Game Preview, Week 1: Eagles at Washington
September 11, 2020
by Steve Thomas
Welcome to week 1 of the 2020 NFL season, everyone! The offseason has been an unprecedented mess, from a total lack of OTAs and face to face meetings between coaches and players thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, to sex scandals, mass firings, and a cancer diagnosis, to say nothing of a brand new coaching staff and offensive and defensive systems. If Washington can actually start off strong and win a game against their bitter division rival in the midst of all of the madness, it would go a long way towards establishing a winning culture and proving the resilience of this latest iteration of the franchise. Unfortunately, winning is a tall order, as Washington has not beaten the Eagles in 3 years, and realistically, Philadelphia is a much more established and accomplished team than is Washington. It’s not impossible, of course, and there is a path to success, so read on to find out how it can be done.
Game time & location: Sunday, September 13, 2020, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fed Ex Field, Landover, MD; no fans
Television: Fox
Television announcers: Kevin Burkhardt, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: The Team 980
Washington radio network: click here
Eagles radio network: click here
Satellite radio: XM: 226 (Washington broad.) Sirius: 81 (Washington broad); internet: 831 (Washington 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 Philadelphia: 85 – 80 – 6 (last 10: 4 – 6) (streak: 0 – 6)
Last meeting: L, December 15, 2019, 27 – 37
Early odds: Eagles, -6
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Offensive cohesion:
This offense needs to looks like a legitimate NFL offense from snap number 1. The lack of a preseason, plenty of very young players, and the myriad controversies surrounding this team since the end of last season all combined to create one of the worst offseasons in franchise history. Frankly, it’s tough to think that this group can look legitimate this early in the season, but they’ll have to in order to beat an Eagles team that they haven’t beaten in three years. This means that the offensive line will need to protect the quarterback, the running game actually reliably gains yards, and the quarterback and receivers will need to be on the same page. Even if the Redskins Washington ultimately loses this game, I can settle for this consolation prize.
Dwayne Haskins needs to look like he belongs:
Haskins appears to have had about as positive an offseason as could be expected given the terrible circumstances, and the team did him a huge solid a couple of weeks ago by conclusively announcing that he is the team’s starter. Washington is counting on Haskins to take a major step forward this year and show that he’s the franchise quarterback we all hope he can be. In terms of the Eagles game, he needs to be sharp and decisive immediately, understand and execute a new playbook, and make smart, quick decisions. If he can do that, and the highly questionable offensive line can manage to keep Philadelphia’s pass rush from turning him into a human punching bag, Washington will have a shot at winning this game.
The linebackers need to look competent in coverage:
I’ve been skeptical of this linebacker group all offseason, and I’m not going to be convinced until I see them succeed on the field. The Eagles happen to have one of the best tight ends in the game, Zach Ertz, who is Philadelphia’s top receiving target. Opposing tight ends have generally been the bane of this team’s existence for many years, and if that trend continues this week, Washington probably won’t win the game. So: Jonathan Bostic, Kevin Pierre-Louis, Shaun Dion Hamilton and whoever else the team puts on the field need to do a much, much better than the linebackers from prior years have done.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Brandon Graham vs Geron Christian
Geron Christian has to prove that he belongs, and he’s being thrown directly into the fire immediately with a battle against Philadelphia’s leading sacker, Brandon Graham. Christian hasn’t shown much in his time in the NFL, and I don’t have a ton of hope that he can own this matchup, but it’s very important – Dwayne Haskins’ health depends on it.
Slay praised McLaurin last year after the two faced each other in week 12 when Slay was on the Detroit Lions. McLaurin needs to prove that he can take the next step into the ranks of the NFL’s elite receivers, and this matchup is one of the most challenging he’ll face all season. With apologies to Chase Young, this is definitely the most exciting battle to match in this game. It’s possible that the Eagles allow Slay to travel with McLaurin one on one throughout the game, and if that happens, McLaurin will have his opportunity to both make an impact on the game and show the football world that he’s for real.
Chase Young vs Jason Peters
Chase Young, Mr. Generational Talent, gets the grizzled veteran in Peters for his first NFL game. Peters was originally slated to move to guard this year, but injuries and general awfulness forced him to move to left tackle. The entire Washington football world will be watching with bated breath to see if Young can live up to the massive hype he brought with him to this franchise. From a game perspective, the more pressure on Carson Wentz, the better, as leaving Wentz free to hit guys like Redskins-killer Zach Ertz and Desean Jackson over and over again is a sure path to a Washington loss.
