The Philadelphia Eagles (11-2) and the Washington Commanders (9-5) have very different things on the line Sunday at Northwest Field for the 1 pm EST game. Philly has the chance to capture the NFC East title for the 2nd time in three seasons, while Washington fights for their playoff lives in a scrappy NFC Wild card race with the Seattle Seahawks (8-6) circling to take that postseason position away.
Saquon Barkley led the way with 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns that sealed the game late in the fourth quarter of a 26-18 Eagles win on Thursday Night Football in Week 11. Philly still trails the all-time series 88-85-5 in 178 meetings. A road would pull them closer on Sunday afternoon to level the all-time series as soon as next season and continue the recent winning ways of Philly over Washington in recent history.
Our first part of the series covered this rivalry’s 1934 and 1999 seasons. This article covers many celebrations of the Eagles’ wins between 2000 and 2023, including the current three-game winning streak. Philadelphia is 31-18 since the beginning of the decade against the Washington football franchise.
Reid Frustrates Washington for Over a Decade
Andy Reid operated the Eagles franchise as head coach from 1998 until 2012, when he was fired after the season. There were growing pains for the rookie NFL head coach in his first stop as head coach of an NFL team, but the 14-9 record against Washington was not among the concerns.
Philly captured eight straight wins against the Washington Redskins between 1992 and 1996. Head Coach Nick Sirianni hopes to follow a similar gameplan to Reid during the 2003 season – win the NFC East, and potentially even home-field advantage, in a road victory over Washington. Donovan McNabb completed 23-of-32 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant 31-7 late December win in Landover.
Washington turned the tables in 2005 with a sweep of Reid’s squad, the first by the Washington team since 1988. The same Donovan McNabb was traded to and played for the Washington Redskins five years later in 2010, winning his first game in Philly for Washington, 17-12, in an early October matchup where Michael Vick exited early with a rib injury.
Vick was healthier for the return matchup in Washington, a 59-28 road win for Philadelphia. Vick engineered five scoring drives in the first 15:09 of the game to establish a 35-0 lead, including an 88-yard pass for DeSean Jackson to start the game. The electric QB became the first signal caller in NFL history with 300 passing yards, 50 rushing yards, four passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns in a game.
A 4-12 record resulted in the firing of Andy Reid at the end of the 2012 season. Neither of the wins that year came against Washington, so clearly, they are partially to blame for Andy Reid’s removal in Philly.
No ‘Chip for Kelly with a Mid Record against Washington
Chip Kelly flew into town with high expectations in 2013 and was gone by the end of the 2015 season. Kelly finished with a 3-3 record against Washington, which is less impressive when he started 3-0 against them. Washington eliminated Philly from playoff contention in 2014 and swept the season series in 2015. It sums up his time coaching Philadelphia with high aspirations and disappointing results, and Philly traded LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso in the process. Moving on.
Doug Peterson Finds Succes Against Washington
The first season of Doug Peterson’s tenure at the helm of the Eagles franchise saw a similar fate as Chip Kelly in a season’s sweep to the hands of Washington in 2016. However, the following season saw Pederson and the Eagles dominate Washington in a series sweep of their own. Philadelphia raised its first Lombardi Trophy at the end of the 2017 season with a 41-33 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. While they did not win the following Super Bowl, the Eagles clinched their chance to defend the title following a 24-0 road shutout win in Washington in 2018.
The 2019 season featured two entertaining games, both resulting in Philly victories. In the season opener, Philadelphia erased a 17-0 Washington lead to score a 32-27 home win in their home opener. This will become an interesting factoid in a moment. In the second game of the season, Carson Wentz connected with Greg Ward with thirty seconds remaining for a 31-27 late fourth-quarter lead against Washington. Nigel Bradham returned a 48-yard fumble for a touchdown to inflate the final score to 37-27.
After retiring their nickname, the Washington Football Club… wait for it… overcame a 17-0 lead to score a victory in their season opener. Philly opened up a 17-0 lead on two Wentz touchdowns but never added points to the board after the midway point of the second quarter. Washington scored five unanswered times, leading to a 27-17 win for Washington in their season opener.
The Washington Football Club clinched the NFC East in a 20-14 win at Lincoln Financial Field later that season, becoming the third team in NFL history to celebrate a division title with a record below .500 at 7-9. Washington’s Head Coach Ron Rivera coached two of the three squads that accomplished the feat, the other team of his being the 2014 Carolina Panthers (7-8-1). Fascinating!
Despite sweeping Washington in 2021, the Eagles decided to end their relationship with Doug Pederson after the season. Pederson was 8-4 against Washington during his time in Philadelphia.
Sirianni Successful vs. Washington
Nick Sirianni was chosen to replace Pederson in January 2021. Like his predecessor, Sirianni has mostly experienced success against Washington’s football team, with a 4-1 record against the NFC East Divisional foe since 2022. Washington spoiled the undefeated party at 8-0 for the Eagles in a 32-21 home loss during Sirianni’s second season in charge.
Otherwise, Sirianni and his coaching staff have been all smiles following the matchup with Washington on the NFL schedule. Last October, the Eagles won a pair of shootouts against Washington. The home contest at Lincoln Financial Field on 10/01/2023 required a 54-yard field goal from Jake Elliott to put Philadelphia in the win column. The road contest was just as exciting, with a combined 35 fourth-quarter points, leaving the Washington faithful wishing there were just a few more ticks left on the expired game clock at then FedEx Field.
Sirianni will seek his fifth NFL win and second victory this season against the NFL representative from Washington on Saturday at 1 p.m. EST at Northwest Stadium. With a win, the Eagles and Nick Sirianni will celebrate their second NFC East Title during his short tenure in Philadelphia.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
