The Eagles (6-7) head on the road to face the Redskins (3-10) at FedEx Field on Sunday afternoon.
To the predictions:
Reuben Frank (6-7)
This is a tricky one. Short Week. On the road. A Redskins team that’s 3-10 but is still competitive. A defense that’s 11th-best in the league since Week 5. And a rematch with the Cowboys looming a week later. Who the heck knows which Eagles team will show up at FedEx Field Sunday? The one that got embarrassed by the Dolphins and for a half against the Giants? Or the one that woke up after halftime Monday night? Only three times in 13 games have the Eagles outscored their opponent in both halves (Jets, Packers, Bills), and it’s tough to win consistently when you can’t put together a complete game. Ultimately, I think they’ll find a way, like they did last week. But I fully expect the Eagles to scare the crap out of their fans for 2 1/2 hours before they escape Prince George’s County with a win.
Eagles 20, Redskins 17
Dave Zangaro (7-6)
This doesn’t feel like a slam dunk to me, but the Eagles should still win it. They’re facing a rookie quarterback and Jim Schwartz defenses have traditionally feasted on rookie quarterbacks. I don’t expect that to be any different on Sunday. Will the Eagles be able to score? That’s a more salient question and the answer is probably not a lot. But I think they’ll be able to do enough offensively to leave with a win and set themselves up for a Week 16 NFC title game the following week.
Eagles 21, Redskins 16
Derrick Gunn (6-7)
If there’s one thing we’ve learned about this Eagles team this season, it's that every week is not just a job, it’s an adventure. What should have been a cakewalk against an inferior Giants opponent turned out to be a nail-biter. Now we move forward to another potential trap game. The Redskins are just as big of a mess as the Giants are. Jay Gruden didn’t even get to finish out the campaign. Bill Callahan now guides the 'Skins to the finish line of what has been a disaster of a year. Rookie Dwayne Haskins is playing a lot sooner than expected, and it has been a rocky road for him to say the least. In seven games, Haskins has completed just 55 percent of his passes. He’s averaging just 149.4 passing yards per game, with three touchdowns and seven interceptions, and has been sacked 26 times. The Eagles remember Terry McLaurin from the season opener. He is going to be a star in the future. Promising Derrius Guice is out for the year, which means 34-year old Adrian Peterson is their feature back. The Skins’ defense is ranked 18th overall, but 27th against the run. Yet they have the personnel to match up with the Birds’ depleted offense.
NFL
Speaking of the Eagles’ offense, Carson Wentz played like a franchise QB in the second half against the Giants, and they may need another heroic performance like that against Washington. If Nelson Agholor is unable to go, Wentz will be without his top three receivers, his Pro Bowl right tackle, and lead running back. Robert Davis, fresh off the practice squad, has been added to a wide receiving corp of Greg Ward Jr. and JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Boston Scott showed he can be an effective change of pace from Miles Sanders. Scott, Davis, Whiteside, Ward and Josh Perkins are not names we thought the Eagles would be depending on to save the season, but it’s all they have. The Birds’ defense will do its job to keep the Skins scoring on the low side (hopefully remembering Miami). This one has ugly written all over it, but I’m taking the Birds to come out on the pretty side.
Eagles 19, Redskins 13
Ray Didinger (5-8)
The Redskins aren't just the lowest ranked offense in the NFL. They are the lowest by a mile. They have scored just 188 points. The league average is 294. They are dead last in six different offensive categories.
Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins has three touchdown passes and seven interceptions. His passer rating is an abysmal 61.2. Tip of the cap to Adrian Peterson, who just became only the sixth back in NFL history to rush for 14,000 yards but at age 34, he can only do so much.
The Eagles' offense is short on healthy bodies but they should have enough to get past this wreck of a team. There is no home field advantage in Washington any more. The fans have abandoned the Redskins. It is a baseball and hockey town now. Nice work killing off a great franchise, Dan Snyder.
Eagles 23, Redskins 14
Andrew Kulp (7-6)
This is a dangerous game. I don't have any sense the Eagles — with all their injuries on offense — are going on the road and blowing the doors off anybody, let alone a Washington showing signs of life the last few weeks.
That being said, I can't possibly pick Dwayne Haskins here, especially with the Eagles built to eliminate Washington's run game. It will be closer than it has any right to be, but that's what my pick boils down to.
Eagles 20, Redskins 17
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