Game Preview, Week 15: Eagles at Redskins
December 13, 2019
by Steve Thomas
Well, the Redskins’ faint, long-shot hopes of resurrecting their season and winning the division with an improbable 7 – 9 record are now officially tied to a rock at the bottom of the Potomac River. With the entire fanbase on Bruce Allen firing-watch, the team is now just playing for pride and to ruin the season for the division rival Eagles and their horrible fans. These Eagles games seem to either be close, hard fought games or blowouts in favor of Philadelphia. The Eagles have won the last 5 contests, so it’s high time that the Redskins get their act together and take one of these games, draft order be damned. I’d like nothing better than the home team to win this game. It’s possible, given that the Redskins are able to play mistake-free football and improve on a few key areas. Keep reading our preview to find out how that can happen.
Game time & location: Sunday, December 15, 2019, 1:00 p.m. ET, Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, Raljon, MD; Gates open 11:00 a.m. ET; Red Zone parking lots open 8:00 a.m.; all other parking lots 9:00 a.m.
Television: Fox
Television announcers: Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman, Shannon Spake
TV broadcast map: Click here
DC-area radio: The Team 980
Redskins radio network: Click here
Eagles radio network: Click here
Satellite radio: XM: 233 (Redskins broad.) Sirius: 121 (Redskins broad); internet: 831 (Redskins broad.)
Redskins roster: Click here
Redskins depth chart: Click here
Eagles roster: Click here
Eagles depth chart: Click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Eagles: 85 – 79 – 6 (last 10: 5 – 5) (streak: 0 – 5)
Last meeting: L, September 8, 2019, 27 – 32
Early odds: Eagles, -13.5
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Start fast, or at least not awfully
At some point, the Redskins are going to need to play well at the beginning of a game – and for that matter, all four quarters – in order to win. Given the history of these Eagles – Redskins games, Washington simply can’t afford to let this contest get out of control early. It’ll be over if that happens. Head coach Bill Callahan spoke about this at his Wednesday presser. He didn’t have any answers, mind you; he just spoke about it. Regardless, this is the next step in the development of a bad team. They probably won’t beat the Eagles without a strong start.
Dwayne Haskins needs to put it all together
The Eagles have been fairly strong against the run all year. Only the Vikings, Seahawks, and Cowboys have been able to generate significant yardage on the ground against Philadelphia. Not that it couldn’t happen, but it seems unlikely that the Redskins will be the ones to break the trend. This means that, more than ever, Washington will need Haskins to finally put a complete game together and lead his team to victory via a robust and effective passing game. If he can’t do that, the Redskins will probably lose.
The defensive needs to get stops on third down and in the red zone
The Eagles have been outstanding on third downs and in the red zone this season, so it stands to reason that the Redskins, whose defense happens to be terrible on third down, need to do better. The Eagles are also one of the league leaders in time of possession, and a big reason for that is that they are able to convert on third downs. I’m not saying that the Redskins can accomplish this, because it’s a pretty unlikely task, but it’s going to have to happen if Washington expects to win the game.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
We all know how well the Redskins normally do against productive tight ends, and Ertz happens to be one of the best. He already has 119 targets, and it’s only week 15. Landon Collins, as well as inside linebackers, Jonathan Bostic and Cole Holcomb, have a huge assignment in keeping this guy in check. Ertz is a big reason why the Eagles are able to keep moving the chains at such a prodigious rate. The Redskins generally, and Collins in particular, need to figure out how to limit Ertz’s effectiveness.
Brandon Graham vs. Morgan Moses
Elite sacker versus struggling, penalty prone right tackle. The last thing rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins needs is Graham in his grill all day long. Moses needs to have a solid outing, not get saddled with a bunch of holding and false start penalties, and keep his quarterback upright. It’s particularly important this week given the nature of the offensive gameplan that the Redskins are going to probably have to use in order to get a win.
