Tonight, we approach the eleventh week of the NFL
season and as we kickoff this week we have a huge game for Thursday Night Football. This is a game like no other. This one is a game between two teams with one
thing on their minds. Both teams know
that this could wind up being the difference of who ends up winning their
division and gets the opportunity to host a playoff game, while the other will
have to play a road game in the Wild Card Round and navigate on the road for
any postseason games they would play going forward, granted they are able to
win their first round matchup. In week eleven
this just feels different, it is now gradually growing colder, and the hits
will be harder, with much more intensity and impact on the outcomes of each team’s
destinies. On one side we have the
newcomer, the rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, but on the other side we have
a hungry Philadelphia Eagles team led by their veteran QB Jalen Hurts. It was assumed the Eagles would be in the
pole position or at least in a closely contested division with the Cowboys at
this point in the year. The Commanders weren’t
supposed to be here, not yet. Anyone
that watched Washington’s QB at LSU knew he had the chance to become something
special, but the tear he’s been on has been amazing to say the least.
Philadelphia
needs this win more than any other team that’s currently in the playoff
race. The reason being, they have one of
the toughest, if not the most difficult schedules remaining in all of football. Over the next six games, including tonight,
the Eagles have the displeasure of playing five of six crucial contests that
could wildly affect where they are placed in the playoff picture. After tonight they will fly to Los Angeles to
meet the Rams, who just dropped one at home to the Dolphins yet still find
themselves completely able to win the NFC West.
Then it is off to Baltimore to play the number one offensive attack with
two of the MVP frontrunners in Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Two weeks later they host another top AFC
opponent in the Pittsburgh Steelers who have seemed to figure out their offense
with a healthy Russell Wilson, a rejuvenated Najee Harris, plus the addition of
wideout Mike Williams to add to Wilsons surplus of options. They may end the season with three straight
division rivalry games, but none more meaningful then their second meeting with
the Commanders in Washington in week 16.
Although for that game to propel them to first place in the East and
quite possibly keep them second in the conference they better be prepared for a
brutal game with one of the best rookie QBs the NFL has ever seen tonight in
Philly.
Washington
Commanders’ head coach Dan Quinn is very familiar with his rival, the Eagles. This is not his first rodeo playing a hard-nosed
Philadelphia team as he spent several years within the NFC East as the Dallas
Cowboys Defensive Coordinator. You must
assume that he has his troops ready for this one. Their defense has been the weakest part of
their team thus far, but maybe tonight Quinn and his defensive coach Joe Whitt
Jr. will have their unit tuned up and ready to go. Another piece to this puzzle is the Eagles running
back Saquon Barkley, who Quinn is also used to seeing multiple times a year
coming over from another divisional foe, the New York Giants. If the Commanders are going to stand a chance,
they need to be much better than they’ve been with their run defense. Washington has been allowing 142.1 yards on
the ground a game (28th), while Philly has been rushing for 176.1
yards a game (2nd). The only team
that is better than the Eagles in rushing is the Baltimore Ravens and Barkley
is 2nd in rushing yards this season (991 yds).
Now I don’t
want to belittle the importance of this game for Washington or the Commanders
fans, however their remaining schedule is far from the grueling slate that the Eagles
will have to face after this evening. In
fact, it could possibly be one of the easiest strengths of schedules left of
any NFL team. They will have to face the
Cowboys twice (weeks 12 & 18), they play the Tennessee Titans, then have
their bye week. Coming out of the bye
they will head to New Orleans, then another game with the Eagles on their own
turf, plus a home stay against the NFC South leading Atlanta Falcons. I mean come on, if they lose three or more of
those games, I think the entire NFL would go into shock after the way the
Commanders have looked all year. Jayden
Daniels has handled himself like an elite, mature NFL vet and has broken
several records while winning 7 of 10 games during this season. They are currently tied for 3rd in
points per game (29.0), ranked 4th in rushing (153.5 ypg), 4th
in total yards (377.0 ypg), while also placing in 5th in third down conversions
(5.5 pg). Eagles are not too shabby
themselves scoring 25.9 points a game (8th), totaling 373.9 yards
per contest (6th), converting on 5.2 third downs (t-9th),
while also boasting the 10th best red zone scoring offense in
touchdowns scored (60%).
Lastly,
just keep in mind that although Washington’s offense has looked great in many
ways this year, they are playing an entirely different Eagles defense than
weeks prior had shown us. Vic Fangio, the Eagles Defensive Coordinator didn’t
get off to a very impressive start earlier this season, but the Philly fans are
finally realizing that they just needed to trust the process. They dealt with injuries, shifted some people
around, and implemented a few rookies into starting roles and it has looked
better by the week for this defense.
This game is heightening to become must watch T.V in quite possibly one
of the very best Primetime games of the Season.
Look for both Hurts and Daniels to mix in some runs as these QBs can take
off out of the pocket at any given time.
Daniels is 2nd in the league with 464 rushing yards form the
quarterback position, while Hurts rank just behind him with 378 of his
own. Jalen is always a threat for a
rushing TD even if it’s in their brotherly shove formation at the goal line and
has 10 rushing TDs this year. At the
same time don’t underestimate either quarterbacks’ ability to throw some darts
downfield as both are also top 10 in Completion percentage, Hurts 69.8% (3rd),
Daniels 68.7% (t-7th). The
only thing left to say is, are you ready for some football?
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