The NFL’s only remaining undefeated team is in action on Monday night as the Philadelphia Eagles play the NFC East Division rival Washington Commanders.
Philly is 8-0, averaging a margin of victory of more than 11 points per game, and is coming off a upset of the Houston Texans last week. The Commanders enter this game 4-5 and just saw their three-game winning streak snapped by the Minnesota Vikings, who staged a fourth quarter comeback to do so.
With the Giants improving to 7-2 and the Cowboys dropping to 6-3, there’s a lot on the line in a sizzling NFC East rivalry Monday night. Will the Eagles further solidify their hold on the division lead, or will the Commanders pull off a surprising upset? We’ll find out soon.
Before we break down the game, here’s how you can watch the game.
How to see
Date: November 14, Monday | Hour: 20:15 ET
Place: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
Television: ESPN | Current: fuboTV (try free)
Continue: The CBS Sports app
Odds: Eagles -11, O/U 43.5 (Courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook)
When the commanders have the ball
Washington’s offense has looked better (aesthetically speaking) in recent weeks with Taylor Heinicke at quarterback in place of Carson Wentz, but the results haven’t been as great. The Commanders have scored just 19 points in Heinicke’s three starts, scoring only 23.
Heinicke has completed 63% of his passes, averaging just 6.5 yards per attempt, with five touchdowns against three interceptions. At least he’s done a better job of avoiding sacks than Wentz, which is a plus. He’s also focused the offense on Terry McLaurin, who is by far the best skill position player on the team. McLaurin averaged just 3.7 catches, 6.2 targets and 61.2 yards in Wentz’s departure, but has 5.3 catches, 8.3 targets and 80.7 yards in Heinicke’s lineup. The Commanders will get rookie Jahan Dotson back on Monday night, which should help.
However, they will be going up against what has been one of the premier coverage units in the NFL thus far. Cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry are playing All-Pro caliber football. Slay completed only 17 of 37 passes thrown his way for 183 yards. He scored one touchdown while receiving three passes. Quarterbacks are 23 of 55 for 240 yards, one touchdown and three picks going to Bradberry. Heinicke’s idea seems far-fetched.
Heinicke has faced constant pressure since taking the job, with opposing defenses creating a sack, hit or rush on 47.7 percent of his dropbacks, according to TruMedia. He’s just 17 of 38 for 170 yards, one touchdown and all three of his picks in those games. Washington’s offensive line likely won’t be able to keep the Philadelphia pass rush at bay in this contest, and it could lead to some unhappiness on Heinicke’s part.
The Commanders will split the backfield duties between Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson Jr., neither of whom have been all that effective on the floor. The Eagles have had an easier time without monster-sized defensive lineman Jordan Davis in the lineup, but given the struggles the Chiefs will likely have to stop Philly’s offense, they’re unlikely to be in favorable run situations.
When the Eagles have the ball
The last time these two teams played, the Eagles put up 24 second quarter points, and that was all they needed. They came via a Jake Elliott field goal, followed by Jalen Hurts’ touchdown passes (in order) to Dallas Goedert, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Washington has been much better against the run (second in Football Outsiders’ DVOA) than the pass (25th), which would seemingly skew things for another game the Eagles will try to win over Hurts’ right shoulder. Brown, Smith and Goedert create all kinds of advantages for the Eagles with their size, speed and athleticism, and after the Chiefs trade William Jackson III, there could be even more room to run freely in Washington’s secondary. (Actually, they’re fourth in DVOA in throws to tight ends, so this might be more of a Brown-and-Smith game than a Goedert game.)
Philadelphia’s offensive line remains arguably the best in the NFL, and should keep Hurts clean for much of the afternoon. The Commanders would have a better chance of reaching the pocket if Chase Young was willing to return, but Ron Rivera threw cold water on that idea last week. Putting running backs in Hurts’ face and forcing him to throw out of a muddy pocket, and especially forcing him to try to run from the left, remains the best option to contain him, but Washington seems unlikely to succeed.
The Eagles will surely try to run the ball with Hurts and/or Miles Sanders, and given the strength of their offensive line, they could also have success against a unit that has handled the run well. But the addition of Brown has made their offense much more capable of controlling things through the air than it was a year ago, and taking the path of least resistance makes sense.
The announcement
Remarkable game | Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders
Score: Eagles 30, Commanders 13
