The Eagles have a chance to claim the NFC East division title with a victory Sunday against the Washington Commanders. It would be their 10th divisional crown since 2001 while continuing the streak of no teams winning the division in back-to-back years since Philadelphia accomplished that feat winning four consecutive from 2001-2004.
The last time the Eagles won the NFC East was in 2017 and that season ended with a parade down Broad Street. Here in 2024, Philadelphia has shown they are the best team in the NFC and perhaps in all of football, with Buffalo jockeying for that moniker.
However, the Eagles still have to take care of business, and they travel to Landover, MD to take on a pesky Commanders team who is looking to make some noise while also looking to secure a Wild Card spot in the NFC.
Here are five key matchups to watch in this one:
Brian Robinson Jr. vs. Eagles’ Rush Defense
Bulletin board material. Coaches typically ignore it while players can’t seem to steer clear of it. That’s the case heading into this game as Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. talked about the game on 106.7 The Fan on Wednesday.
“We feel like we are the better team,” Robinson Jr. said. “We just have to go play better and when we prepare, we are obviously going to do what we do. We are going to attack them and go right at them. We have to execute better than they do.”
Robinson Jr. has every right to feel that way, as does his teammates in the locker room. However, putting it out in the public typically stokes the fire. This fire, being the top-ranked defense in the NFL with a top-10 rushing defense to boot. The Eagles rank 7th in the NFL allowing 102.2 yards per game on the ground while tied for eighth in yards per carry at 4.2.
In the first meeting between the two teams, the Eagles held Robinson to 63 yards on 16 carries, but he did score the game’s first touchdown on a one-yard run in the opening quarter. Since that game, the Eagles’ defense has held the likes of Kyren Williams, Derrick Henry, Chuba Hubbard, and Najee Harris to under 100 yards in a game. Expect the same result here.
Jayden Daniels vs. Eagles’ Quarterback Contain Defense
This could be the biggest factor if the Commanders are able to pull off the home upset, currently sitting as a -3.5 underdog at the time of writing. Daniels is in the mix for NFL Rookie of the Year after his gangbuster start to the season. The former LSU product has come back down to Earth a bit and dealt with a rib injury that limited his dual threat ability, which was the case when the Eagles beat the Commanders back in Week 11.
Daniels struggled in his first matchup against the Eagles, throwing for just 191 yards with a touchdown and interception while completing 22 of 32 passes. A stark contrast from his 18 yards on seven carries stat line against the Eagles. This week however, the Eagles could see a different version of the impressive rookie.
The quarterback has been using his legs much more as of late, averaging nine rushes per game and averaging 58 yards on the ground per contest. Last game, Daniels ran 11 times against New Orleans for 66 yards, including a 24-yard burst to help lead the Commanders to a win. Daniels also has the second-most rushing yards of any NFL quarterback this season with 656, ahead of Jalen Hurts (589) and behind Lamarr Jackson (743).
Vic Fangio said the defense needs to continue to play the way it has been to keep Daniels in check.
“We need to do what we do best and continue to do that. Obviously, you could play them a little bit different here and there. If you overdo that, then you’re putting your players in uncomfortable positions.”
Terry McLaurin vs. Quinyon Mitchell
The sequel of what should be another fantastic battle between two very impressive and gifted playmakers. The rookie in Mitchell stole the show in the debut, lining up against the Commanders’ best wideout 20 out of 25 routes and McLaurin was not targeted a single time against the rookie according to Next Gen Stats. McLaurin, who has been one of the top receivers this season, was held to just one catch for 10 yards on two targets. A complete shutdown.
Throughout his career, McLaurin has had good success against the Eagles, averaging five catches for 78 yards per game while scoring four touchdowns in 11 total games.
McLaurin and the Commanders will certainly look to be more successful this time around. The sixth-year wideout sits 7th in the league with 969 yards on the season while second in touchdowns with 11, only behind Bengals superstar Ja’Marr Chase who has 15. He is also far and away the Commanders true weapon through the pass game. Tight end Zach Ertz who is questionable with a concussion and shoulder injury is the second-leading pass catcher on the team with 526 yards on 54 receptions. After him, the collective group of Noah Brown, Austin Ekeler, Olamide Zaccheus and Dyami Brown shouldn’t strike much fear in this Eagles’ secondary.
Saquon Barkley vs. Commanders’ Rush Defense
There’s still a chance Barkley can become the all-time single-season rushing leader. His first crack at inching closer will be Sunday against Washington’s 25th-ranked rush defense. The Commanders are allowing 132.1 yards per game on the ground while allowing the fourth-most yards per carry at 4.8 yards. However, in the first meeting, Washington did a solid job bottling up Barkley…until the fourth quarter.
Barkley continued to amaze his new fan base exploding for two touchdown runs in a span of 30 seconds to help the Eagles pull away in the fourth quarter.
His first run was a 23-yard scamper to make it a 19-10 lead for the Eagles with under five minutes left in the game. After Reed Blankenship picked off Daniels, Barkley was at it again, this time a 39-yard electrifying run to seal the game for Philadelphia. Thanks to his impressive fourth quarter, Barkley finished the game with 146 rushing yards and the two scores.
Look for Barkley and the Eagles’ offensive line to assert themselves on the road to open up the passing game.
Jalen Carter vs. Commanders’ Offensive Line
Carter was an absolute menace in the first matchup between these two teams, racking up a career-high seven tackles with four being solo. He was overpowering any lineman he was lined up against, including right guard Sam Cosmi. Now, Carter didn’t record a sack, but his constant pressure and ability to take on double teams helped his teammates, as they were able to sack Daniels three times in the win back in Week 11.
The Eagles’ pass rush has continued to elevate their game throughout this impressive 10-game winning streak. Pressuring the young Daniels will be key for the Eagles to make him feel uncomfortable as they look to make it 11 consecutive victories.
The Eagles visit the Commanders on Sunday with kickoff slated for 1 p.m. at Northwest Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
