ASHBURN — The NFL season isn’t decided in November. But for the Washington Commanders, Thursday’s trip to Philadelphia to face the Eagles could decide the trajectory for the remainder of the season.
Despite a hot start, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the 7-3 Commanders have struggled against top-tier competition, recording losses in each of their games against last season’s playoff teams.
They’ll have a shot to course-correct Thursday against the 7-2 Eagles, who lost in the first round of the postseason last year. After a 2-2 start, Philadelphia has rattled off five consecutive wins, including dominant performances in its last three games.
Entering Thursday’s game, the Commanders have a 77% chance to make the playoffs, according to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats. With a win, Washington would regain the division lead and hold a 90% chance to earn a postseason berth. A loss would grant the Eagles a 1½ game lead in the NFC East, dropping the Commanders’ odds to 70%, likely forcing them into a dogfight for a wild-card spot.
Those are high stakes for an already tough divisional matchup on a short week. The Commanders insist they’re not thinking about the long-term impacts, though.
“Within the locker room and within the team, it’s like, ‘Hey, just go out there; we’re playing ball; it’s another game and we gotta go out there and give our best,’” Daniels said, claiming that the stakes haven’t impacted their preparation. “I know we’re going to get Philly’s best.”
Commanders coach Dan Quinn led the charge, urging his players to focus on one game at a time.
“That’s not a coaching cop-out, either,” he said. “I just honestly want to stay in the pocket of where we’re at. I don’t want us to miss a step on this journey.”
Getting healthy is the next step for many of Quinn’s players.
Cornerback Marshon Lattimore, acquired at the trade deadline, missed practice this week with a hamstring injury. Kicker Austin Seibert was kept on the sidelines as he recovers from an issue with his hip. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. has been limited in practice while he nurses his hamstring injury.
But the injury bug has bitten the offensive line the hardest. Offensive tackles Andrew Wylie, Brandon Coleman and Cornelius Lucas joined center Tyler Biadasz on the injury report this week with a slew of injuries.
Outside observers might view the short week as a detriment to the injury-riddled squad, but Quinn would disagree.
“It favors a group like ours. This is a really tough-minded group,” he said of the quick turnaround. “If you told them [the game] was going to be on a Wednesday, they’d be down for it.”
The division-leading Eagles present another stiff challenge for a Commanders group that’s still sore from Sunday’s 28-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Philadelphia’s offense has hit a steady stride in recent weeks, boosted in large part by running back Saquon Barkley. The two-time Pro Bowler has put on highlight performances since joining the Eagles this offseason, including a jaw-dropping backward hurdle against the Jacksonville Jaguars two weeks ago.
“He’s always been someone that you have to look out for, a dynamic player, and he’s always been fun to watch,” Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner said before heaping praise on the hurdle against Jacksonville. ”It’s just something that, when you’re that gifted, you can do some amazing things.”
The Eagles’ defense is similarly talented, with highly-touted rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean patrolling the secondary and defensive linemen Jalen Carter and Josh Sweat anchoring the front.
“They’ve got some hard-nosed players,” Wylie said. “I think the strength of their team is in that front seven and the line that’s up front is going to be big this week.”
Sweat and Carter have combined for eight and a half sacks in their first season with Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
“Vic from a system standpoint is really strong and a lot of it is from the disguised look. Is it quarters? Is it cover three? They have a very solid way of disguising that,” Quinn said. “And using that, all of that is driven by the ability of the guys up front.”
After a short week of practice and a crash course on the Eagles’ schemes, the Commanders have a chance to regain the division lead in primetime on Thursday night.
“Philly on a Thursday night is gonna be rocking. It’s gonna get a little hostile, but that’s part of the game. It’s truly special,” Wylie said. “We welcome it. It’s gonna be a great time.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.