On the heels of their first loss of the season, the Eagles (3-1) enter the nation's capital Sunday for their NFC East opener against the Redskins (3-2). Washington started its 2016 campaign with two losses, but has reeled off three straight wins to put itself right in the thick of the division picture.
The Redskins came out on top of both matchups with the Birds last season en route to a 9-7 finish and their first NFC East title since 2012.
To learn more about this year's Redskins, here's what they're saying about the Eagles' Week 6 opponent.
Adjusting to life without Jordan Reed
During the week, Jordan Reed was diagnosed with a concussion and, while he hasn't officially been ruled out, the fourth-year tight end is questionable for Sunday's game.
It goes without saying, but Reed being held out of the lineup would be a major blow to Washington's passing attack. Reed leads the Redskins in targets (46), receptions (33) and receiving yards (316), and is tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns with two.
According to John Keim of ESPN.com, if Reed can't give it a go against the Eagles it will have a long-reaching impact across the Redskins' offensive game plan, starting with quarterback Kirk Cousins, who will be going up against the NFL’s sixth-ranked passing defense without his favorite target.
"Over the past two seasons, when Reed is on the field Cousins owns a 102.3 passer rating, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He’s thrown 32 touchdown passes to 12 interceptions. Without him on the field, Cousins has an 84.4 rating with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions," Keim wrote. "Reed missed two games with a concussion last season, both losses. Cousins threw two touchdowns and four interceptions (in one loss, Jackson and left tackle Trent Williams also were sidelined). Since the start of the 2015 season, Cousins has targeted Reed 159 times — 19 more than any other receiver — and owns a 117.6 passer rating when targeting him. Last season, Reed caught nine passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 16 win against the Eagles."
NFL
Chris Thompson set up for a breakout game?
Theo Riddick burned the Eagles through the air with six catches for 33 yards and two touchdowns in the Lions' 23-22 Week 5 win. Riddick's playmaking ability as a pass-catching running back caused the Eagles' defense problems, especially in the first half.
While Chris Thompson doesn't have quite the production that Riddick has behind him, Thompson is a similar tailback. This season, he has 12 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown.
With Jordan Reed's status up in the air Thompson could wind up playing a valuable role against the Eagles, according to the Washington Times' Tommy Chalk.
"Thompson’s unique skill set is extremely valuable to an NFL offense," Chalk wrote. "Not many teams possess a running back that can catch balls from the backfield as well as Thompson. That allows McVay to deploy Thompson in virtually any offensive scenario in a number of different ways … With Cousins’ top target, Reed, already questionable for Sunday with a concussion, Cousins may look Thompson’s way a bit more, as Thompson automatically becomes one of his more reliable options."
Ryan Kerrigan should have his way
With Lane Johnson set to begin serving his 10-game suspension, rookie fifth-round pick Halapoulivaati Vaitai will be taking over the starting right tackle duties in his NFL debut on Sunday. Vaitai’s baptism by fire will be begin with a tough matchup against Ryan Kerrigan.
Kerrigan has recorded more than seven sacks in each season since he entered the league in 2011 and, according to CSN Mid-Atlantic's Rich Tandler, the Pro Bowl linebacker should have his way against Vaitai.
“This is supposed to be Preston Smith’s permanent spot on this list but Kerrigan is the one who should shine this day," Tandler wrote. "The Eagles’ first offensive play will be the first NFL play for fifth-round pick Halapouliavatti Vaitai, who will play in the place of suspended right tackle Lane Johnson. That should be a favorable matchup for left OLB Kerrigan, who will be close to full strength after dealing with an elbow injury last week."
DeSean Jackson wants to play a bigger role
In the Redskins' last two games, DeSean Jackson has just four catches for 40 yards, and on the season, the former Eagle has 18 catches for 272 yards and a touchdown. Jackson wants to be more involved in the offense and this could be the week he works his way back into the mix. In his three career games against his former team, Jackson has 13 receptions for 283 yards and one touchdown.
Mike Jones of the Washington Post listed five key matchups to watch for on Sunday and had DeSean Jackson pitted up against Nolan Carroll as one to watch for.
"Look for a highly motivated Jackson against the former Terp Carroll; he’s champing at the bit to make a bigger impact after two quiet weeks," Jones wrote. "Although he says the extra motivation to beat his former team has worn off, and that this is “just another great opportunity to go out and try to win a game,” Jackson does badly want to get the victory and play a large role in that outcome. He doesn’t want one or two catches, he says, but 10."
Predictions
Despite the momentum being on the Redskins' side entering this matchup, most of the national experts are picking the Eagles, who are three-point road favorites, to leave FedEx Field with a victory Sunday.
ESPN: Five of nine experts picked the Eagles
CBS Sports: Seven of eight experts picked the Eagles
FOX Sports: Four of five experts picked the Eagles