Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins Semi-Coherent Preview
By Mike Lacy
The Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins matchup is previewed.
Last week’s game against the Cardinals showed that there is a sizable gap between the Eagles and the elite of the NFL. But that doesn’t really matter now. Thanks to the weak competition in the NFC East, the Eagles still hold their playoff fate in their hands. If they win their last two games, they make the playoffs. If they lose this week, they do not.
Defeating the 7-7 Washington Redskins doesn’t seem like an impossible task, but the Eagles have already fallen short against several mediocre teams this season. In fact, they already lost to the Redskins once this season, so it is quite possible that they do so again.
Washington Redskins
Record: 7-7
Head coach: Jay Gruden
Last week: Defeated Bills 35-25
The Last Time They Met
When these teams met in October, the Eagles looked poised to win the game and even their record at 2-2. After being shut out in the first half, the Eagles’ offense finally showed signs of life as Sam Bradford threw two long touchdown passes in the second. (One touchdown pass came when the Redskins basically didn’t cover Miles Austin, which honestly, wasn’t the worst strategy in the world.
Oct 4, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) scrambles against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half at FedEx Field. Washington Redskins won 23 – 20. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
With a four-point lead more than halfway through the fourth, the game was in the hands of the Eagles’ defense. Unfortunately, they were matched against the dynamo that is Kirk Cousins and the Redskins offense. The Redskins got the ball at their own ten yard line and embarked on a 90 yard drive that took 5:39 off the clock and essentially sealed the game. The Eagles’ defense couldn’t do much right. They couldn’t stop the run, they couldn’t stop the pass. They even gave the Redskins a couple of first downs via penalty.
What’s New with the Redskins
The Redskins were expected to be bad this season. Instead, they’ve played .500 ball, which is a cause for celebration in Washington. With his five touchdown day last week (four passing, one rushing), Cousins has reportedly convinced the Redskins that he’s the guy to lead the franchise for the next few years. As I’ve pointed out, this is probably a good thing for the Eagles.
The Redskins’ .500 record seems appropriate since they’re not particularly great at anything. On offense, they rank 15th in passing yards and 20th in rushing yards. Defensively, they’re 14th against the pass and 28th against the rush. The only thing they’re really good at is catch phrases by the quarterback:
Last week’s win was the second in a row for the Redskins, which is the longest winning streak the team has embarked on this season. This either means that they’re hitting their stride at just the right time, or that they’re due for a really lousy performance this week. (I’m obviously hoping for the latter.)
Featured Redskins Player: DeSean Jackson
DeSean Jackson is one of the most one-dimensional players in the NFL. He just happens to be VERY good at that one dimension.
Dec 7, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) catches a touchdown in front of Dallas Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne (24) during the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. Dallas Cowboys defeated Washington Redskins 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Sure, he’s not as good of a blocker as Riley Cooper (although he couldn’t have done much worse on last week’s 4th and 1), and he might pout when things aren’t going his way, (The Eagles have done a bang-up job of getting rid of those types of players, right?) but if you want a guy who can impact a game with his speed, Jackson is your man.
Jackson is one of the best deep threats in the league. Even in his eighth(!) season, he can outrun just about any defender in the league, as evidenced by his 77 yard touchdown pass last week.
My suspicion is that he’d really like to have a good game and knock the Eagles out of the playoffs. This is probably a really bad time for the Eagles to be dealing with injuries in their secondary. Is anyone excited by the prospect of seeing Jaylen Watkins attempt to cover Jackson?
Reason to Hate the Redskins
I’ve gotten to observe a lot of Redskins fans over the years, and I’m pretty sure that if their team win the East at 9-7, they aren’t going to act like they’ve back-doored their way into the playoffs. They’ll act like this is some sort of monumental accomplishment.
I realize that a division title will likely set their franchise back, but I really don’t know if I can take a full offseason of Redskins fans bragging about their team being division champions.
Key Eagles Storyline: Jordan Hicks: MVP
It doesn’t seem possible that a third-round draft pick who started the season fourth on the inside linebacker depth chart was the key to the Eagles’ run defense. But in the six games since Jordan Hicks was injured, the Eagles have been largely incapable of stopping the run.
Oct 19, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Jordan Hicks (58) in a game against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 27-7. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
The front seven was supposed to be a team strength, but aside from Fletcher Cox, most of them are having disappointing years. Bennie Logan and Vinny Curry haven’t built upon their promising 2014 seasons. DeMeco Ryans looks about how you’d expect a 31-year-old coming off a second major knee injury would look. Unfortunately, Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonso have largely looked the same way.
Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham are having decent seasons, but perhaps the problem is that neither is a dominant pass rusher. Both are solid rotational players who would probably benefit from another adequate player in the rotation (Marcus Smith‘s half sack last week notwithstanding).
Part of the problem may be that the Eagles have been less focused on stopping the run this year. There were times last season when the Eagles were so intent on stopping the run that they’d have poor corners matched up one-on-one against star receivers. (In case you’ve forgotten the epic Dez Bryant vs. Bradley Fletcher “battles”.) But if having that extra safety in the box was the only reason the front seven could stop the run, then maybe these guys weren’t as good as we thought they were.
The good news is that Hicks is expected to make a full recovery next season.
Listen: Section 215 Podcast
Nick vs. Sam
Since they were traded for each other, it’s only natural that fans would want to compare how Nick Foles and Sam Bradford are faring on their new teams. I’ll take a weekly look at the two quarterbacks and decide who holds the edge.
Before the game got out of hand and he started throwing “I don’t want to get hit anymore” balls, Sam Bradford was having a good night. He made some tough throws, and before the parade of turnovers began, you got the feeling he might have had a chance to mount a decent comeback effort.
Nick Foles? Still on the bench.
The edge goes to Sam Bradford.
Mocking the East
Part of the fun of being a football fan is taking pleasure in the misfortune of your favorite team’s rivals. Each week, I’ll find a reason to make fun of one of the other teams in the NFC East.
Dec 20, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) is defended by Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman (24) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Odell Beckham had an “interesting” game last week.
The Panthers apparently had a plan to get into Beckham’s head to mentally take him out of the game. It worked really well:
Beckham has been suspended one game for his actions (any chance they can make that two games?) and since then, he has defended himself by saying that bat-wielding members of the Panthers threatened him before the game.
I’m not sure if saying that he freaked out because a few practice squad guys had baseball bats really makes his case sound better.
Super Bowl Year Song of the Week
The Eagles have not made many appearances in the Super Bowl (Two, to be exact). I’m hopeful that this season will mark their third appearance in the “big game,” so each week I’m going to take a song from one of the franchise’s Super Bowl seasons (1980 and 2004) that somehow relates to this week’s game.
This Is It – Kenny Loggins, 1980
It’s been a long, trying season, and it now comes down to this: If the Eagles win, they stay alive. If they lose, their season is over.
Next: Eagles All 22: How to Beat The Redskins
Prediction
The Redskins are not a good team, but neither are the Eagles. The Eagles have come up small most of the season, so I don’t see the team putting it all together now. For the second year in a row, the Eagles’ playoff hopes will die with a week 16 loss to the Redskins.
Redskins 24-Eagles 20