Game Preview, Week 16: Philadelphia at Washington
December 21, 2024
by Steve Thomas
Washington essentially laid an egg last week against the Saints, and got a little lucky to escape with a victory. That sort of performance can’t be tolerated this week, as the importance of this week’s contest against the division rival, first place Philadelphia Eagles. Washington has a very small, minor, unrealistic shot at winning the division. If that were to come true, it would mean that Washington wins out while the Eagles collapse and go 0 – 3 to end the season. I doubt that happens, mind you, but it starts with this one particular game. More realistic is Washington’s attempt to hang on to the third Wild Card position, with the Rams and the Seahawks most prominently in play, but also, with a small shot – wait for it – the Dallas Cowboys, who are three games back. Washington played terrible in their first game against the Eagles back in week 11. In general terms, Washington has beaten their lesser opponents but lost to all of the top teams. This game is their chance to buck that trend. Can they do it? We’ll see. Our game preview is below.
Game time & location: Sunday, December 22, 2024, 1:00 p.m. ET, Northwest Stadium, Raljon, Maryland; 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: Joe Davis, Greg Olsen, Pam Oliver
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: BIG-100 (WBIG FM)
Washington radio network: Click here
Eagles radio network: Click here
Satellite radio: Sirius: 83 (Wash. broad.); SiriusXM: 227 (Wash. broad.); internet: 831
Washington roster: Click here
Washington depth chart: Click here
Eagles roster: Click here
Eagles depth chart: Click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Eagles: 88 – 85 – 6 (last 10: 3 – 7)
Last meeting: L, October 9, 2022, 17 – 21
Eagles record: 12 – 2 (1st place) / away: 6 – 1 / NFC: 7 – 3 / NFCE: 3 – 0
Washington record: 9 – 5 (2nd place) / home: 5 – 2 / NFC: 6 – 3 / NFCE: 2 – 2
Early odds: Eagles, -3.5
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Offensive line performance
I recommend that those of you who are still in the denial stage to get over it and admit that Washington’s offensive line stunk last week against a much worse defense than the Eagles. This cannot happen again if Washington is going to have a prayer of beating Philadelphia, even in Raljon. Washington definitely needs to get starting center Tyler Biadasz back, as his loss was certainly felt. However they need to get the job done is fine, but the point is that allowing the Eagles to terrorize Jayden Daniels all day, as the Saints did, is as close to a guarantee of a loss as you can get. In my view, this is the single biggest key to the game.
Focus on Saquon Barkley’s interior running game
Obviously, Saquon Barkley has been a nightmare all year, with a league-leading 1688 yards in 285 carries, for an average of 5.9 yards per carry, and 11 touchdowns, along with 31 receptions for 276 yards and 2 more touchdowns. It isn’t news to suggest that Barkley needs to be the focus of Washington’s defensive game plan. That’s easier said than done, obviously, as very few teams have been able to get the job done, including Washington in week 11. Washington’s run defense has been mostly bad all year, so I don’t see success against Barkley in week 16. Regardless, it needs to be the focus.
Get Brian Robinson Jr. to get Washington’s rushing attack going
One obvious key to Washington’s defensive success is to keep Barkley and the Eagles off the field. This means long, sustained drives. Washington needs to do a much better job against Philadelphia than they did last week in getting Brian Robinson Jr. into a productive mode. Continuing to rely on Daniels to be the team’s leading rusher is a recipe for failure, particularly against a Super Bowl-contending team like the Eagles. Unfortunately, Philadelphia has been good against the run this season – opponents have averaged just 4.2 yards per carry, which is tied for 9th in the NFL.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Terry McLaurin vs. Darius Slay Jr.
This is the regular highlighted matchup for these two teams. This is a case of elite player versus elite player, and it’s almost certainly the highest-profile battle in the game. McLaurin has obviously become Jayden Daniels’ favorite target this season, but Darius Slay is an elite corner and has gotten the better of McLaurin at times in the past. I expect the television broadcast crew will most likely highlight these two players. This one will be fun to watch.
Marshon Lattimore vs. A.J. Brown
This is Lattimore’s first true test as Washington’s #1 corner. The Saints don’t have a receiver who is anywhere near Brown’s level. Lattimore has done well against Brown at times when he was with the Saints. In my view, Washington should probably let Lattimore travel with Brown in a one-on-one battle. That would provide the team with the best insight into exactly what level of Lattimore is at. Is he an NFL elite-level corner? Probably . . . but this is his opportunity to prove it and take Philadelphia’s best receiver out of the game.
Brandon Coleman vs. Josh Sweat
Sweat is Philadelphia’s leading sacker, with 8 on the season. He’s probably going to come primarily from the defensive right side, meaning that Coleman will be primarily lined up with Sweat. It will be interesting to see how the rookie does against one of the better pass rushers out there right now. Keep an eye out for how often Sweat is in the backfield, because that will be an indicator of Coleman’s performance.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (active roster only)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful
| Washington | Eagles |
| G S. Cosmi, illness; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP | RB S. Barkley, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: NL; Fri: FP |
| TE Z. Ertz, concussion/NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | G M. Becton, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: NL; Fri: FP |
| K Z. Gonzales, left foot/NIR (personal); Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | WR AJ Brown, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP |
| DT J. Allen, pectoral; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: O | S S. Brown, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP; game: Q |
| S J. Chinn, concussion; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP; game: Q | G L. Dickerson, knee/NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP |
| C M. Deiter, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | T L. Johnson, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: NL; Fri: FP |
| DE C. Ferrell, knee/NIR (rest); Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP | C C. Jurgens, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: NL; Fri: FP |
| LB F. Luvu, NIR (rest); Wed: LP; Thurs: NL; Fri: NL | T J. Mailata, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: NL; Fri: FP |
| WR L. McCaffrey, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | WR D. Smith, back/NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| WR T. McLaurin, NIR (rest); Wed: LP; Thurs: NL; Fri: NL | DE B. Huff, wrist; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: O |
| DT D. Payne, back; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | WR B. Covey, neck; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP; game: Q |
| OLB D. Fowler Jr., groin; Wed: FP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP | QB J. Hurts, left finger; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| TE J. Bates, illness; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP |
Steve’s Prediction
The Eagles are going to come into Raljon and play strong. As was the case in the first game between these two teams, Washington’s weaknesses in run defense don’t match up well with Philadelphia. The Eagles beat Washington 30 – 17.