NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders will do battle Monday Night in a rematch of their Week 5 game in which the Eagles prevailed 24-8. The defense did their part in that battle by sacking then Commanders’ QB Carson Wentz 9 times. This go-round, they will face Taylor Heinicke with the Commanders coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9 after a 3-game winning streak.
The Eagles are entering the matchup as the only undefeated team in the NFL. But this is another division contest where anything can happen. Despite their record, the Eagles have not been perfect on all fronts. The defensive front has now allowed their last 4 opponents to rush over 130+ yards each and that glaring hole must be plugged.
Here are 3 Keys To Victory for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Washington Commanders.
Can They Contain Gibson and Robinson?
Every week, this is one of my keys to an Eagles victory. The team, even with a stellar defense is just giving up too many rushing yards. It began with the Arizona Cardinals who rushed for 134 yards. Then the following week, the Dallas Cowboys sliced the Eagles’ defense for another 134 yards. Maybe during the Bye Week, the defense would tighten up a bit but the Pittsburgh Steelers put up another 164 yards followed by the 1-6 Houston Texans who ran for another 184.
While they have kept winning, it’s only a matter of time before this comes back to haunt them. The Commanders are not known for their great ground game but with the way the Eagles’ front seven has been playing, Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson could have huge days. Entering the contest ranked 21st in Rushing Yards, the Commanders will need to have a huge day if upsetting the Eagles is a possibility.
Eagles Must Get DeVonta Smith Involved Early
The Eagles have a balanced offensive attack. But one of their weapons is not being utilized proper;y. DeVonta Smith has 3 fewer catches than Brown but also 16 fewer targets. The offense must find a way to get Smith involved early and often. Last season he was the No.1 receiver and while he may not mind taking a backseat to Brown, he does need to eat as well.
Smith has only one game where he topped 100 yards receiving. He’s on pace for another 900+ yard campaign but the Eagles should use Smith on more screen passes or deep routes. Against the Commanders, the Eagles must exploit a weak secondary where they rank 18th in Passing Yards and 27th in Passing TDs allowed. In Week 5, the last time these two teams faced off, Smith caught 8 passes for 169 yards and 1TD.
The Philadelphia Eagles Must Pressure Taylor Heinicke
In Week 5, the Philadelphia Eagles sacked Carson Wentz 9 times. With Wentz out, Heinicke gets another start under center and the Eagles cannot afford to take him lightly. Can the Commanders’ O-Line keep the Eagles front seven away from Heinicke? In 3 games this season, Heinicke has been sacked 6 times already. If the Eagles are to leave this game 9-0, they will need to keep that same pressure up they displayed in their earlier meeting.
Even if they can’t get Heinicke to the ground, pressure is still the name of the game. Even with their 9 sacks in their previous meeting, the Eagles totaled 17 QB hits. No matter the amount of experience a QB has in this league, getting hit 17 times will have a lasting effect. It’s up to Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, and Co to do their part on the defensive side of the ball.
