PHILADELPHIA (6-1) at WASHINGTON (3-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
BETTING LINE: Eagles by 6 1/2 according to FanDuel Sportsbook
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Philadelphia 5-1-1; Washington 3-4
SERIES RECORD: Washington leads 89-83-5.
LAST MEETING: Eagles beat the Commanders 34-31 in overtime at Philadelphia on Oct. 1.
LAST WEEK: Eagles beat the Dolphins 31-17; Commanders lost to the Giants 14-7.
EAGLES OFFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (4), PASS (9), SCORING (4)
EAGLES DEFENSE: OVERALL (6), RUSH (1), PASS (18), SCORING (15)
COMMANDERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (26), PASS (19), SCORING (20)
COMMANDERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (29), RUSH (22), PASS (28), SCORING (29)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Eagles minus-2; Commanders minus-1
EAGLES PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jalen Hurts, who’s expected to play through an injured left knee. He’s 4-2 against Washington in his career, throwing for 1,416 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. How much Hurts is limited by the injury/how quick coach Nick Sirianni is to go to backup Marcus Mariota bears watching.
COMMANDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: LB Jamin Davis. With veteran Cody Barton not expected to play after spraining his left ankle last week at New York, Davis is again in the spotlight. The 2021 first-round pick was exploited at times by the Giants and will be in charge of containing not only Hurts but Philadelphia’s running game of D’Andre Swift, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott.
KEY MATCHUP: The Eagles pass rush against the Commanders offensive line and Sam Howell. Philadelphia has the second-most sacks in the NFL. Howell is the most sacked quarterback in the NFL. Washington has given up 40 this season, including six to the Giants, and changes are expected along the O-line. Will that be enough, or will Howell suffer the same result as Carson Wentz in this matchup last season when he was sacked nine times.
KEY INJURIES: Eagles CB Bradley Roby is dealing with a shoulder injury. … Beyond Barton, the Commanders could be without starting LG Saahdiq Charles (calf). WR Curtis Samuel also has a foot injury that sidelined him earlier this week.
SERIES NOTES: The Eagles have won four of the past five meetings and 10 of the past 13. … Washington’s only win since Sirianni joined Philadelphia was on the road on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022, when the Commanders handed the Eagles their first loss of the season. … The Eagles and Chiefs are tied for the best record in the league. They met in the Super Bowl last season, which was won by Kansas City.
STATS AND STUFF: Philadelphia is 23-2 in the past 25 regular-season games started by Hurts. … Hurts’ 32 career rushing touchdowns is tied for the most by a QB in franchise history. … WR A.J. B rown had 10 catches for 137 yards and a TD against Miami. He’s the third player to have 125-plus yards receiving in five consecutive games. … WR DeVonta Smith had eight catches for a career-high 169 yards against the Commanders in Week 4. … DT Jalen Carter leads rookies with 3 1/2 sacks. … LB Haason Reddick has had a sack against Washington in five consecutive meetings. … CB Darius Slay picked off Tua Tagovailoa last week for his 28th career interception. … The Commanders dropped back to pass 52 times compared to 19 rushing attempts in the loss at New York. Coach Ron Rivera chalked it up to developing a young QB. … Howell was sacked six times by the Giants while passing for 249 yards. … WR Terry McLaurin was targeted just once in the first half last week and finished with six catches for 90 yards. … EDGE Chase Young is coming off his first career two-sack game. … Rookie CB Emmanuel Forbes, who was dominated by Hurts and Brown in the first meeting this season, was benched not long after. The first-round pick had just five defensive snaps against the Giants.
FANTASY TIP: Given Washington’s lack of linebacker depth, absence of starting safety Darrick Forrest and general inability to cover big receivers, TE Dallas Goedert should be a popular option for Hurts.
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