peterson so it could go with a mix of younger players like Antonio Gibson and Bryce Love and veterans J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber.
Gibson possesses blazing 4.3 speed and very little college film. The film he does have shows his explosive ability. He and McKissic can line up in the backfield or split out wide.
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin was terrific in 2019. The rookie from Ohio State caught 58 passes for 918 yards and seven touchdowns. Had he not missed two games late in the season, he would’ve broken some of Gary Clark’s rookie receiving records.
It was against Philadelphia in Week 1, where McLaurin burst onto the scene. He caught five passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Ineffective quarterback play cost McLaurin a 200-yard game and multiple touchdowns. The Eagles had no answer for McLaurin.
This year their answer should be Darius Slay much of the day.
In the second meeting between the two teams, McLaurin caught five passes for 130 yards and a touchdown.
If you think the Eagles will stop McLaurin now that they have Slay, then perhaps you haven’t seen the following.
Washington is counting on its vaunted defensive line to get pressure on Wentz. Rookie Chase Young will make his NFL debut on Sunday, matched up with 38-year-old Jason Peters.
Former Philadelphia cornerback Ronald Darby will make his Washington debut on Sunday. Darby spent three years with the Eagles that were marred with injuries.
Odds
The Eagles enter Sunday’s game as 5.5-point favorites, according to Odds Shark. Philly originally opened as six-point favorites.
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Bryan Manning writes about the Washington Football Team for 'Washington Football' and contributed to All Hokies on SI.com as well. He has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and college basketball for almost 10 years for various outlets such as Bleacher Report, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today SMG, and others. For his day job, Bryan works in engineering for a major communications company.
