Countdown to Kickoff: Eagles at Commanders

Hurts vs. Wentz is getting all the headlines but there are many more layers to this game

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles will look to run their record to 3-0 when they travel to Landover. Md., to mee the Washington Commanders, who are 1-1 after losing to the Lions last week.

Here is our countdown to kickoff:

5...PLAYERS TO WATCH

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts - Hurts has been so good over the first two weeks you almost have to expect a regression to the mean. The key for the second-year starter is making sure his “bad days” can still be defined as winning football. That’s the kind of consistency that defines great quarterbacks.

“I don't think I know what his ceiling is yet,” head coach Nick Sirianni said of Hurts. “I just continue to see him get better. I knew he had (the Minnesota game) in him and again I'm not surprised by anything that Jalen does on the football field because I've seen him doing this all off-season, all training camp, practices, the meeting room.

“I see his growth over just consistently all the time. Maybe to the outside world, it's like, woah. I don't think that surprises any of us in the building because we live with him every day, we see him every day and we see the growth every day, not only on the football field but on the practice field and in the meeting room.”

Eagles DTs Javon Hargrave and Fletcher Cox - The Commanders lost starting center Chase Roullier to a lower-leg injury (believed to be a sprained MCL) late in Week 2 against Detroit and were forced to put the veteran on injured reserve this week.

The team signed veteran center Nick Martin, a long-time starter in Houston and younger brother of Cowboys star Zack Martin, but ramping him up that quickly isn’t likely the plan. If healthy, Wes Schweitzer would be the top option to replace Roullier but missed Week 2 with a hamstring injury. He was a full go at practice by Wednesday.

Whatever the path Ron Rivera takes, the Eagles’ interior duo should have another opportunity to impact the game.

Eagles LB T.J. Edwards - Edwards was great against the Vikings and added blitzing to his underrated skill set as a player. He’ll have his hands full with Washington, which has an excellent tight end in Logan Thomas and one of the best pass-catching backs in football with J.D. McKissic.

Commanders QB Carson Wentz - All eyes will be on the Eagles’ former franchise QB, who has a reputation for pushing the envelope toward recklessness against run-of-the-mill foes. Human nature says Wentz will want to show up against his former team and he needs to play within himself.

Commanders WR Curtis Samuel - Samuel was a star slot receiver in Carolina who signed a big-money deal with Washington last year to reunite with Rivera but a persistent groin injury essentially wiped out his 2021 season. The Ohio State product is healthy again and has been Wentz’s favorite target so far. Samuel can do damage as a traditional slot or in a manufactured-touch way with screens and jet sweeps.

4... MATCHUPS TO WATCH

Eagles Pass Defense vs Commanders Weapons - Wentz has been spreading the football around early this season and Washington, along with the Los Angeles Chargers, are the only teams to have four different receivers with over 90 yards apiece over the first two weeks.

Eagles Red-Zone Defense vs. Washington Offense - The Eagles' defense was stifling in the red zone on Monday night with zero blitzes helping to produce two Darius Slay interceptions. Something has to give this week because the Commanders' red-zone scoring percentage is 100% early in the season.

Eagles Rushing Attack vs. Washington Run Defense - After leading the NFL in rushing last season the Eagles have been nearly as good this time around, second in the NFL with 189.5 yards per game. The Commanders are bottom five in run defense but are getting safety Kameron Curl back, meaning a potential extra defender in the box.

Carson Wentz vs. Eagles Third-Down Defense - The Commanders are third in the NFL in converting third downs at 56% and Wentz is second in third-down passing percentage at 81.0% and fourth in third-down passing yardage with 212. The Eagles, meanwhile, are tied for 26th in third-down defense early so it hasn’t been a strength.

3...THINGS TO KNOW

-Wentz will be playing the Eagles for the first time in his NFL career. Philadelphia is the only team in the NFL Wentz has not faced so this will make him 32 of 32.

-Washington receiver Terry McLaurin has truly been scary for the Eagles, amassing 468 receiving yards against them since 2019, the most among any player in the NFL.

-The Eagles lead the all-time series 80-78-6 but Washington has a slight advantage (41-38-3) when things are in the DMV. The September record between the two teams is deadlocked at 13-13.

2...X-FACTORS

For the Eagles: S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - A late arrival via trade, Gardner-Johnson is getting more comfortable each week and Wentz is the type of gambler who could provide an opportunity to make a big play.

For the Commanders: WR Jahan Dotson - With McLaurin, Samuel, and Thomas likely getting the most traffic, it’s hard to justify paying a lot of attention to Dotson, who could play a Quez Watkins role in getting behind the defense for a big play.

1...PREDICTION

John McMullen (2-0, 1-1 vs. the spread) - The Eagles' biggest hurdle this week isn't Wentz or the Commanders, it's all the flowers they’ve received after a nationally-televised beatdown of an overrated Minnesota team. The betting markets responded by putting Nick Sirianni in play for Coach of the Year honors and Hurts in the rarified air of Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes for MVP.

Week 3 at FedExField against a lightly-regarded division rival is prime letdown territory. The Eagles are obviously the better and the more talented team, though, so this will serve as a good litmus test. The bet here is Philadelphia gets it done.

EAGLES 26, COMMANDERS 20

Ed Kracz (1-1, 0-2 vs. the spread) - The Eagles will win this game with their defensive line and run game. The Commanders give up 7.5 yards per carry, which doesn't bode well for them stopping either Jalen Hurts or Miles Sanders, and the duo could both go over 100 yards on the ground.

Washington's O-line is beat upand even when healthy wasn't exactly a world-beater. The Eagles will force Wentz into a couple of turnovers.

EAGLES 27, COMMANDERS 19

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen