Eagles vs. Commanders: 5 Questions to Ask Before Sunday's NFC East Matchup
The Washington Commanders are hoping to return to the win column Sunday, but they have a tall task to face against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.
In order to gain a better idea of the Eagles' ins and outs, we spoke with Eagles Today contributor Ed Kracz before Sunday's game.
1. Through the lens of Carson Wentz’s first start vs the Eagles since being traded, how big is this game from a team, media, and fan perspective?
Kracz: It’s a big game form the standpoint that his former teammates haven’t played against him since he was traded after 2020. Fletcher Cox said in the locker room this week that he spoke to Wentz on Tuesday and talks to him quite a bit. Lane Johnson called him a "good dude" and somebody he stays in touch with as well.
As for the fans they are invested because he’s in the NFC East now. It would probably be bigger if it was in Philly, where the fans gave WR Jalen Reagor, now with the Vikings, a rough ride Monday night on his return to the city after the former first-round pick of the team was traded following two disappointing seasons. I would expect that same reaction when the Commanders come to town for a Monday night game later this season.
From a media standpoint, it certainly gives us plenty to write about, for sure.
2. If you were going to advise Commanders defensive coordinator on how to stop A.J. Brown, what would you tell him?
Kracz: Aside from good luck? Brown has a knack for getting open and he and Jalen Hurts have demonstrated good chemistry early on. So far, he has 15 catches for 224 yards, but is still looking for his first touchdown. The trouble with double-teaming him is that DeVonta Smith is just as good on the other side and you don’t want to leave the middle of the field open for tight end Dallas Goedert, who has the best yards per catch average of all tight ends in the league this season at 17.8 yards.
Bottom line: Not sure how you completely stop Brown, yet. You just have to try to contain his damage.
3. Has Jalen Hurts already proven he can be the franchise quarterback? Or is there more for him to do still?
Kracz: I think he still has more to do, but the good thing from the Eagles’ standpoint is that he isn’t eligible for a contract extension until the end of the season so they have 15 more games to make that judgment.
In my opinion, I think he has shown that. He has a unique ability to beat you with his legs and against the Vikings, who dared him to beat them with his arm by playing a lot of zone, he did.
That makes him difficult to defend and the offense has reflected that, putting up more than 450 yards of total offense in the past two games. That marks the first time they have done that in consecutive weeks since the 2017 NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LII.
4. Who is the unsung hero of the Eagles to start this season?
Kracz: I would probably say safety Marcus Epps, who is in his first year as a full-time starter since beginning his NFL career as a sixth-round draft pick of the Vikings in 2019. The Eagles claimed him off waivers in November of 2019 and he has been mostly a backup behind Malcolm Jenkins in 2019 and Rodney McLeod the past couple of years.
He has 16 tackles in two games and has really taken to the scheme DC Jonathan Gannon utilizes.
5. When you look at the Commanders offense, which unit on the defense do you think needs to step up the most to keep them from pulling off the upset?
Kracz: The Eagles defensive line has to pressure Carson Wentz. It’s widely known the QB doesn’t always make the best decisions when under duress and he is prone to fumbling. So, that’s where it has to start for the Eagles. The Commanders’ weapons are too diverse and too good to guard them for too long.
The ability to rush the passer was better in the win over the Vikings than it was in the win over the Lions in the opener, but it still isn’t consistent enough. DC Jonathan Gannon blitzed 33 percent of the time to help harry Kirk Cousins last week and it worked, forcing three second-half interceptions from him and sacking him twice.
It will be interesting to see what the DC does this week to dial up pressure on Wentz.
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