Gameday – WAS at PHI

Posted October 1st, 2023 | Comments Off

The Eagles play their first division game of they year, going against the Commanders today. Division games can be tricky, as the Eagles learned last year when they lost to a mediocre Washington team.

The Eagles are the better team and I think they’ve been tested enough that they’ll be focused today. That’s important when you play a lesser team. Washington may play with an edge since they are coming off a 37-point beatdown last week. You know they will be ticked off and wanting to show that’s a fluke.

Injuries could be an issue.

Today's inactives #WASvsPHI pic.twitter.com/Cb3JPReQXn
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 1, 2023

The Eagles are light at safety. They have Reed Blankenship and Terrell Edmunds, plus Tristin McCollum, who they brought up from the practice squad. There is also the possibility of moving a CB if needed.

The Eagles are thin at WR. They have AJ, DeVonta, Oz and Britain Covey. Kenny Gainwell could play in the slot. Maybe Swift too.

The Eagles do have 4 TEs active. Albert Okwuegbunam will play in his first game as an Eagle. The team could use 12 and 13 personnel if needed because of the thin WR corps. Grant Calcaterra might be able to play in the slot as well.

Today could be a good test for the Eagles defense. Washington gave them fits last year with small-ball. Jonathan Gannon is out and Sean Desai is in. Desai has the best run defense in the NFL. And that’s not flukey. This isn’t a case of the Eagles playing with leads so teams can’t run. Opponents can’t run because the Eagles shut them down, allowing only 3.0 yards per carry.

The interesting thing to watch is what the Eagles do in coverage. Desai prefers to play off, but that isn’t ideal if Washington wants to throw quick passes.

The Commanders can’t pass protect and they turn the ball over. If those trends continue, the Eagles will definitely win. You know those were points of emphasis for Washington coaches this week. I’m curious to see if they were able to fix them. With that OL, the Eagles pass rush should be able to win their share of battles. It would be great to see Haason Reddick come alive today.

This feels like PHI 27, WAS 16.