Week 11 of the NFL season kicks off with a huge NFC East matchup that has a chance to decide a host of factors heading toward the playoffs. The 7-2 Philadelphia Eagles host the 7-3 Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football this week, with the two teams coming off very different finishes in Week 10. The Eagles were the latest team to blow out the Cowboys in Dallas, while Washington couldn't hold on to a late lead at home against the Steelers.
Philly has won five straight games, and with a win Thursday, would stay connected to the 8-1 Detroit Lions, who currently occupy the top spot in the NFC. The Commanders, who've won three of four, would take the NFC East lead with the win on the road, and will host the second game between the two teams in Week 16. Jayden Daniels enters the week still leading the race for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Jalen Hurts is fifth in the NFL in passer rating and second in the league in rushing touchdowns.
The Commanders lead by a touchdown after the first quarter in a pivotal NFC East battle.
The Eagles will begin the second quarter with a second-and-3 from the Washington 41-yard line.
Commanders lead by a touchdown after the first quarter in a pivotal NFC East battle.
The Eagles will begin the second quarter with a second-and-3 from the Washington 41-yard line.
With first place in the NFC East on the line, the Eagles host Washington tonight (8:15 PM, Amazon Prime, FOX 29 in Philadelphia) in a game of intriguing storylines and matchups. Washington has been a resurgent team under the direction of new Head Coach Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Eagles have soared since a 2-2 start, winning five straight games since the bye week.
The second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Daniels has been the driver of Washington's improvement. He has been, in a word, sensational. He has completed 69 percent of his passes, with 9 touchdowns and just 2 interceptions. Daniels has been up to the task of reading complex NFL defenses and his ability to escape pressure and drive defenses crazy with his running ability (he has a team-high 464 rushing yards and is in the top 10 in the NFL with 342 rushing yards before contact). Daniels has been excellent on the road, too, with 11 total touchdowns – 7 passes and 4 running TDs – and a 116.2 passer rating in five starts away from home.
So, how do the Eagles attack him?
“He's done a great job for them. Kudos to him for what he's been able to achieve. Kudos to the coaches there that are coaching him because that's not an easy offense to run. They do a lot of different things,” Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio said. “He's only thrown two interceptions, which is unreal, really. He's done a great job. He's a really good player, highly talented. I think they're running an offense that he's very comfortable in, and he's got a lot of good players around him. I think it's an accumulation of all that.”
It isn't just Daniels, obviously. Washington runs the ball extremely well – 153 yards per game, fourth in the NFL – and expects to have Brian Robinson, Jr. in the lineup after missing two games with a hamstring injury to team with Austin Ekeler. Terry McLaurin is a player the Eagles know and respect. He's a game-breaking wide receiver who has 711 receiving yards (third in the league) and 6 touchdowns on 47 catches. Former Eagle Zach Ertz is in the top 10 among NFL tight ends statistically and he has 37 catches and 381 yards. The offensive line is sound. Kliff Kingsbury is an outstanding offensive coordinator. This is a huge test for an Eagles defense that has been dominant in this five-game winning streak, allowing fewer than 300 total net yards in each of the five wins. It's the first time since the Jim Johnson defenses of 2008 that the Eagles have had such a streak defensively.
Nobody is talking about the Eagles scoring early in games because they've done so the last few weeks, and it is important they get off to a good start against a Washington team that has a +73 in point differential in the first half of games this season. Washington averages 16.2 points per game in the first half this season, ranking second in the NFL. The Eagles average 12.8 points per first half during the five-game win streak.
Philadelphia ranks second in the NFL in the running game, averaging 176 yards per game. Saquon Barkley leads the NFL with 127.7 yards from scrimmage per game and his 672 yards before contact are best in the league. Clearly, the Eagles have all kinds of confidence running the ball. Washington has allowed 142.7 yards per game on the ground, 28th in the NFL. Now, there are some numbers that just don't equate when it comes to the actual game, so we'll see how this translates. But it is something to keep an eye on tonight.
Washington's defense has not been good in the red zone, with a touchdown percentage of 70 percent (teams that reach the red zone score touchdowns 70 percent of the time). That ranks 30th in the NFL. This really isn't any different than any other game, but it's worth pointing out: The Eagles want touchdowns in the red zone, not field goals. Against a high-scoring offense, the Eagles need points, and Philadelphia has been good in the red zone on both sides of the ball – the Eagles are third in the NFL defensively in the red zone (42.3 percent) and 10th offensively (60 percent).
