Game Preview – PHI at WAS

The 9-5 Eagles should be able to beat a bad Washington football team and help their playoff positioning. But history tells us that weird things can happen when division rivals play, especially in December. This very scenario came up in 2014. It didn’t go so well.

Penalties, missed field goals, two more turnovers by Mark Sanchez and an inability to keep track of former teammate DeSean Jackson turned into a 27-24 loss to the lowly Washington Redskins on Saturday night, the Eagles’ third straight defeat and one that gives Dallas two chances to clinch the NFC East.

The Mark Sanchez era was an odd time. There are a lot of differences between 2014 and today, but we do see all the time that division games are unpredictable. I think we all remember losing to the Giants in October. Always be careful with rivalry games.

Washington is a weird team. They are fourth in the league in rushing. They are third in red zone offense. But they have scored 14 or fewer points in 4 of the last 7 games. They were shutout by Minnesota two weeks ago. The offense has some talent, but also some issues. Marcus Mariota and Jayden Daniels are each 2-5 and they have similar stats so it isn’t just a QB issue.

Mariota to Terry for the 51-yard TD!

WASvsNYG on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/RdNnNM6mKJ

— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2025

Mariota is an experienced veteran with good mobility. He averages 6.1 ypc on the season. He is an inconsistent passer. Mariota will have Terry McLaurin to work with. Scary Terry has had some big games against the Eagles. He’ll probably see a lot of Quinyon Mitchell on Saturday. The run game will be focused on Jacory Croskey-Merritt. He ran for 96 yards and a TD last week. Washington’s OL has been up and down. They’ll be without LT Laremy Tunsil this week. Brandon Coleman will start in his place.

The key for the Eagles will be to keep the run game under control. I would expect Washington to have some early success. Once Vic Fangio and his players see what is going on and adjust, the Eagles should be able to take some things away. Any time you deal with a mobile QB, there can be some hiccups. The Eagles need to play smart and tackle well. They did both things last week so hopefully that can carry over.

As Fangio pointed out, the defense got a big boost from the offense’s ability to sustain drives and stay on the field. Washington has the #31 defense in the league so the Eagles have a real chance to have another good game. The Commanders are 28th in run defense. This would be another good week for lots of running and controlling the clock. Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby combined for 39 carries last week. If the Eagles can repeat that or come close, they should win.

MLB Bobby Wagner is the leading tackler. No shock there. He’s still a productive player and good team leader. DL Daron Payne can still be a disruptive player on the inside. He’s got 6 TFLs and 5 pass deflections. Veteran Von Miller is the leading pass rusher. He’s got 7 sacks and 13 QB hits this year. I didn’t expect him to be that good for them. CB Mike Sainristil is the playmaker in the secondary. He’s got 4 INTs and 9 PDs.

Evan Engram cooking Bobby Wagner on the juke route in overtime. pic.twitter.com/YYnywOzgb3

— Frankie Abbott (@FrankiesFilm) December 2, 2025

Washington has some pieces, but not enough. They have only held three teams to fewer than 21 points all season. If the Eagles can win the line of scrimmage, they should be able to move the ball and score points. Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens looked okay last weekend. It would be great to see them have another good showing and help the offense come alive. Jalen Hurts using his legs helped last week and should continue the rest of the season.

10) How can you not want the QB run game to be a bigger part of this offense? Hurts is still an exceptional runner when he gets downhill quickly (he’s certainly better north/south than laterally) and picks up the 1st down on 3rd-and-long.

I know the QB draw feels predictable at… pic.twitter.com/29vDwPcIpB

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 15, 2025

One area where the Commanders could have the upper hand is special teams. Jaylin Lane has 2 punt return TDs. They average 28 yards per KOR as a team. New kicker Jake Moody is 5 for 5 on FGs for them.

I haven’t watched Washington all that closely in recent weeks. They fell apart early this season. The magic of 2024 is long since gone. They were the best fourth down team in the NFL last year. This season they are 15th. The formula doesn’t work as well when you have a lot of injuries, you play a tougher schedule and teams are focused on what you do.

This season has been a disaster for the Commanders. You can bet beating the Eagles would make them happy and give them a big emotional boost. The Eagles are the better team and more talented team. Fangio’s defense has been lights out in the second half of the season. The offense is trending in the right direction. This feels like a game the Eagles should win 27-16.

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