Dwayne Haskins vs Rodney McLeod
This may seem like an odd key matchup to watch, but Haskins will need to have his best outing this week given that the Eagles defensive strength is against the run. Watch for whether Haskins’ game has developed to the point that he can start moving the Philadelphia free safety, McLeod, with his eyes. That’s an advanced thing to do for a rookie quarterback, so if Haskins is able to do this with regularity it likely means that (1) he’s having a good day, and (2) the Redskins are probably going to be competitive. Keep an eye on how well Haskins is doing at manipulating the safety.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (as of Thursday (active roster only)) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful NL – not listed
| Redskins | Eagles |
| CB Q. Dunbar, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP | WR N. Agholor, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: Q |
| LB R. Kerrigan, calf; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: IR; game: IR | DE D. Barnett, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: Q |
| LB R. Anderson, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | WR A. Jeffrey, foot; Wed: DNP; Thurs: to IR; Fri: IR; game: IR |
| CB F. Moreau, hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP | T L. Johnson, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| T M. Moses, toe; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | RB J. Howard, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q |
| T D. Penn, knee/back; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP | CB J. Mills, elbow; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP |
| WR T. Quinn, concussion; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP | LB K. Grugler-Hill, concussion; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| WR P. Richardson Jr., hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: DNP | CB R. Darby, hip flexor; Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Fri: LP; game: Q |
| G B. Scherff, Elbow/shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP | |
| QB D. Haskins Jr., ankle; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| LB C. Holcomb, thumb; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| RB A. Peterson, toe; Wed: FP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP | |
| CB J. Norman, illness; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP | |
| S M. Nicholson, ankle; Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Friday, LP; game: Q |
TEAM STATISTICS
Redskins:
The stats for the NFL-worst Redskins offense were not helped very much in many areas by their performance last week against the Packers. Washington is now ranked last, i.e., worst, in the league in the following categories: points, total yards, yards per game, passing yards, and third down conversions, with a second-to-last ranking in time of possession. They remain pretty terrible in the red zone (ranked 28th in red zone efficiency) and sacks surrendered (27th). The one area that continues to get better, little by little, is rushing yards per attempt. As incredible as it seems considering where they started under former head coached Jay Gruden, Washington is now up to 4.6 yards per attempt, good for 11th.
Defensively, the slog through statistical mediocrity continues. The Redskins stats are probably better than the eye test has shown for many weeks, but the bottom line is that they are ranked a solidly middle-poor 21st in points and 18th in yards. The fact that they can’t stop anybody, ever, on third downs, is reflected in the numbers, with Washington surrendering first downs 46.15% of the time, good for 29th in the league. What should really jump out at you in these numbers is that the Redskins just haven’t had to defend the pass very much – there have only been 422 pass attempts so far this section, which is the 5th-least – but they have had been run on a ton, with 403 rushing attempts, which is second-most in the league (i.e. 31st). This explains why Washington is ranked as high as 11th in passing yards. That number is deceiving and driven by the few number of attempts – they are giving up a completion rate of 68.7% (ranked 29th) and a quarterback rating of 96.0, which is 22nd and boosted only by the large number of interceptions (13, ranked 8th). The bottom line is that the Redskins are vulnerable against the pass even if the total passing yards don’t really reflect such. This conforms to the eye test.
Record: 3 – 10 (3rd) (Home: 1 – 5; NFC: 2 – 6; NFC East: 0 – 3)
All-time franchise record: 603 – 600 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 32 (points) / 32 (total yards) / 32 (yards per game) / 29 (yards per play) / 32 (passing yards) / 29 (passing yards per att.) / 20 (rushing yards) / 11 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 188 |
| Yards per game | 262.4 |
| Passing
|
376 att (30th); 232 comp; 61.7% comp per. (23rd); 6.5 Y/A; 2097 net yds; 12 TD; 12 Int |
| Passing leader | Keenum (188 att, 1343 yds (33rd), 67.0% comp perc (8th), 9 TDs / 4 Int, 94.8 QB rating (14th); Haskins (160 att, 971 yds, 55.0% comp perc, 3 TDs / 7 Int, 61.2 QB rating) |
| Receiving leader | McLaurin (703 yds (37th), 79 tgts (46th), 46 rec (55th), 6 TD, 15.3 YPC) |
| Rushing | 288 att (29th); 1314 yds; 4.6 Y/A; 101.1 Y/G (20th); 6 TD |
