Reinforcements Could Be On Way For Eagles And Commanders Ahead Of Clash

The Philadelphia Eagles can win the NFC East with a victory over Washington in Week 16, but what did head coach Nick Sirianni say about that?

Dec 1, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni walks down the sidelines during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Reinforcements could be on the way for the Eagles and Commanders, and perhaps they will arrive as early as Sunday, the teams’ second meeting of the season.

Philly opened the 21-day practice window for defensive end Bryce Huff’s return from injured reserve and Washington did the same for defensive tackle Jonathan Allen on Wednesday. The teams will play in Landover. Md., at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Huff has already missed the required four games after being put on IR following wrist surgery. Allen tore a pectoral muscle in Week 6 against the Ravens. He was reported to be lost for the remainder of the season, but he appears to be on track to return at some point this season.

Head coach Nick Sirianni, as is his wont, did not reveal any information as to when Huff could return.

“We’ll see how the week goes,” he said. “We’ll see however long it takes. We feel good about the guys that have been playing and the amount of snaps they’ve been playing Chuck’s (Harris) been doing a good job as well, and we have a lot of confidence in him.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, but yeah, Bryce is a good player, and we look forward to getting him back. We just don’t know quite when that will be quite yet.”

Huff wasn’t exactly lighting it up on defense, recording just 2.5 sacks this season after hitting 10 with the New York Jets last year. Still, he would be another piece defensive coordinator Vic Fangio could use to keep players fresh as they head into their final three games of the regular season and into the playoffs.

Eagles Edge Rusher Bryce Huff / John McMullen/Eagles on SI

“Bryce has been a good teammate,” said Sirianni. “For us, he’s had moments of playing well. I thought he was really doing a good job and making some plays. Thinking back to the Dallas game, he had a big sack and he’s been able to get pressure. We’re excited when we are able to get him back. We’re excited to have him back in there and rolling.”

The Eagles have won 10 in a row, a franchise record, beating the Commanders 28-18 on Nov. 14 and sit at 12-2. The Commanders have won two of three since losing to the Eagles and are 9-5 and currently the last playoff team into the field as the No. 7 seed.

With a win, the Eagles can clinch the NFC East for the third time in the last six years. They have already clinched a playoff spot while the Commanders are still trying to do that.

Just as he does with his injury reports, Sirianni did not want to get to much into looking ahead to what a win would mean.

“I know we’re pretty boring,” he said. “We’re getting ready to go play this game. I know that if we do win this game, that will happen, but all we can focus on is our preparation. We haven’t talked about that. We’ll talk about that after when we’re able to put the hat on or the T-shirt on there, that’s when we’ll talk about that.”

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