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Week 16 - Washington Commanders (9-5) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (12-2)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: December 22, 2024
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Northwest Stadium - Landover, MD
How to Watch: FOX
Matchup History: Washington leads all-time series 89-85-5
Last Meeting: Philadelphia def. Washington 26-18 on 11/14/24
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Washington +3.5
Over/Under: 46.5
Prediction: Washington 16, Philadelphia 31
Official Game Notes: HERE
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Head Coach: Dan Quinn (1st season, 9-5 record in Washington)
Record: 9-5 (2-2, 2nd in NFC East)
Last Time Out: Won @ New Orleans 20-19 on 12/15/24
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: Jayden Daniels
It was way too close for comfort for the Washington Commanders on Sunday in New Orleans.
Dan Quinn’s team was more than a touchdown favorite going up against an interim head coach and backup quarterback, and, early on, dominating the Saints.
Washington jumped out to a 14-0 halftime lead and led 17-0 with six minutes to go in the third quarter. New Orleans opted to change its quarterback to Spencer Rattler, who led the Saints’ first touchdown drive midway through the third on a trick play touchdown pass to Alvin Kamara to put New Orleans on the board.
The Commanders calmed the waters with a nine play drive resulting in a field goal to make it 20-7, but the rest of the 4th quarter was all New Orleans.
The Saints capitalized off multiple missed throws to Terry McLaurin which would have iced the game and scored a touchdown on the final play of regulation on a pass from Rattler to Foster Moreau.
Following the score, New Orleans opted to go for two and the win, but came up short as Rattler’s pass fell incomplete, allowing Washington to escape New Orleans by the skin of their teeth.
It’s been unconvincing for the Commanders for a few months now, really since Jayden Daniels suffered his injury back in Week 7 against Carolina.
Since the injury, Washington is 4-3, including a win on a hail mary and the one this past week as the defense held on to win on the final snap of the game.
During those seven games since Daniels’ injury, the Commanders have played just two teams with winning records. They are 0-2 in those games, including a loss to Philadelphia in Week 11 on Thursday Night Football.
Now, the surging Eagles come to Washington riding a ten game winning streak, the longest in franchise history, looking to put the clamps on the division and stay alive for the NFC’s top seed for the postseason.
In the Week 11 game, Washington’s defense slowed down the Philly offense for most of the night, leading 7-3 at the half and 10-6 going to the 4th quarter, before the Eagles scored 20 unanswered points, including two touchdowns in 20 seconds from star running back Saquon Barkley.
If the Commanders are to have a chance on Sunday, it starts with slowing down the Eagles rushing attack on defense, and controlling the flow of the game on offense through the legs of Brian Robinson and Jayden Daniels.
Philadelphia boasts some of the league’s best offensive and defensive lines; it’ll be no easy task for Washington on a chilly day in Landover.
Head Coach: Nick Sirianni (4th season, 46-19 record in Philadelphia)
Record: 12-2 (3-0, 1st in NFC East)
Last Time Out: Won vs. Pittsburgh 27-13 on 12/15/24
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: Saquon Barkley
With a win, the Philadelphia Eagles would clinch yet another NFC East division title.
The Birds have won a franchise-record ten games in a row, last losing a game back in Week 4, a 33-16 shellacking against Tampa Bay.
Since, Philly has won ten straight, including five by double digits, while the defense has allowed 20+ points just twice in that span.
Now, to close out the season, the Eagles play three straight division games, at Washington, and home vs. Dallas and against the Giants to close out the regular season.
Should the Eagles win all three, and they’ll be favored, they will have a chance at the top seed in the NFC, but they’ll need some help. Most likely, they would need the Vikings to lose before Week 18 and then beat Detroit on the road on the final day of the regular season.
If that happens, the NFC playoffs run through Philadelphia. The last two times that’s happened, the Eagles marched to the Super Bowl with exclusively dominant performances.
Where the team is today is a far cry from where it was following the loss in Tampa in Week 4. At that point, following a 17 point defeat, fans were calling for Head Coach Nick Sirianni to be fired as the team was off to a 2-2 start despite the myriad of talent up and down the roster.
Of course, we know what’s happened since; running back Saquon Barkley has taken over the league and the Philly defense has clamped down.
The Eagles D ranks #1 in yards allowed per game (173.4) and #1 in points allowed per game (17.6) while Barkley is the top rusher in the NFL at 1,688 yards on the ground and 11 touchdowns. That yardage is good for 120.6 yards per game while averaging 5.9 yards per carry.
When it comes to January football (and February) it’s often running the ball and defense that can carry a team to a title.
More than ever before, the Eagles have those two team characteristics. If they continue playing like this over the final three weeks of the regular season, one seed or not, they’ll be my pick to come out of the NFC and reach a second Super Bowl in three years.
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