The Philadelphia Eagles had a great win last Sunday night against the Miami Dolphins. It was the first game that they showed off their potential against one of the other top teams in the NFL. The offense really dictated the game by controlling the ball and making the Dolphins play a physical game that favored the Eagles. It serves as a great reminder of the ceiling that the Eagles can reach and what a complete football team they really are.
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However, two things are important for the Eagles to show this week against the Washington Commanders. First is the ability to put out quality performances offensively like last week consistently. Second is the ability to learn from past mistakes and to keep adapting their schemes and game plans. The Commanders are coming off a 14-7 loss against the New York Giants. Still, they gave the Eagles a tough game back in Week 4 and may be able to do so again.
Eagles vs Commanders Picks
Eagles Problems Back in Week 4
The previous matchup between the Eagles and the Commanders ended in a narrow 34-31 overtime win for the Eagles. The biggest problem in that game for the Eagles was the Commanders passing game. They were routinely able to find receivers down the field and create chunk plays that helped them move down the field.
Even though the Eagles pass rush was great that game, the soft coverages allowed the Commanders to negate the rush by either gaining the yards back after a sack or more often being able to get the ball out before the Eagles pass rush got to the quarterback. If they are hoping for an easier game this time, they must challenge the Commanders receivers more. Press this time and make it hard for Commanders quarterback Sam Howell to get the ball out quickly.
What the Eagles Have Done Better Since Week 4
A positive aspect going into this game is that the Eagles defensive coordinator, Sean Desai, has been experimenting more with the secondary and coverages they have been running. Specifically, the Eagles have been allowing less space at the line of scrimmage with different coverages week to week.
However, sometimes it has put members of the Eagles secondary in precarious positions in man coverage against star receivers. Last week, the Eagles experimented more with doubling Tyreek Hill, which saw mixed results.
They also saw major success in running Cover 2 coverage among a variety of different coverages which limited the Dolphins offense. The takeaway though is that Desai and the Eagles coaching staff are continuing to learn week to week and adapting to find the right way for the Eagles defense to play. They should look back at their first game with the Commanders and see the problems. Expect a lot more press and a lot less easy completions for the Commanders this week.
Eagles played a ton of cover 2, I had them at slightly under 40% on the game. Great game plan with some great plays in the secondary. Got enough pressure with mostly sending 4 for the majority of the game. pic.twitter.com/tkIqR6alFz
— coachkou (@coachkou) October 24, 2023
Eagles vs Commanders Picks: The Bottom Line
Eagles Win 37-17
The loss against the Jets and the great performance against the Dolphins may have been enough for the Eagles to finally kick it into high gear. They have been slowly improving throughout the whole year and are close to getting back to the form of last season. Expect the Eagles to establish the run game better this time and control time of possession. The new acquisition of Kevin Byard could play a factor here, but even if it doesn’t expect a better and more aggressive showing from the Eagles secondary. The Commanders have struggled as of late, losing two of their last three games since Week 4. They are known to give some problems to the Eagles, however, and they could do so again. But the Eagles need to show that last week was the type of performance they can put forth consistently.
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