Eagles vs. Commanders: How Washington Stacks Up vs. Super Bowl Squad
The Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts have been the best team in the NFC all year long, and now, they're competing in Super Bowl LVII trying to win the franchise's second Lombardi Trophy.
And the Washington Commanders are giving chase.
Is the Washington roster at all close to being where Philadelphia is? Can the Commanders catch the Eagles?
Let's compare.
BIGGEST GAP: OFFENSIVE LINE
At first glance, we wanted to go linebacker when identifying the biggest gap in where the Eagles are good compared to the Commanders.
But in reality, it's not a fair comparison because each defense asks their linebackers to do very different things.
For example, Jamin Davis was Washington's most-used linebacker in 2022 with 834 snaps.
Compared to Philadelphia's T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White, who both surpassed Davis in snaps, clearly, the employment of the position is not even close to being the same.
Before you even get to stats and performance, it's clear the Eagles use their linebackers more, and that differentiates how each unit looks and performs on the field.
And while some offensive lines will use different blocking schemes, Philadelphia's is clearly superior to the unit the Commanders put on the field - or rotated on it - in 2022.
Truthfully, even at its best, Washington's offensive line is likely to fall short, as this is clearly the unit that needs the most attention in the offseason.
SMALLEST GAP: DEFENSIVE LINE
The receiver groups were considered here as well, and so to was the offensive backfield.
But at the end of the day, the Commanders' strongest unit is their defensive line, and most closely matches a strength of the Eagles' roster.
In the past season, Philadelphia's defensive front ran away with the sack race as they did against every other NFL team.
But Washington outpaced their division rivals in quarterback hits and tackles by the front four.
A healthy, and potentially motivated, Chase Young returning in the next season along with defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis could prove enough to elevate the Commanders' group ahead of the Eagles' in the next season.
The Commanders are not devoid of talent, and some would argue should have been playoff-bound if not for a few easily correctable mistakes by the players and coaching staff.
Indeed, maybe they are "just a QB away.'' And really, isn't Jalen Hurts the biggest difference-maker at the right position in "Washington vs. Philly''?
While "maybes'' and "potential'' aren't enough to win games, there are plenty of teams well behind the likes of Philadelphia heading into the offseason, but Washington is not one of them.
In what may be coach Ron Rivera's last chance to save his future with the franchise as new owners are expected to arrive soon, there's a feeling around the Commanders that something's got to give.
And either the team will finally get over the hurdles that have held them back the past two seasons - allowing them to close the Eagles gap - or suffer a slide-back that leads to wholesale changes in 2024.