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 |
| T Charles, S., calf; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP; game: Q | DT Hargrave, J., pectoral, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| LB Davis, T., calf; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | WR Jeffrey, A., foot; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: OP |
| CB Fuller, K., knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: D | DE Barnett, hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q |
| DT Allen, J., knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | RB Clement, C., quadricep; Wed: FP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP |
| WR Gandy-Golden, concussion; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | T Johnson, L, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q |
| WR Reagor, J., shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| RB Sanders, M., hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q |
TEAM STATISTICS
Washington:
The 2019 Washington Redskins were a statistically awful offense by almost every measure: last in points scored, 31st in total yards, last in passing yards, last in time of possession, and last in third down conversions. The Adrian Peterson-led running game was a little better, but still: this offense was putrid. Given the massive amount of upheaval that has taken place, it’s almost impossible to predict what sort of numbers this team is going to put up in 2020. The offensive line is in flux, to put it mildly, and they have a roster full of unproven young players, so experts are predicting dire results. We’ll see.
The 2019 Redskins were mostly a disaster on defense as well, except – somewhat ironically – in pass rushing, where they were 10th in the league in sacks, 3rd in hurry percentage, 3rd in pressure percentage, and 5th in total quarterback pressures (not shown below). If the addition of Chase Young doesn’t make this team one of the top quarterback-pressuring teams in the NFL, there’s been a serious problem. On the other hand, the front 7 who will line up on Sunday is mostly the same group who produced the second-worst run defense in the NFL last season as measured by yards surrendered. To put it nicely, questions remain about whether this group can live up to the massive amount of draft capital in the defensive line.
On special teams, Washington had both the NFL’s top-ranked punter in 2019 in Tress Way (49.2 yards per punt) and the worst punt return game in the league, by far.
Record (2019): 3 – 13 (4th) (Home: 1 – 7); NFC: 2 – 10; NFC East: 0 – 6)
All-time franchise record: 603 – 603 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings (2019) | 32 (points) / 31 (total yards) / 31 (yards per game) / 27 (yards per play) / 32 (passing yards) / 25 (passing yards per att.) / 21 (rushing yards) / 16 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for (2019) | 266 |
| Yards per game (2019) | 274.7 |
| Passing (2019)
|
479 att (28th); 298 comp; 62.2% comp per. (17th); 6.7 Y/A; 2812 net yds; 18 TD; 13 Int |
| Passing leader (2019) | Keenum (247 att, 1707 yds (32nd), 64.8% comp perc (14th), 11 TDs / 5 Int, 91.3 QB rating (15th); Haskins (203 att, 1365 yds, 58.6% comp perc, 7 TDs / 7 Int, 76.1 QB rating) |
| Receiving leader (2019) | McLaurin (919 yds (32nd), 93 tgts (48th), 58 rec (55th), 7 TDs, 15.8 YPC) |
| Rushing (2019) | 356 att (31st); 1583 yds; 4.4 Y/A; 98.9 Y/G (22nd); 9 TD |
| Rushing leader (2019) | Peterson (211 att (19th), 898 yds (18th), 5 TDs, 4.3 Y/A (30th), long 32) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank (2019) | 50 / 28 |
| Ave time of possession / rank (2019) | 27:11 / 32 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank (2019) | 29.05% / 32 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank (2019) | 48.78% / 27 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings (2019) | 27 (points) / 27 (total yards) /27 (yards per game surrendered) / 22 (yards per play) / 18 (passing yards) / 23 (passing yards per att.) / 31 (rushing yards) / 26 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against (2019) | 435 |
| Yards per game surrendered (2019) | 385.1 |
| Opponent’s passing (2019) | 540 att (11th); 371 comp; 68.7% comp perc. (29th); 7.6 Y/A; 3823 net yds; 35 TDs; QB Rating 102.5 (30th) |
| Opponent’s rushing (2019) | 493 att (31st); 2339 yds; 4.7 Y/A; 14 TD; 146.2 Y/G (31st) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader (2019) | 46 / 10 / Ioannidis (8.5) |
| Tackles leader (2019) | Collins (117) |
| Int / rank / Int leader (2019) | 13 / 16 / Dunbar (4) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank (2019) | 48.9% / 32 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank (2019) | 61.02% / 24 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns (2019) | 25.2 Y/R (4th), 33 returns, long 91 yards (6th), 1 TD |
| Punt returns (2019) | 4.7 Y/R (32nd), 22 returns, long 15 yards (32nd), 0 TD |
| Kick return defense (2019) | 25.8 Y/R (28th), 17 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense (2019) | 9.1 Y/R (28th), 39 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting (2019) | 49.2 Y/P (1st) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank) (2019): 21 / 22 / +1 / 14
Penalties (total accepted # / rank) (2019): 106 / 10
Eagles:
The truth of the matter is that despite winning the NFL East, the non-Zach Ertz 2019 Philadelphia Eagles were pretty pedestrian on offense. Ertz is the engine that makes the Eagles go – he had 88 receptions in 135 targets last season. Carson Wentz was fairly middle of the road, with the 13th-ranked quarterback rating and 15th-ranked completion percentage. As a team, the Eagles were only 12th in points.
