After a blowout loss to the Bills last week, the Washington Commanders are heading to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in an intriguing NFC East matchup.
The last time these two teams met at Lincoln Financial Field, Washington handed Philadelphia their first regular season loss in Week 10 with a 32-21 win.
Buy Eagles TicketsWith kickoff over an hour away, here are five keys to an Eagles victory.
Eagles must Corral the Commanders pass catchers
Washington will enter Lincoln Financial Field angry after being embarrased by the Buffalo Bills in Week 3, and they’ll enter the matchup with a talented trio of pass catchers to corral.
Terry McLaurin averages 87.25 receiving yards per game vs. the Eagles (8 games). In his last 4 games vs. the Eagles he's caught a combined 23 passes for 342 yards.
— John Keim (@john_keim) October 1, 2023
Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel are big plays waiting to happen, and they’ll face an Eagles secondary that just limited the Buccaneers to just 133 yards allowed in the passing game, one touchdown, and one interception. The Eagles allowed just 174 total offensive yards (the fewest by the Eagles since a 2019 win over Chicago), 4 yards per play.
Keep D'Andre Swift involved
Swift has the hot hand in Philadelphia, logging 130+ yards in back-to-back games.
Swift is averaging an NFL-high 6.8 yards per carry, and he’ll be the kryptonite to Washington’s stout run defense.
Eagles dominant offensive line vs. Commanders D-line
Philadelphia dominated the Buccaneers front 7 in Week 3, but they’ll face a talented group for Washingoton in Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Chase Young.
If the Eagles are able to keep D’Andre Swift’s hot-streak going, they’ll move to 4-0.
Eagles need to start fast
Philadelphia started fast in the Monday night win over Tampa, and then cruised to a victory with an almost 10 minute final drive that ultimately ended in a kneel down.
The Eagles are returning to Lincoln Financial Field for the first time since the Thursday night win over Minnesota.
Look for Nick Sirianni’s team to start fast and play their most complete game of the season.
Pressure Sam Howell
Howell is among the most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL, and the Eagles have been pressuring opposing quarterbacks at an elite rate.
Through the first three games, rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter has one more quarterback hit than Aaron Donald, and his Pro Football Focus grade of 93.2 is the best among all interior defenders. Carter has logged 1.5 sacks, two TFLs and two forced fumbles.
Jordan Davis leads all Philadelphia defensive linemen with 11 stops.
