Adrian Fedkiw
Three games left and the Philadelphia Eagles still control their own destiny.
At Washington, vs. Dallas, at New York.
Three wins and you’re in!
EAGLES PASSING GAME VS. REDSKINS PASS DEFENSE
PHI- 89.6 PASSER RATING (15/32), 229.5 YPG (17/32)
WAS- 96.0 PASSER RATING ALLOWED (22/32), 225.0 YPG ALLOWED (11/32)
Call it a comeback.
Trailing 17-3, Carson Wentz went and put the Eagles on his back in the second half, leading them down the field for the game-tying touchdown drive in regulation and then the game-winner in overtime. Down to practice squad players, a tight end and nearly Josh McCown at wide receiver, Wentz was pinpoint with his accuracy, putting the ball on the proper shoulder and allowing for maximum yardage after the catch.
Prior to this game, Wentz had come in pressing and as his accuracy wavered, so did seemingly his confidence.
Has he turned the corner or are the Giants, who have now lost nine in a row by the way, just a really back football team? Probably a mixture of both, but these were the drives late in the fourth quarter and overtime that we wanted to see from Wentz.
Alshon Jeffery is out for the rest of the regular season with a Lisfranc injury suffered on Monday night. He finished the year with 43 receptions for 490 yards and four touchdowns. That leaves rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Greg Ward and Robert Davis, who was just promoted from the practice squad, as the only healthy wide receivers on the roster. Josh Perkins is listed as a tight end, but can also line out as a wideout.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was asked if he was concerned about the lack of healthy bodies at the wide receiver position.
“I look at it as nine bodies, with tight ends, runners and receivers, so we have everything covered that way. We have a plan to the plan to the plan to the plan if we lose a guy during the course of the game. It’s where we are right now as a team, as an offense.
Guys are working extremely hard. I’m excited about the guys that get an opportunity. You’ve seen the improvement with [WR] J.J. [Arcega-Whiteside], you’ve seen the improvement with [WR] Greg Ward, and [RB] Boston Scott coming on now. So, I’m looking forward to watching these guys play.”
And what about Davis, who just got promoted to the roster?
“Again, just like [WR] Greg [Ward], when Greg was on practice squad, Robert has been working with our offense even prior to being active.
What I’ve seen is I’ve seen a bigger, physical guy, a really good route runner. He’s smart. He’s played in games. He’s a guy that just understands his role, what we’re asking him to do, and the positions we’re putting him in.
We have to be smart with that, with having three young players in there, but at the same time, we’re not going to hold back and handcuff any of them.”
Going back to Pederson’s nine bodies statement, I do expect to see Boston Scott to be incorporated into the passing game the same way he was in the second half Monday when he caught six balls for 69 yards. He’ll be used in the screen game, he’ll run some swings into the flat and may even line up from the slot.
This is the best angle on the Boston Scott juke. pic.twitter.com/cZ6HADnTpC
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) December 11, 2019
EAGLES RUNNING GAME VS. REDSKINS RUN DEFENSE
PHI- 4.2 YPC (19/32), 118.7 YPG (13/32)
WAS- 4.3 YPC ALLOWED (18/32), 134.8 YPG ALLOWED (27/32)
Scott helped rev up the Eagles’ running game on Monday night, carrying the ball 10 times for 59 yards. Prior to his emergence, Miles Sanders wasn’t averaging three yards per tote and Jay Ajayi totaled five yards on two rushes.
“He brought an energy, got out there and made people miss,” Eagles offensive coordinator Mike Groh said of Scott. “Made some exciting, loud plays. Got the fans energized and excited, got his teammates excited. He really provided the spark and I think people fed off of that, I really do.”
There will most likely be no Jordan Howard for a fourth straight week with a shoulder stinger.
REDSKINS PASSING GAME VS. EAGLES PASS DEFENSE
PHI- 92.0 PASSER RATING ALLOWED (17/32), 237.1 YPG ALLOWED (17/32)
WAS- 96.0 PASSER RATING (11/32), 161.3 YPG (32/32)
Rookie Redskins quarterback and the 15th overall pick Dwayne Haskins has been inconsistent during his freshman campaign in the NFL. He has tossed three touchdowns, seven interceptions and has taken 26 sacks so far during his seven starts.
“Not everything is going to go your way when you first start playing; that’s something I learned throughout my time so far as a rookie,” Haskins said. “Eventually, that time will come for me to be able to play at a high level, but right now I’m just continuing on working on getting better every day.”
Besides a pair of deep touchdown catches by Darius Slayton for 55 and 35 yards, respectively, on Ronald Darby Monday, the Eagles’ secondary pretty much shut Eli Manning and the Giants’ offense down. Those deep balls, however, have presented a challenge at times for the Eagles’ cornerbacks this season, including Week 1 when Redskins rookie wideout Terry McLaurin caught five balls for 125 yards. One of those receptions was a 69-yard touchdown.
Washington interim head coach Bill Callahan believes Haskins is growing each and every week. He has seen improvements with his recognition and getting through his progressions. He also likes the calm and poise that he possesses.
“We see a growth pattern there. He’s not as slow as he was (against Buffalo),” Callahan said. “He’s not a repetitive mistake player.”
Haskins explained during his presser that the Redskins are going to try and get the ball out quickly against Philly, which was a recipe for Ryan Fitzpatrick in Miami’s 37-31 upset win over the Birds. Washington, however, has gotten off to 14-0 deficits the last two contests.
REDSKINS RUNNING GAME VS. EAGLES RUN DEFENSE
PHI- 4.0 YPC ALLOWED (7/32), 89.6 YPG ALLOWED (3/32)
WAS- 4.6 YPC (7/32), 101.1 YPG (20/32)
The 34-year-old Adrian Peterson needs 282 yards to get to 1,000 for the season and he’ll get more of an opportunity to carry the rock after Derrius Guice was placed on injured reserve for a second time this year, this time with a knee injury.
“I’ll get there,” Peterson said of reaching 1,000.
Even at 34, Peterson has no plans of slowing down.
“I’m going to keep going,” Peterson said. “My body is feeling good. I’m still loving the game. Obviously, I can still play and perform at a high level, so why walk away from it now?”
Last season a 33-year-old Peterson became the oldest back to eclipse 1,000 yards in 34 years, becoming the fifth player at least 33 to accomplish to feat. But just two players have gone over 1,000 at 34, John Henry Johnson in 1964 and former Washington legend John Riggins in 1983 and 1984.
Riggins ran for 1,239 yards at age 35.
PREDICTION: The Redskins are a run-heavy team, which fits into the Eagles’ strengths on defense. It might be an adventure moving the ball at times, but I expect the Eagles to come away with the victory.
EAGLES 20-13