The Eagles (4-10-1) are home to finish out the season against Washington (6-9). The Eagles are playing for pride, but Washington is playing for the division title.
To the predictions:
Reuben Frank (6-9)
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Brett Toth and Matt Pryor at tackle. K’Von Wallace and Grayland Arnold at safety. Michael Jacquet at cornerback. Not to mention Joe Ostman, Joe Bachie, Elijah Riley, Rudy Ford, T.Y. McGill and Caleb Wilson and who knows who else. This is going to look more like a preseason game for the Eagles than anything. All any Eagles fan can hope for is that Jalen Hurts plays well, a few of the young guys do some promising things, nobody gets seriously hurt, Ron Rivera gets into the playoffs, the Cowboys stay out of the playoffs and let’s end this miserable 2020 Eagles season the right way: With a loss.
Washington 23, Eagles 20
Dave Zangaro (6-9)
It would be very typical of the Eagles to win a game when they’re really not trying to win a game. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. The Eagles are going to be without Fletcher Cox, Derek Barnett, Jordan Mailata, DeSean Jackson, Miles Sanders, Dallas Goedert, basically any good player with a paper cut upwards isn’t playing in this game. And Washington will be heading to the playoffs with a win. Sorry to the winner of Giants-Cowboys but you’re going to come up just short.
NFL
Washington 26, Eagles 13
Ray Didinger (7-8)
Alex Smith took first team reps on Thursday so it appears he will be at quarterback for Washington on Sunday. If so, I think Washington will win the game and claim first place in the feeble NFC East.
Smith missed the last two games with a strained calf and Washington lost both games, but the team is 4-1 in Smith's starts this season. He doesn't put up big numbers but unlike the recently deposed Dwayne Haskins he doesn't make the kind of mistakes that lose games. I don't expect Smith to scorch the Eagles with big plays the way Andy Dalton did last Sunday, but I don't think he will have to. Washington's D-line should feast on what's left of the Eagles offense and allow the WFT to win a low scoring game.
The recent trend in this division series is for the team that wins the first game to also win the second. The Eagles swept the series the last three years, Washington swept the two years before that. This season opened with a Washington victory, I think it will close the same way.
Washington 20, Eagles 16
Barrett Brooks (6-9)
This situation is new to me. I'm used to having 17 Pre and Post Game Live shows for the past three seasons. What am I going to occupy my Sunday with next week? I must admit that last week's Dallas loss was hard to swallow. I would have rather won last week's game and got swept by the Washington Football Team than losing to the Cowboys! Losing to Dallas is sacrilegious.
Going into the last week of the Bird's season, there was so much going on in this Eagles organization, and everyone wants to know how the QB situation will unfold for next year. Will Doug Pederson keep his job or will Howie Roseman be fired are questions that have been debated for the past five to six weeks. If anyone wanted my opinion, nothing would change as we enter next season. I think roles will become more defined in personnel selections and play calling.
But I will tell you what the locker room is thinking from a player's point of view: they are focused only on the win! They don't care about anything but kicking Washington's Football Team’s ass! This team will play for Pederson and whoever is playing QB on the field! The Eagles will end the WFT’s season Sunday night! Spoilers of the NFC East!
Eagles 26, Washington 24
Mike Mulhern (7-8)
It’s interesting to look back at the first matchup between the Eagles and Washington and think about the collective positivity around Carson Wentz and company at the time. They built a quick 17-0 lead and It felt like the team was back to top form, poised to push their way to double digit wins. Wentz looked rejuvenated and finally ready to put his injury woes in the past.
Now just 16 weeks later, we’ve seen the entire season crumble in similarly spectacular fashion as that lead. Major questions persist at every level of the organization, most especially about the quarterback position. Wentz will be a spectator for the fourth straight week as the franchise tries to cull enough information from Jalen Hurts down the stretch to make as informed an opinion as possible about the future under center.
The questions on Sunday night will be as much about availability and effort as anything else. Do the Eagles hold out anyone nursing an injury? Will the players that do suit up be more interested in getting to their offseason than spoiling Washington’s postseason hopes? The answer to the former is a resounding yes. I fear it’ll be the same for the latter. It will It will be tough to swallow watching another team celebrate winning the NFC East crown on your home field, but ultimately the season will end the same way it began.
Washington 27, Eagles 17
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