The Eagles will be taking a short business trip down to Landover for a divisional matchup that carries less intrigue on paper but plenty of importance in the standings. Philadelphia continues to position itself for postseason seeding, and these are the games that define whether that path stays on track or gets complicated.
Washington is in evaluation mode, while the Eagles are in playoff mode. The Birds have another week in which the Eagles face a backup quarterback, three of their last four weeks against their former backups, which they handled well last week. They treated Kenny Pickett with the proper respect you give a former Eagles player returning to Lincoln Financial Field by never letting him have a moment of comfort. The same approach is required against Marcu Marriota this week.
When: December 20, 5 pm
Where: FedExField, Landover, MD
How: Fox
The Eagles’ offensive identity has been revealed over the last two weeks. They are playing with better balance, fresher playcalling, and more patience.
Jalen Hurts had a few designed runs, which made the defense honest and allowed Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby find daylight. Once the run game is established, everything else flows more naturally.
Washington’s defensive front plays hard but lacks consistency, especially against the run, where they have allowed the fifth most rushing yards in the NFL this season. This is a spot where Philadelphia should lean into early, forcing linebackers to step forward and opening throwing windows for Hurts and the receivers behind them. If the Eagles control the game on first and second down and do not get behind the sticks, which has plagued this offense all season, they can dictate tempo.
The passing game should benefit from that approach. The schemes to open A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith last week were welcomed additions. Runs and throws under center, which sets up play-action. They had crossing routes, seam routes, and shovel passes. These same designs match up well against a secondary that has been vulnerable to those route combinations and motion. Dallas Goedert should also find space underneath as Washington looks to crowd the box. He needs one touchdown to tie the franchise record of 10, set by Pete Retzlaff way back in 1965.
The storyline this week starts with containing Marcus Mariota, who has been productive with his legs, rushing for more than 40 yards in each of the last three weeks. That’s a concern for an Eagles defense that has struggled at times to contain mobile quarterbacks.
Philadelphia has allowed the second-most rushing yards per game to quarterbacks. Discipline will matter. Mariota isn’t going to sit in the pocket and wait. He’ll escape by extending plays with his legs and take what’s there for the rushing gain or sling it downfield if the linebackers break contain in coverage. The Eagles will also see him in two weeks, making this as much a test as a game plan for the season finale if they have to play their starters, and more importantly, the mobile quarterbacks they will face in the postseason.
The defense should feel confident. They’re facing another backup quarterback and have proven they can collapse the pocket without losing contain. If they are forcing him to win from the pocket, this will be a long day for the Commanders.
On the outside, the marquee matchup is Quinyon Mitchell versus Terry McLaurin. Mitchell has played at a high level all season and has another opportunity to limit a team’s primary weapon and make a case for being an all-pro. If McLaurin is neutralized, Washington’s passing game becomes much easier to manage.
This is the type of divisional game the Eagles need to take control of early and avoid giving life to a team with nothing to play for. If the defense stays disciplined against Mariota’s mobility and the offense leans into its strengths, Philadelphia should leave Landover with a win and become the first team to win the NFC East in back-to-back years in two decades.
Prediction: Eagles 26, Commanders 16
Player of the Game: Saquon Barkley
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