Philadelphia Eagles Look to Spoil Redskins Playoff Chances

After falling last weekend 32-14 in Cincinnati, the Philadelphia Eagles look to play spoilers against the visiting Washington Redskins on Sunday afternoon.

It will be an NFC East showdown at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday as the Eagles (5-7) will look to snap a three-game losing streak.

The Redskins (6-5-1) are still alive in the playoff race in the NFC and are desperately needing a win to keep their hopes alive. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has torched the Eagles in his past four meeting against them, averaging 336 yards passing totaling 10 touchdowns to only two interceptions. On the season, Cousins has totaled 3,811 yards passing and 21 touchdowns.

The Skins have a strong group of pass-catchers as well with second-year man Jamison Crowder (767 yards, seven T.D.’s) and veteran Pierre Garcon (714 yards, two T.D.’s) sitting one-and -two in the team’s receiving list. Former Eagle DeSean Jackson (644 yards, three scores) and tight end Jordan Reed (630 yards, five scores) cannot be forgotten either on Sunday.

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The rushing game, which torched the Birds in the previous meeting between the two sides this season, has cooled off. Robert Kelley (524 yards, four T.D.’s) and Matt Jones (460 yards, three T.D.’s) both are aggressive runners and could be called upon on Sunday.

Eagles rookie QB Carson Wentz has struggled lately, barely exceeding the 300-yard mark last week while throwing the ball 60 times. The running game has been non-existent with Ryan Mathews out, while defensively the Eagles have given up big plays.

Rookie Paul Turner surprised some folk at wide-out last week, leading the team in yards. Zach Ertz was called upon more with Jordan Matthews sitting out due to injury. Matthews is questionable for tomorrow’s showdown but should be able to suit up.

With an intriguing showdown at the Linc tomorrow, here are my three things to watch.

1.) The Philadelphia Eagles need to play with pride if they want to bounce back.
The Eagles have little to play for at this point, sitting outside of the playoffs and on a bad run. Their confidence looks shot as well, but tomorrow they can play spoilers against a rival. For the Gang Green to win tomorrow, they need to play with some pride. At home, the Eagles are so much different and need to use the energy of the home fans against Washington. Tomorrow has the ability to be a dogfight, and it will come down to who wants it more. The Eagles players need to look in the mirror and realize that they could have it a lot worse.

2.) The secondary needs to play strong against gunslinger Cousins.
Kirk Cousins has the ability to win a game with his talent alone in the pocket. For the Eagles to limit big plays from the Washington offense, the secondary needs to show up and stand strong. Against a good receiving core, safeties Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod need to be leaders for the younger guys. Zone defense could be the Eagles best bet to show down the Redskins passing attack, but also the corners need to make tackles and limit the long plays downfield.

3.) Carson Wentz cannot do it all himself.
The fact is Carson Wentz has not played well the last couple games, but he cannot do it himself. For the offense to do well, every player needs to make plays and contribute. The running game needs to get positive yards on first and second downs, while the wide-outs need to catch the ball. The offensive line has been poor since Lane Johnson‘s suspension, and they need to make sure their rookie QB isn’t getting plastered to the ground every play. The less Carson Wentz gets hit tomorrow, the better off Wentz and the Eagles offense will do.

Next: A DeSean Jackson Reunion Should be Avoided

Tomorrow should be a good test for the Eagles who desperately need to win. A win tomorrow would be good for morale especially with some tough matches coming at the tail-end of the season. Be sure to check back on Section 215 for all the opinions, news, and recaps following the final whistle at the Linc!

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