The Eagles were on a bye week this past Sunday, as they are coming off a win against the New York Jets. Philadelphia will be playing at home for their game this coming Sunday against the Washington Football Team. This is the first time these two divisional teams have met this year, as both are in the thick of the Wild Card race. The current line for this game is five points in favor of the Eagles. This article will preview the Philadelphia Eagles game against the Washington Football team.
The Eagles’ Opponent
Washington currently has a 6-7 record and is 3-3 in the NFC East. There in a similar position as the Eagles, as they have an opportunity to earn a Wild Card spot. They faced the Dallas Cowboys last weekend, where they struggled on the offensive side of the ball against a stout Cowboys defense. Washington’s quarterback Taylor Heinicke was below 50 percent and only had 122 yards through the air in that. Even though he struggled, Heinicke has shown that he can hang as a starting NFL quarterback in the weeks before. Washington also features Antonio Gibson as running back who is having a great season as he has 836 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He will be a key part of Washington’s offense in this game.
Washington’s defense was supposed to be one of the best in the league going into the year but has disappointed. The defense is allowing 24.9 points a game, which ranks in the bottom half of the NFL. Although they give up a lot of points a game their rushing defense ranks in the top five in the league as they give up less than 100 yards a game. Yes, this team has had its struggles but they’re dangerous and can very beat Philadelphia on Sunday.
What Philadelphia needs to do to winÂ
The Eagles have had one of the hottest rushing attacks in the league. Philadelphia rushed for over 185 yards as a team against the Jets before the bye week. Miles Sanders had a season-high 120 rushing yards during that game, while Gainwell had 54 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles also utilize Jalen Hurts as part of their rushing attack. He has led the Eagles in rushing in a lot of their games and is a key part of the Eagles’ offensive scheme. He didn’t play last week as he was dealing with an ankle injury.
The Eagles need to stick with this option rushing attack in this game, even though Washington’s rushing defense is good. Philadelphia had their highest amount of rushing yards as a team against the tops in the league at stopping the run in the New Orleans Saints. This is the best way for the Eagles to win games and take some of the pressure off Hurts and the passing game. Speaking of the passing attack, when Philadelphia does pass the ball, they need to find a way to get the ball in the hands of Devonta Smith. He has been quiet the past couple of weeks. He had 15 yards in the Jets game and 22 the week before that against the Giants. Smith will have to be a major player in the Eagles’ offense if they want to make it to the postseason.
Conclusion
The bye week could be good for the Eagles or bad for them. There is always a chance that they could start off slow because of the off week. On the flip side, they have momentum from beating the Jets by a good margin and all around had a great game. Philadelphia has a chance to make their playoff hopes a little bit more likely if they win against Washington Football Team in this NFC East Showdown. This concludes this Philadelphia Eagles game preview for their matchup against the Washington Football Team
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