Washington Week 4 and 8 Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles

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July 14, 2023

by David Earl

Philadelphia Eagles Offseason

So for those who don’t want to admit to just how good this Philadephia team is you may want to stop reading now as this article won’t be too optimistic in favor of Washington. While there are a couple of aspects of this team Eric Bieniemy could scheme against, as he did in the Super Bowl, Philadelphia’s strengths will play key roles against Washington’s glaring weaknesses. I’ll talk more on this later but as far as their offseason they were going to take some hits after the long-term deal with Jalen Hurts which gave him the highest average annual player salary in the NFL. The loss of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and his 6 interceptions plus additional 8 pass breakups is the biggest hit to a stout defensive unit. Also, the loss of T.J. Edwards should be minimized by linebacker Nakobe Dean who comes into the season not only healthy but a man on a mission after dropping to the second round in the 2022 NFL draft. The Eagles made a draft day deal with the Detroit Lions for running back D’Andre Swift. Granted, he has not had a completely healthy season but, when he’s been healthy, Swift has been a game-breaking runner. Along with his career 4.6 yards per carry average, Swift is one of the best pass-catching running backs in the NFL that now makes an already dynamic offense that much better. D’Andre Swift makes one of the best-rushing attacks in the NFL better and should help an already mediocre pass-blocking unit (offensive line) more effective off play action and misdirection plays involving Swift.

Talk about the rich getting richer – the Eagles drafted 2 outstanding defensive players from Georgia in defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge rusher Nolan Smith. They join a defensive front that ranked in the top 5 in nearly every pass rush statistical category plus will help the overall defense’s middle-of-the-pack rushing defensive rank. Their defense is very stout with a dynamic offense that follows behind so these two matchups will be formidable and an uphill battle every step of the way.

Washington Defense vs Eagles Offense

One of the key factors in the week 9 upset in Philadelphia last season that ruined a bid for an undefeated defense was taking out star receiver A.J. Brown, who had just 1 reception off 4 targets, and pressuring Jalen Hurts while keeping his running lanes scarce. The defense generated enough key stops to allow the offense to control the ball for just over 40 minutes. Can they emulate this again in either matchup? That solely depends on how they handle D’Andre Swift.  If they do, the numbers show the possibility exists. The key factors here are Washington’s combination of their 6th-ranked sack percentage (7.72%) and 2nd-ranked opponent completion percentage (59.92%) against Philadelphia’s sack percentage of 7.15% (ranked 20th). If the addition of Swift proves too much in containment, Philadelphia’s top-ranked rushing attack will potentially prove a problem against an average unit against the run in Washington. Where Philadelphia’s offensive line lacks they make up in being ranked 4th in yards per game rushing (152 yards) and number 1 in rushing first downs per game (10.1). Overall, Washington’s rush defense is mediocre but was solid in a limited rushing touchdown percentage of 26.32% (ranked 5th) and ranked 7th in rushing first-downs per game (6.0). Therefore, a window does exist for defensive success against a dynamic Eagles offense but that will require disciplined play for all 60 minutes of the game.

Matchup Edge: Philadelphia

Washington Offense vs Eagles Defense

Defensively there are 2 areas they were about average against the pass which was being ranked 14th in opponent completion percentage (63.22%) and 16th in passing first-downs allowed at 56.76%. This is an area Eric Bieniemy can take advantage of considering the wide receiver unit he has in Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel (who can also help in the run game). Here is the catch though: not only does Sam Howell need to take a positive step forward but Bieniemy will have to compensate for an offensive line that does not match up well against Philadelphia’s defensive front seven. Philadelphia boasts the best sack percentage (11.05%) and sacks per game (3.9), and the pressure applied helped produce the 5th-ranked passer rating of 82.4. Those numbers match up against an offensive line ranked 25th in sack percentage (7.97%) and sacks allowed per game (2.8). This unit has assisted in a 17th-ranked yard per completion (10.1) total which reflects on the lack of time the quarterback has to allow passing plays to fully develop downfield. There isn’t much of a saving grace in the run game ranked 28th in yards per attempt (4.0) except that Philadelphia did finish 24th in allowing 4.7 yards per attempt. With the addition of defensive tackle Jalen Carter lined up next to second-year Georgia Bulldog defensive Jordan Davis plus a third Georgia player, middle linebacker Nakobe Dean, that one small advantage doesn’t seem to be a reliable option without great misdirection plays involving Curtis Samuel. This match-up should worry everyone, especially if one mistake begins to snowball into many more mistakes by this offense.

Matchup Edge: Philadelphia

Conclusion

It is really simple: entering these two games, Washington will have to play a near-perfect performance in every aspect of the game to have a shot at splitting these games. Barring injury and a complete collapse of this Philadelphia team, the possibility of winning either game may prove to be monumental as the Eagles’ defensive front will simply overpower Washington’s offensive line forcing the young quarterback Sam Howell into many scenarios to make a critical mistake. Whether Howell be able to overcome these scenarios is going to be an absolutely key factor, and I honestly believe he has a chance to produce positively. However, I am not going to hedge my bets though on possible belief he can, so I see Philadelphia in a clean sweep this season over Washington. I will give new ownership and the new found energy at the home stadium the motivational aspect to keep one of these games respectable heading into the second half which is feeding generous hope to those who read this far. I see Philadelphia winning double digits in both games and one game being fairly close in score due to a late-game touchdown that doesn’t even matter. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see Jacoby Brissett playing (possibly starting) in the second matchup of the season. Hopefully, I look foolish in the evaluation by the seasons end.