Countdown to Kickoff: Eagles Host Commanders
Every win moving forward for the Eagles would extend a franchise-record 8-0 start and Monday’s affair against Washington features an opportunity to sweep the Commanders in the season series after an emphatic 24-8 win at FedExField in Week 3 that featured nine sacks of Carson Wentz.
Washington’s second shot at the NFL’s only unbeaten team will come with Taylor Heinicke at the controls, an energy player with natural leadership skills but limited physical traits.
5...PLAYERS TO WATCH
Eagles TE Dallas Goedert - Goedert has turned into the dominant player many expected. He’s second in TE receiving yardage with 521, second in yards per reception for the position at 13.0, and leads all TEs in YAC yarage with 348. Goedert is also a beast on third down for Jalen Hurts.
Eagles S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - The playmaking Gardner-Johnson has become the home-run hitter behind the Eagles’ NFL-best plus-15 turnover ratio. He’s had an interception in four consecutive games and leads the league with five overall, the most by a Philadelphia safety since Greg Jackson had six in 1994.
Commanders DT Jonathan Allen - Allen is Washington’s best player, an All-Pro threat on the interior of the defense who can wreck a game. He is second in the NFC in tackles for loss with 11 and also has 4.5 sacks, fourth among NFC DTs behind only the Eagles’ Javon Hargrave, Allen's teammate Daron Payne, and LA Rams star Aaron Donald. Allen tortured one of the best OGs in football last week, Minnesota’s Ezra Cleveland, into one of the worst pass-protection performances in the PFF era.
Commanders DT Daron Payne - Payne isn’t Allen but he would be the best DT on most NFL teams. His 5.5 sacks are second among NFC interior linemen and he’s got 10 tackles for loss, second in the NFC among DTs behind only Allen.
Commanders DE Montez Sweat - Sensing a theme yet? The Washington defensive front is the most dominant in football and Sweat is perhaps the most underrated defensive player in the NFL, a lanky pass-batting machine who can toggle from right to left to take advantage of perceived weaknesses. He’s second in the NFL with 19 quarterback hits this season.
4...MATCHUPS TO WATCH
Commanders’ defensive line vs. Eagles’ offensive line - It’s the classic strength vs. strength matchup here with perhaps the NFL’s best defensive line against maybe the league’s top offensive line. Washington’s Allen and Payne against the Eagles’ interior trio of Jason Kelce, Landon Dickerson, and Isaac Seumalo is as good as it gets.
Commanders’ big-play ability vs. Eagles’ secondary - Washington isn’t consistent offensively but they’ve generated more 25-yard pass plays than anyone. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has the savviest secondary in football which makes a living on baiting opposing quarterbacks to take ill-timed shots.
Commanders’ CB Benjamin St-Juste vs. Eagles WR A.J. Brown - It’s rare when anyone can even somewhat match up with the size and speed combination of the Eagles’ “Swole Batman.” Washington’s second-year CB is an emerging star who stands over 6-foot-3 and is very physical.
Commanders’ Ron Rivera vs. his own organization - It’s always something with Washington and the organization never does its veteran coach any favors. Rivera had to bury his mother this week and then put out fires for the team’s handling of a grandstanding civil suit coming from the District of Columbia Attorney General that conflated Brian Robinson's car-jacking in which the rookie was shot with Daniel Snyder's questionable business practices. It’s always a mess when Snyder is involved.
3...THINGS TO KNOW
-Washington has traditionally struggled on Monday nights. The franchise is 29-45 all-time on Mondays and just 3-7 against the Eagles, and have won just two of the last 11 games against Philly.
-The Commanders have the 21st-ranked offense in the NFL but they’ve had plenty of splash plays, leading all NFC teams with 19 receptions of 25-or-more yards. The Eagles, who have the NFL’s third-ranked offense, are No. 3 in the NFC with 17.
-The Eagles have allowed 17 or fewer points from a defensive standpoint in seven consecutive games. Jacksonville scored 21 in Week 4 but six of that came on a pick-six.
2 ... X-FACTORS
For the Commanders: DE Chase Young - The talented No. 2 overall pick in 2020 has missed a calendar year after a torn ACL but could be back in a limited fashion against the Eagles (think 10 or 15 plays). Young has the skill to make a splash even in limited reps, however,
For the Eagles: CB Josiah Scott - Starting slot CB Avonte Maddox will miss the game with a hamstring injury suffered on punt coverage in Houston. The Eagles had to make due against the Texans for a handful of plays by moving Marcus Epps down to the slot and inserting K’Von Wallace at safety. That’s because Scott was out with an ankle injury.
Scott struggled when he was forced in against the Jags but played well when he had time to prepare for Arizona.
1...PREDICTIONS
John McMullen (8-0, 3-5 vs. the spread) - Plenty has changed since the Eagles' 24-8 Week 3 beatdown of Washington, most notably Heinicke is at quarterback in place of the injured Wentz.
Heinicke hasn't been great. In fact, the Washington backup is graded as No. 39 of 39 eligible QBs by Pro Football Focus but he does bring energy and moxie that the former Eagles' starter did not.
A sequel to the nine sacks the Philadelphia defense recorded against Wentz is unlikely because Heinicke is savvy enough to not just hold onto the football when the protection falters. The Old Dominion product is limited from a skill set standpoint, though, and it's hard to imagine Heinicke throwing the football consistently against the Eagles' secondary.
The lone significant worry for Philadelphia is the defensive front Nick Sirianni raved about in Week 3 without Chase Young. There might be some ugly moments but enough explosive plays will be there to get the Eagles to 9-0.
EAGLES 26, COMMANDERS 17
Ed Kracz (7-1, 5-3 vs. the spread) - Forget winning by double digits, as oddsmakers expect. Five of Washington's last five games have been decided by five or fewer points and the Commanders are 3-2 in those games.
This one will come down to the wire and maybe we will see the Eagles ave to engineer a second-half comeback for the first time this season.
Can they get it done?
The guess here is, they will and move to 9-0.
EAGLES 20, COMMANDERS 17
--John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
