Adrian Fedkiw
The Philadelphia Eagles have an opportunity to exact some revenge Sunday when they travel to Washington to take on Kirk Cousins and the Redskins.
And who wouldn’t like that?
With the NFC East on the line last season in Week 16 at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles crumbled as they saw Cousins toss four touchdown passes against them in a devastating 38-24 loss.
Things have obviously changed since then. Chip Kelly is no longer here and Philadelphia has a fearless rookie quarterback that’s currently the top-rated passer in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
EAGLES PASSING GAME VS. REDSKINS PASS DEFENSE
PHI- 103.5 Passer Rating (5/32), 245 YPG (20/32)
WAS- 91.0 Passer Rating allowed (17/32), 262 YPG allowed (21/32)
Despite his first NFL loss and interception, there was still plenty of positives from hot-shot rookie Carson Wentz last Sunday against the Detroit Lions. I was waiting to see how Wentz would handle adversity, how he would react playing from behind.
I’ve got no complaints again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzDfwpUcdt8
No player broke out more in 2015 at the cornerback position than Josh Norman did and the 28-year-old was rewarded with a 5-year, 75 million dollar contract from the Redskins with 50 million of it guaranteed. Norman had his struggles during Training Camp against DeSean Jackson, but has been outstanding so far this season taking away the opponents’ top wide receiver. He’s a solid man corner, but excels in zone and the Redskins like to use a Cover 3 base defense.
But the Eagles’ top wideout Jordan Matthews works primarily from the slot and won’t have to worry going against Norman.
The Redskins have solid depth in the secondary. Bashaud Breeland appears like he might be on track to play for the first time since suffering an ankle injury in Week 3 against the New York Giants. Quinton Dunbar was reliable during his absence. It’s going to be tough sledding for Dorial Green-Beckham and Nelson Agholor.
Those cornerbacks aren’t bad, but the Eagles rely on their tight ends and running backs more than most teams due to the lack of depth at wide receiver. Zach Ertz underwhelmed last week in his return, catching just three passes for 37 yards. Ertz, however, has fared well against the Redskins in two of his previous three outings against them. He hauled in a career-high 15 receptions for 115 yards against them in Week 16 of the 2014 season and lit them up during the same week last year, racking up 13 catches for 122 yards. The Cover 3 is vulnerable against the seam throws and that’s what Ertz excels at.
So who will cover Ertz? Will it be a safety or will they turn to safety-turned-linebacker Su’a Cravens.
Lane Johnson’s 10-game suspension was upheld earlier this week, which means rookie fifth-round selection Halapoulivaati Vaitai will get the first crack at Johnson’s right tackle spot.
Vaitai struggled during the preseason, but he’s apparently taken a huge step forward since. He doesn’t take any first-team reps, but the coaching staff acknowledged he’s been holding his own against the defensive end trio of Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry and Connor Barwin. He’ll be going against Ryan Kerrigan, talk about getting thrown right into the fire.
Kerrigan has a very quick first step, but also the power to bull rush a tackle. His motor also runs hot. Kerrigan is a reliable tackler and uses leverage to get under blocks and make plays in the run game. In the passing game, he does a very good job of knocking passes down at the line of scrimmage. Vaitai is simply not going to be able to handle Kerrigan one-on-one consistently, but Pederson might be able to help him out with the tight ends. The Eagles, obviously, like to use a lot of two to three tight end sets. Whether they chip block or help double team, this is something to keep an eye on.
EAGLES RUNNING GAME VS. REDSKINS RUN DEFENSE
PHI- 4.1 YPC (15/32), 245 YPG (20/32)
WAS- 5.1 YPC allowed (32/32), 130 YPG allowed (30/32)
The Eagles need to take advantage of the Redskins’ woeful run defense. Tackling has been a huge issue for Washington.
Ryan Mathews, fresh of his catastrophic fumble late in the fourth quarter of Philly’s loss to Detroit, is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry this season after leading the NFL with 5.1 yards per carry last season. That yards per tote is 34th out of 39 qualified running backs. He hasn’t been explosive, posting just two runs of 10-or-more yards so far.
Really Ryan?!?! pic.twitter.com/5RvQlAe1bh
— Philly Influencer (@PHL_Influencer) October 9, 2016
Something has to give I guess, or maybe Pederson should consider utilizing Wendell Smallwood more. The first-year head coach explained Monday that Mathews will still be the lead back, however. Should he be? It’s still too early for him not to be, the ankle issue seems to be a reason for the struggles, but Smallwood needs to get more carries.
Smallwood thrived two weeks ago during the Eagles’ 34-3 blowout win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, carrying the ball 17 times for 79 yards and a touchdown. But the one-cut runner didn’t get a single carry Sunday. That’s baffling to me. He’s very decisive and gets downhill quickly. He runs through holes with a balanced pad level, which allows him to spin off would-be tacklers. He’s not flashy or creative, but gets the job done.
Get him out there Doug, make it happen!
Again going back to Big V, we’ll see how Johnson’s suspension affects the running game because Lane is a great run blocker.
REDSKINS PASSING GAME VS. EAGLES PASS DEFENSE
PHI- 80.1 Passer Rating allowed (9/32), 194 YPG allowed (6/32)
WAS- 91.1 Passer Rating (16/32), 280 YPG (7/32)
The numbers for Kirk Cousins look solid, a 67.2 percent completion percentage to go with 1,432 yards and seven touchdowns, but he’s missed a ton of open receivers and the five interceptions haven’t been pretty either. Sinking zone defenders have been Cousins’ dilemma and he tends to look onto receivers more than he should. The defenders are simply reading Cousins’ eyes and making plays on the ball.
The Eagles might be getting a break Sunday if Redskins tight end Jordan Reed can’t go. He was evaluated for a concussion Wednesday after experiencing symptoms during workouts Tuesday. It would potentially be the sixth concussion of his career. Cousins’ favorite target, Reed, has 33 receptions for 316 yards and two touchdowns so far this year. He had nine catches for 129 yards and two scores in last year’s 38-24 Week 16 win against the Eagles, which ended their season.
Even without Reed, however, Cousins will still have weapons at his disposal in speedster DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon. Jamison Crowder and rookie first-rounder Josh Doctson. If the Eagles can’t generate pressure against one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, it might be a tough day for the secondary.
At 6’5, 337, Redskins left tackle Trent Williams is a beast of a man, but also possesses good feet for a man of that girth. Williams positions his hands well in pass protection and has a strong punch. He has great range using those feet, which allows him to be patient and play under control.The underrated Morgan Moses will start opposite of him at right tackle. It’ll be fun to see what the trio of Graham, Barwin and Curry can do against those tackles.
REDSKINS RUNNING GAME VS. EAGLES RUN DEFENSE
PHI- 3.9 YPC allowed (12/32), 73.3 YPG allowed (3/32)
WAS- 4.1 YPC (13/32), 86.4 YPG (25/32)
The Redskins have pretty much been one dimensional on offense despite a 4.1 yards per carry clip, which isn’t bad, but have carried the ball just 105 times, which is 25th in the NFL.
Alfred Morris is gone following a very solid four-year run. The featured back Matt Jones has size to go with a muscular frame. He’s a downhill back, but doesn’t always maximize his yardage, although he rarely runs for anything negative. He gained just 31 yards on 14 carries last week. Chris Thompson is the pass catching threat coming out of the backfield.
The Eagles shouldn’t have much trouble stopping Washington’s rushing attack, at least you’d think. Washington’s offensive line is better in pass protection than run blocking.
PREDICTION- 23-20 Eagles