| Rushing leader | Peterson (167 att (19th), 718 yds (17th), 3 TD, 4.3 Y/A (28th), long 29) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 44 / 27 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 27:07 / 31 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 27.27% / 32 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 40.0% / 28 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 21 (points) / 18 (total yards) / 18 (yards per game surrendered) / 16 (yards per play) / 11 (passing yards) / 21 (passing yards per att.) / 27 (rushing yards) / 20 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 310 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 359.8 |
| Opponent’s passing | 422 att (5th); 290 comp; 68.7% comp perc. (29th); 7.5 Y/A; 2925 net yds; 23 TDs; QB Rating 96.0 (22nd) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 403 att (31st); 1753 yds; 4.3 Y/A; 11 TDs; 134.8 Y/G (27th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 40 / 7 / Ioannidis (8.5) |
| Tackles leader | Collins (106) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 13 / 8 / Dunbar (4) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 46.15% / 29 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 56.25% / 18 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 25.4 Y/R (5th), 27 returns, long 91 yards (5th), 1 TD |
| Punt returns | 4.8 Y/R (30th), 20 returns, long 15 yards (32nd), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 24.3 Y/R (25th), 11 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 10.1 Y/R (31st), 34 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 49.4 Y/P (1st) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 18 / 20 / +2 / 13
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 93 / 19
Eagles:
The Eagles are a mediocre team, and this mediocrity is unsurprisingly reflected in their offensive stats They are ranked 16th in points, 17th in total yards, 20th in rushing yards per attempt, and 17th in passing yards. Carson Wentz may have taken a bit of a step back this season compared to expectations, but he’s still a decent quarterback, with 22 touchdowns to just 7 interceptions, with a respectable 62.7% completion percentage and a 90.8 quarterback rating. Where the Eagles have excelled is in time of possession (2nd), on third downs (6th) and in the red zone (6th). The problem this offense has really had is fumbles – they’ve given up 14 on the year, which is second-worst in the NFL.
The Philadelphia defense is similarity mired in mediocrity, mostly, with 301 points surrendered (19th). They are slightly better in total yards (ranked 11th) and passing yards (17th). The are only giving up 4.0 yards per rushing attempt, which is ranked 9th. This defense has been very good on third downs, giving up first downs just 35.18% of the time, good for 8th. They also have held opponents to just a 61.1% completion percentage, which is ranked 3rd and doesn’t bode well for Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
The Eagles fan base is ranked 32nd in the NFL, with 8,686,412 obnoxious sub-humanoids following the team in the greater Philadelphia area.
Record: 6 – 7 (1st); Away: 2 – 4; NFC: 4 – 5; NFC East: 2 – 1)
All-time franchise record: 583 – 608 – 26
Offense
| Offensive rankings
|
16 (points) / 17 (total yards) / 17 (yards per game) / 25 (yards per play) / 17 (passing yards) / 29 (passing yards per att.) / 13 (rushing yards) / 20 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 297 |
| Yards per game | 348.2 |
| Passing | 490 att (7th); 307 comp; 62.7% comp per. (18th); 6.5 Y/A; 2983 net yds; 22 TDs; 8 Int |
| Passing leader | Wentz (484 att, 3165 yds (13th), 62.8% comp per., 22 TDs / 7 Int, 90.8 QB rating (17th)) |
| Reception leader | Ertz (827 yds (29th), 119 targets (7th), 79 rec (7th), 5 TD, 10.5 Y/C) |
| Rushing | 365 att (7th); 1543 yds; 4.2 Y/A; 118.7 Y/G (7th); 11 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Sanders (131 att (28th), 565 yds (26th), 1 TD, 4.3 Y/A (28th), long 65 yds) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 33 / 15 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 32:19 / 2 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 45.11% / 6 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 64.29% / 6 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 19 (points) / 11 (total yards) / 10 (yards per game surrendered) / 16 (yards per play) / 17 (passing yards) / 20 (passing yards per att.) / 3 (rushing yards) / 9 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 301 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 326.7 |
| Opponent’s passing | 452 att (18th); 276 comp; 61.1% comp per. (3rd); 7.3 Y/A; 3082 net yds; 24 TD; QB Rating 92.0 (18th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 294 att (5th); 1165 yds; 4.0 Y/A; 11 TD |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 36 / 15 / Graham (7.5) |
| Tackles leader | Jenkins, McLeod (63) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 10 / 17 / Darby, Gerry, McLeod (2) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 35.15% / 8 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 59.46% / 23 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 22.3 Y/R (13th), 24 returns, long 67 yards (9th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 6.5 Y/R (22nd), 24 returns, long 17 yards (9th), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 23.4 Y/R (22nd), 17 returns, 1 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 6.7 Y/R (14th), 25 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 47.1 Y/P (5th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 2 2/ 16 / -6 / 26
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 82 / 7
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com