Well, the calendar may tell us it’s only Week 11 but the Eagles’ next game may very well decide the NFC East. Jumping the gun? Perhaps. Still, it’s hard to see the division coming down to anybody other than the Eagles and Commanders as those two squads get ready to do battle under the lights on Thursday Night Football.
Washington’s stock has plummeted a bit following last week’s 28-27 loss to the Steelers. Jayden Daniels was mortal in that one — 17-of-34 for 202 yards — yet his amazing no-turnover streak remained intact. The rookie phenom hasn’t coughed the ball up since October 6. No interceptions. No fumbles. According to Pro Football Focus, Daniels is the third-highest-graded quarterback in the NFL, with a mind-boggling 1.4% turnover-worthy play rate.
“He’s playing really good football. It’s very obvious,” head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters on Nov. 11. “I think everybody can see that. A really good player who started off on fire, so we’ll have a challenge here this week. Can’t say enough good things about him. You know, how he’s going to the right place with the football, being accurate, the things he can do when things do break down. I have got a lot of respect for him and we’ll have our hands full.”
Eagles vs. Commanders: 5 Key Players to Watch on Thursday Night Football
TE Zach Ertz
Starting it off with a Super Bowl legend. The man who caught the go-ahead touchdown in Super Bowl LII will be making his first-ever return to Lincoln Financial Field as the enemy, sitting in the visitor’s locker room and lining up opposite some of his former teammates. Ertz isn’t the dynamic playmaker he once was for the Eagles but he’s quietly morphed into a nice safety valve for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. He was targeted eight times last week, making four catches for 31 yards, while providing veteran leadership on a young team. Ertz can still ball out: 37 catches for 381 yards. And it’ll be nice to see the long standing ovation he most certainly will get from the hometown crowd in Philly.
WR DeVonta Smith
It just feels like a breakout game for No. 6 is coming, right? Surprisingly, Smith is on pace for another 1,000-yard season but it’s been muted highlights, aside from his ridiculous one-handed, game-winning touchdown grab against Jacksonville. With Marshon Lattimore ruled out, and Benjamin St. Juste slated to shadow A.J. Brown, it could be the DeVonta Smith Show. The Commanders’ secondary is a dart throw: Michael Sainristil (61.8), Noah Igbinoghene (50.2), Emmanuel Forbes (35.4) have all struggled this year.
LT Jordan Mailata
The Eagles activated the Big Aussie from Injured Reserve on Wednesday, almost guaranteeing that he’ll line up and start at left tackle. While Fred Johnson drew praise from coaches during his four fill-in starts, Mailata is a game wrecker and a known commodity in the NFL. The Berlin Wall — Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson — is back on the left side and it’ll be their job to slow down Washington’s sacks leader Dante Fowler Jr. “He’s huge. He’s super huge,” Fowler said of Mailata (via Sports Illustrated). “He’s one of the better left tackles in the league, so definitely got a lot of respect for him.”
CB Cooper DeJean
The second-rounder out of Iowa has been as good as advertised, maybe better. DeJean has been a revelation since healing up from a preseason hamstring injury, locking down Jalen Tolbert in the slot last week and stopping CeeDee Lamb dead in his tracks. He also recovered a fumble in the end zone and took a punt return back 32 yards. His play-making prowess has been more noticeable than a ketchup stain on a white linen shirt since taking over the starting nickel cornerback job on October 6. Look for him to check Luke McCaffrey and Noah Brown on inside routes.
RB Kenny Gainwell
The enigmatic backup saw 22 snaps last week against the Cowboys. Why? It’s so clear that Will Shipley is the better running back, yet the coaching staff keeps choosing to force-feed Gainwell snaps in clutch situations, like the egregious call on 1st-and-Goal where he missed an open cut-back lane. To be fair, Gainwell had a few chunk gainers (averaged 4.3 yards per carry on the day, plus delivered some key blocks) but those snaps would be better spent on Shipley. Or, just give them all to Saquon Barkley.
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
