Dan Quinn was excited to lead his Washington Commanders into their NFC East matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, despite the short week of preparation.
The first-year Washington coach expressed his enthusiasm for the game, saying, “This is what division games should be — an absolute blast,” adding, “Philadelphia and Washington battling for it? Hell yeah!”
The Eagles (7-2) have won five straight games and overtook the Commanders (7-3) for the top spot in the division after their big win over Dallas on Sunday. Meanwhile, Washington lost a close game to Pittsburgh.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, on the other hand, wasn’t as excited about the quick turnaround. He called the preparation for Thursday night games “a pain in the butt,” explaining that everything has to be squeezed into less time.
“A lot of guys will have big bags under their eyes at the end of the week,” Sirianni said, “but we’ve got to do what we need to do as coaches to get the guys ready.”
Philadelphia appeared ready for Dallas, even though the Cowboys were missing quarterback Dak Prescott. The Eagles shut out Dallas in the second half, scoring 27 unanswered points to win 34-6.
Jalen Hurts accounted for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing), and the Eagles defense forced five turnovers while limiting the Cowboys to just 146 yards of total offense. This was the fifth consecutive game that Philadelphia allowed under 280 yards.
Philadelphia’s defense is ranked second in the NFL in yards allowed (274.1 per game) and tied for fifth in points allowed (17.9 per game). However, linebacker Nakobe Dean noted that the defense still feels they have more room to improve. “I don’t think you ever say that you have ‘arrived’ as a defense,” Dean said. “It doesn’t work that way in this league.”
The Eagles defense will face a challenge from Washington’s rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels. The No. 2 overall pick has been impressive, completing 68.7% of his passes for 2,147 yards, nine touchdowns, and just two interceptions. Daniels has also added 464 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
Washington’s offense is one of the best in the NFL, tied for third in scoring (29 points per game) and fourth in total yards (377 yards per game). However, they were upset in their last game against Pittsburgh, blowing a 10-point second-half lead and losing 20-17 after a late touchdown by the Steelers.
Despite the tough loss, Washington right guard Sam Cosmi kept the team focused and motivated. “I wanted them to know that what we have here is still special,” Cosmi said after the game. “No matter what, we still keep fighting.”
The Commanders and Eagles will meet again in Week 16 in Washington. Philadelphia has won five of the last six matchups, including sweeps in both the 2021 and 2023 seasons.
Philadelphia has been dealing with some injury concerns. Starting left tackle Jordan Mailata (hamstring) returned to practice this week, but cornerback Darius Slay and tight end Dallas Goedert are both managing ankle injuries. They, along with linebacker Nakobe Dean (groin) and wide receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring), were limited in Tuesday’s practice.
Washington has its own injury issues. Recently acquired cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) did not practice on Tuesday, and running back Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) has missed the last two games but was a limited participant in practice.
Other players on the injury report include center Tyler Biadasz (ribs, thumb, foot), right tackle Andrew Wylie (shoulder), left tackle Brandon Coleman (shoulder), and defensive end Clelin Ferrell (knee).
