The Philadelphia Eagles secured a big win over the Las Vegas Raiders, shutting them out 31-0. This outcome was always on the table for a talented team against the Raiders, who desperately need a rebuild in their current situation. And, one could argue that their opponent this week, the Washington Commanders, need a bit of an overhaul as well. They beat the New York Giants this past week. However, before that, they were on an eight-game losing streak, and losing Jayden Daniels to injury twice in that time frame.
This season has gone about as badly as it could have gone for the Commanders. They will look to regroup heading into 2026 with a healthy Daniels and a strong offseason. As for the Eagles’ side, they should look to keep things rolling. They are coming off a game in which the team ran its fewest hitch routes this season. It is a positive sign moving forward, even with Jalen Hurts throwing the least amount of passes he has all season, with 15 attempts. It is still something to take from this game moving forward. So, what are the keys to the game against the Washington Commanders coming off this outstanding performance?
Philadelphia Eagles: Keys to Victory
Keep the Passing Game Hot
In estimated points against the pass, the Commanders are in last place. They have given up the third-most passing touchdowns on the season, tied with the Detroit Lions. And, Hurts is coming off a game in which he threw three touchdowns on 15 attempts. The Commanders have the third-lowest PFF coverage grade among teams. With that in mind, the passing attack needs to keep the momentum rolling into the playoffs.
This could be the matchup to get the Eagles’ wide receivers back on track. DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown will be going against Mike Sainristill, who is giving up the fifth-most yards amongst cornerbacks this season and the second-most yards overall, a favorable matchup.
Dallas Goedert had a massive game last week with two touchdown catches on creative looks inside the red zone. It was refreshing to see them get back to some of what was working early in the season. The team will need to find a way to keep Goedert in the offseason. We will talk about that in depth in a few weeks, because it may be challenging to keep Goedert, but it is nice to see his involvement in the offense increase again.
Next week’s game will be the actual test against the Buffalo Bills. We’ve already seen Hurts take it to the next level to beat them once before. This game against the Commanders will be key for keeping momentum in a massive afternoon matchup against the Bills.
Get After Mariota
Veteran left tackle and the Commanders’ best offensive lineman, Laremy Tunsil, is out for this game. That bodes well for pass rushers Jalyx Hunt and Jaelan Phillips. In the Commanders’ previous matchup, the New York Giants’ pass rush was only able to sack Marcus Mariota twice. That was a direct result of the run game working. They also only had two total hurries. However, in the week before the Minnesota Vikings game, the Commanders’ quarterbacks were under pressure on a high percentage of their dropbacks. The Vikings’ defense had seven hurries in their shutout victory.
The objective for Vic Fangio and company is clear. Put Mariota in uncomfortable situations and don’t be afraid to mix in a few blitz packages here and there. That is the stark difference between the Eagles and Vikings. The Vikings blitz the most, while the Eagles blitz the third-fewest in the league.
No matter the scheme or play calling. This Philadelphia Eagles’ defense has the talent to perform as well as it did last week, shutting out the Raiders. This defense has been one of the best in the league, and they will keep this team in most games, as we’ve seen countless times this season.
Final Thoughts
It is indeed strange that the first meeting between these teams this year is in Week 16. That is just how the schedule pans out some years. The Philadelphia Eagles are 6.5-point favorites, and they should cover this spread easily today. This team is chasing the second seed after losing to the Chicago Bears on Black Friday a few weeks back. Looking ahead, there are no real playoff matchups to be super confident about. Three teams out of the NFC West will be in the playoffs, and odds are it will be the Los Angeles Rams or the San Francisco 49ers.
That is, if the team ends up as the third seed, which looks highly likely at this point. Moving up to the two seed opens up the possibility of a rematch with the Green Bay Packers. Either way, it looks like the Eagles will have locked up their seeding before Week 18, allowing them to rest some players if they choose. This week should put the team one step closer to a higher seed with an Eagles win. And the Commanders will hope to turn things around in the offseason.
Discover more from The League Winners
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
