Eagles-Commanders: Players To Watch, Final Score Prediction, And More

There will be a battle for first place in the NFC East in South Philly on Thursday night.

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and offensive tackle Lane Johnson (65) high five after a Saquon Barkley (not pictured) touchdown run against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – Washington is the season’s Cinderella story in the NFL. There’s always one or two of them. That makes them the team to root for nationally, to make that slipper fit. They are trying to make the postseason for just the third time in the last 10 years.

The Eagles? Well, they are the success story that inevitably makes some observers - especially nationally - grow weary, with playoff trips in six of the last seven years and two appearances in the Super Bowl, where they have gone 1-1.

Against this backdrop, Thursday's game in South Philly will shape the NFC East landscape, until, perhaps, they play again in the rematch on Dec 22.

Here’s more:

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Jalen Hurts. The Eagles QB made history in last week’s win when he became the first quarterback in NFL history with a touchdown pass, a rushing touchdown and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in four consecutive games, and he has accounted for 16 touchdowns and two turnovers during the team’s five-game winning streak.

With nine games remaining, he has thrown for 12 touchdowns and ran for 10 more. There has never been a QB in the league with a 20-20 season in terms of touchdowns passing and rushing. Hurts still has work to do to become the first, but he is trending in that direction.

The 26-year-old quarterback has done that by not attempting more than 25 passes in any of the wins, averaging 24.6 pass attempts per game during the streak.

Jayden Daniels. The probable rookie of the year has been fantastic, though the Steelers threw a bump in his road last week holding him to a season-low five yards rushing. His previous low was 22, which also came in a loss, this one to the Ravens.

So, it stands to reason if the Eagles run defense, ranked fifth in the league, can shut that part of the young QB’s game down, their chances to win go up, though he has thrown just two interceptions this season.

“He's done a great job for them,” said Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. “Kudos to him for what he's been able to achieve. Kudos to the coaches there that are coaching him because that's not an easy offense to run. They do a lot of different things. He's only thrown two interceptions, which is unreal, really. He's done a great job.”

Nov 3, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) leaps over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Ronald Darby (25) while running with the ball during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Eagles backfield punchers. The Commanders have one of the bottom five run defenses in the league, which should feed right into the Eagles’ recent recipe for success – running the ball – led, of course, by Saquon Barkley, who needs just nine yards to reach 1,000 for this season in just 10 games. Kenny Gainwell’s faulty blitz blocking aside, he has provided some decent relief when the opportunity presents itself, averaging 4.1 yards per carry on 38 runs with six catches for 43 yards.

Hurts is a big part of the Eagles’ fifth-ranked rushing attack, too, with 378 yards on the ground, which put puts him on pace to threaten his two best rushing seasons – 784 yards in 2021 and 760 in 2022.

Zach Ertz. The Commanders tight end is still a threat at age 34. This will be his first game back in Philadelphia since he was traded to the Cardinals near the 2021 trade deadline. The Eagles have done well against tight ends this season and have yet to give up a touchdown pass to one through nine games.

QUESTIONS

-Can Jalen Carter duplicate the iconic play in which he picked up Daniels with one arm and raising his other and signaling No. 1 while sacking Daniels during a college matchup between Carter’s Georgia Bulldawgs and Daniels’ LSU Tigers?

-Will the Eagles’ insane turnover pace continue? They have 10 in three games and have scored 33 points off those turnovers.

-What about the offense, can it run its streak of scoring 28-plus points to five games, which is the longest streak since the 2017 Super Bowl champs went seven games in a row doing it?

PREDICTION

Jaden Daniels and his top target Terry McLaurin are very good, but are they better than Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, a duo the Eagles handled well in beating the Bengals by 20 points three weeks ago? No. It’s hard to pick against the Eagles now, with an offense clicking and defense growing. It will be close, but the Eagles will win their sixth straight.

Eagles 28, Commanders 25

Series record: 4-5

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