One more victory will secure the 13th NFC East title in Eagles’ franchise history. All they have to do is beat the Commanders on a cold Sunday in Maryland to do it.
If they accomplish that goal, it will mark the second division crown in the Nick Sirianni Era. You might remember the last time it happened as the Eagles rode the momentum all the way to the Super Bowl. So … NFC East champions has a nice ring to it, right?
“No. I know, we’re pretty boring. We’re getting ready to go play this game,” head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters on December 18. “We know that if we do win this game, that will happen, but really all we can focus on is our preparation. We haven’t really talked about that.“
“We’ll talk about that when we’re able to put the hat on or the T-shirt on there. That’s when we’ll talk about that.”
Okay. The team has already punched its playoff ticket, but it sure would be nice to tack on another milestone while keeping hope alive for grabbing the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC and securing home-field advantage over Detroit and Minnesota. They need to win out and get some help for that scenario to come to fruition.
Anyway, let’s not get too far ahead … here are five key players to watch on Sunday when the Eagles battle the Commanders at 1 p.m. at FedEx Field:
RB Saquon Barkley
What more needs to be said about the NFL MVP candidate? He does something magical every week, in addition to breaking franchise records and rewriting history books at the running back spot. Barkley (1,688 yards) still has an outside shot of surpassing Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record (2,105 yards) but he’ll need to average 139 yards per game over the final stretch to do it. It’s possible. This is the same man who busted loose for 255 yards against the Rams, one week after salting away the Eagles’ 26-18 win over the Commanders with 146 yards and two touchdowns.
LG Landon Dickerson
He missed the second half of last week’s game due to an apparent back injury and updates have been few and far between on his status for Sunday. The 6-foot-6, 332-pounder is a key cog to everything the Eagles do on the ground, clearing out huge chunks on the left side for Saquon Barkley, with his 80.4 run-blocking grade ranked No. 11 in the NFL among all offensive guards. Good news, Dickerson was seen throwing a medicine ball at Wednesday’s walkthrough — although he was listed as DNP. Something to monitor.
CB Quinyon Mitchell
It’ll be his job to lock down Terry McLaurin. Normally, a rookie marking a Pro Bowl receiver would be a major cause for concern, maybe something the Commanders would try to exploit. Yet Mitchell is enjoying an eye-opening first year in Philadelphia where he ranks No. 15 among all qualifying cornerbacks in coverage grades at 75.7 (via Pro Football Focus). That includes rookies and veterans. McLaurin wasn’t targeted once on November 15 while lined up against Mitchell on 20 of 25 routes.
DE Bryce Huff
There’s a chance the Eagles have Huff back in the fold for Sunday’s NFC East showdown after the team opened his 21-day practice window earlier this week. He’s coming off wrist surgery so Vic Fangio will likely ease the $51.1 million defensive end back into the pass-rushing rotation — assuming he’s out of the doghouse. Remember, Huff had been a pretty big disappointment before getting hurt: 2.5 sacks on 311 snaps. The Eagles really could use a boost coming off the edge after losing Brandon Graham for the season.
LB Dante Fowler
He’s the most feared pass rusher on the Commanders, a speedy linebacker that likes to line up on the left and right side of the line, switching it up based on matchups. Fowler has been dominant in 2024 as evidenced by his team-leading 8.5 sacks, which is tied for the eighth-best mark in the NFL. He’s dangerous. However, the Eagles have Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson to match wits with him and they locked Fowler up in prison when these two teams met in Week 11. Fowler didn’t even show up in the box score. No sacks. No tackles. Nothing.
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
