Is Washington at Eagles an Elimination Game?
As the Washington Football Team battles COVID up and down its depleted roster, it is also playing for survival between the lines.
With both teams at 6-7 in a crowded, crazy NFC playoff race, Tuesday night's game against the Philadelphia Eagles has all the feel of an elimination game. Win, improve to 7-7 and live to fight another day. Or lose, fall to 6-8 and see your postseason hopes all but dashed before Christmas.
It's just a matter of time before the 10-4 Dallas Cowboys wrap up the NFC East. That leaves the WFT and Eagles fighting for one of the NFC's three Wild Card berths. As Week 15 winds down, those three spots are currently occupied by the 9-4 Los Angeles Rams, 8-4 San Francisco 49ers and 7-7 New Orleans Saints.
The Saints' shutout upset of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers further muddies the water in the NFC, but it doesn't change the fact that the loser of Tuesday night's clash in Philadelphia will fall to 6-8 and be in dire straights with three games remaining.
Washington finishes its season at the Cowboys, against the Eagles and at the New York Giants.
Making the math all that much more difficult is the fact that Washington is ravaged by COVID, especially at quarterback.
Due to the recent outbreak, both starter Taylor Heinicke and backup Kyle Allen currently sit on the team's NFL reserve/COVID-19 list. And of course original starter Ryan Fitzpatrick injured his hip in Week 1 and he's not in play.
That means Kyle Shurmur could start for Washington on Tuesday night against the Eagles. Or it means Garrett Gilbert, who has been with the WFT for just a minute, could start.
Not an ideal situation to be starting a fourth-string quarterback in the biggest game of the season.
At least WFT received good news over the weekend as defensive linemen Jon Allen and Montez Sweat are off the COVID list and will play in Philly.
