Fresh off of a dominant win over the Minnesota Vikings, the Philadelphia Eagles are preparing to lock horns with a familiar foe. The Washington Commanders might not the force they once were, but their quarterback, Carson Wentz, is a name many will have a strong opinion about. The former Eagles draft pick faces Philadelphia for the first time in his career.
Eagles vs Commanders game info
When: Sunday, September 25th, 1:00PM EST
Where: FedEx Field, Washington
Betting spread: Philadelphia Eagles -6.5
Eagles vs Commanders: Eye on the enemy
Hello, old friend
As aforementioned, Carson Wentz will be facing the team who not only drafted him, but who won a Super Bowl with him and later traded him. To say this is an emotional bout would be an understatement but will pale in comparison to his return to Lincoln Financial Field.
Wentz, predictably, has been pretty sporadic to start the year. He dug himself a pretty hefty hole in week 2 before firing the offense back within a shot of winning. It was the perfect Carson Wentz game and encapsulated every second of stress Eagles fans endured from 2016-2020.
If Jonathan Gannon is going to let his defense eat, then this should be a pressure-filled nightmare for Wentz which will give the defense plenty of chances for picks.
All eyes will likely be on Carson Wentz this week as he looks to prove to Philadelphia that they made the wrong decision, while Jalen Hurts tries to do the opposite.
Different worlds
On one side, you have an Eagles rushing offense that thanks to some help from Jalen Hurts, ranks 2nd in the NFL in rushing. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, they led the NFL in rushing last year. However, every running back has scored a touchdown and is actively involved in the gameplan.
On Washington’s side of the field, their leading rusher has *checks notes* 86 yards through two games and the team have combined for 173 on the ground so far.
If the Eagles can force the hand of Carson Wentz and make him throw from behind, not only is there an unthreatening run game to support him anyway, but it’ll be an option the team really cant trust.
Giants collide
The Darius Slay vs Terry McLaurin matchup is always a thrilling one. But after watching ‘Big Play Slay’ blanket the NFL’s best wideout in a way that nobody else has up to this point, it carries even more intrigue.
Terry McLaurin has 133 receiving yards through two games but has had at least 900 yards ever year since entering the NFL, with two back-to-back 1,000 yard campaigns.
The Eagles will need Slay to be at his best again this weekend after holding Justin Jefferson to 0 receptions. All of his catches came from other alignments, while Slay batted 3 passes away and picked off 2 in a dominant display.
Eagles vs Commanders betting preview
The Eagles open up as road favorites here and it’s unsurprising. They put up 37 points against the Lions, ripped through the Vikings for fun, and now face a team that’s about as chaotic as could be this year. Nobody knows what we’re going to see from Washington on a week-to-week basis. Is Jahan Dotson going to score a trio of touchdowns or will he put up 7 yards? Will Carson Wentz crumble or pull off the performance of a lifetime? We just don’t know.
What we do know, however, is just how potent this Eagles offense can be. When Jalen Hurts is at his best, the ball is spread around perfectly and the offense tears through whatever defense stands in its way. The task may be too much to handle for Washington, but if the over may well be the play here.
If the Eagles can put up 32 points, Washington only need to put up 17 for this to cover. That is very attainable for an offense with so much explosiveness on paper that just can’t seem to find its footing yet.
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
