Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders GAMEDAY Preview: NFC East Rivals Collide

The Washington Commanders hope to grab their first NFC East win today against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Washington Commanders are welcoming NFC East Division foe Philadelphia Eagles to FedEx Field this afternoon.

This matchup features two teams headed in seemingly different directions. The Commanders have dropped four of their last five games after a 2-0 start, while the Eagles are coming off an impressive 31-17 win over the electric Miami Dolphins.

Washington's protection issues are continuing at a record-breaking pace. In the Commanders 14-7 loss to the lowly New York Giants in Week 7, quarterback Sam Howell was sacked six times. The Giants entered the game with only five total sacks. 

Howell has been sacked 40 times through seven games, on pace to be sacked 97 times this season. The current NFL record for most sacks allowed in a year is 76 (David Carr, 2002 Houston Texans.)

The Eagles look to build on their Sunday night win over the Dolphins, but health concerns surround quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Hurts was running with an obvious limp on Sunday night and added a knee brace in the second half. Hurts said he feels “fine,'' and when asked about any knee issue going forward said, “I hope not.”

Hurts pushed through to finish with 279 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, along with 21 rushing yards on 11 attempts and another touchdown.

Marcus Mariota is the Eagles backup, if Hurts cannot play vs. the Commanders. 

Watch for Philadelphia receiver A.J. Brown. In Week 7, Brown had 10 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown ... marking his fifth straight game over 125 yards, matching the NFL record set by former Detroit Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson.

Sam Howell / © Eric Hartline, USA TODAY

FLASHBACK: In the first matchup between these teams, the Eagles squeaked out an overtime win over Washington, 34-31, in Week 4. 

RECORDS: Washington Commanders (3-4) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (6-1)

ODDS: Washington is a 6.5-point underdog vs. the Eagles. 

GAME TIME: Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 1 p.m. ET

LOCATION: Fed Ex Field - North Englewood, MD

TV/RADIO: FOX, 100.3 FM

THE FINAL WORD: Washington Coach Ron Rivera on where the Commanders go from here:

“To me, it’s really about how you bounce back than anything else,” Rivera said. “With ten games to go, you never know what’s going to happen ... We’ll correct these things, a lot of things that we can correct, a lot of things that we will get better at, and we’ll continue to work at it, and we’ll see what happens.”

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