On defense, the 2019 Eagles surrendered 354 points, which was ranked 15th. They were more successful against the run, giving up just 1,442 yards, ranked 3rd in the NFL; however, at 4.1 yards per carry, this low yardage total is mostly a mirage brought on by a small number of carries by opponents (353 attempts, which is the third-lowest). On the other hand, the Philadelphia defense was 19th in passing yards, and opposing quarterbacks averaged a 90.8 rating, which was ranked 19th. The point is, this team might be beatable if things go well for Washington.
Record (2019): 9 – 7 (1st); Away: 4 – 4; NFC: 7 – 5; NFC East: 5 – 1)
All-time franchise record: 586 – 608 – 26
Offense
| Offensive rankings (2019)
|
12 (points) / 14 (total yards) / 3 (yards per game) / 24 (yards per play) / 11 (passing yards) / 27 (passing yards per att.) / 11 (rushing yards) / 19 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for (2019) | 385 |
| Yards per game (2019) | 356.1 |
| Passing (2019) | 613 att (8th); 391 comp; 63.8% comp per. (15th); 6.6 Y/A; 3833 net yds; 27 TDs; 8 Int |
| Passing leader (2019) | Wentz (607 att, 4039 yds (9th), 63.9% comp per., 27 TDs / 7 Int, 93.1 QB rating (13th)) |
| Reception leader (2019) | Ertz (916 yds (33rd), 135 targets (13th), 88 rec (14th), 6 TD, 10.4 Y/C) |
| Rushing (2019) | 454 att (7th); 1939 yds; 4.3 Y/A; 121.2 Y/G (11th); 16 TDs |
| Rushing leader (2019) | Sanders (179 att (22nd), 818 yds (21st), 3 TDs, 4.6 Y/A (18th)), long 65 yds) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank (2019) | 37 / 14 |
| Ave time of possession / rank (2019) | 32:49 / 2 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank (2019) | 44.58% / 4 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank (2019) | 63.16% / 8 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings (2019) | 15 (points) / 10 (total yards) / 10 (yards per game surrendered) / 17 (yards per play) / 19 (passing yards) / 15 (passing yards per att.) / 3 (rushing yards) / 12 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against (2019) | 354 |
| Yards per game surrendered (2019) | 334.6 |
| Opponent’s passing (2019) | 571 att (22nd); 348 comp; 60.9% comp per. (5th); 7.2 Y/A; 3865 net yds; 27 TD; QB Rating 90.8 (19th) |
| Opponent’s rushing (2019) | 353 att (3rd); 1442 yds; 4.1 Y/A; 13 TD |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader (2019) | 43 / 14 / Graham (8.5) |
| Tackles leader (2019) | Jenkins (81) |
| Int / rank / Int leader (2019) | 11 / 24 / Gerry, McLeod, Darby, Jones (2) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank (2019) | 35.45% / 5 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank (2019) | 55.56% / 15 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns (2019) | 22.5 Y/R (14th), 29 returns, long 67 yards (11th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns (2019) | 5.9 Y/R (25th), 27 returns, long 17 yards (30th), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense (2019) | 23.8 Y/R (21st), 27 returns, 1 TD |
| Punt return defense (2019) | 6.5 Y/R (22nd), 32 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting (2019) | 46.4 Y/P (7th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank) (2019): 23 / 20 / -3 / 22
Penalties (total accepted # / rank) (2019): 107 / 11
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com