Clinchmas Is on the Horizon
With three weeks to go in the regular season, playoff spots are starting to be snatched up.
With the Broncos, Seahawks, and Rams the first teams to clinch playoff spots, many more will soon follow.
Including the Eagles, whose magic number jumped from No. 3 all the way to No. 1 on Sunday following a Raiders blowout and a Cowboys season that’s nearly over, courtesy of “Nine” and the Minnesota Vikings.
And the Eagles’ first opportunity to punch their ticket into the postseason comes a day earlier this week with a Saturday night game against the Washington Commanders.
The Last Match
January 26th, 2025, was the last time these teams saw each other. In an NFC Championship Game division matchup. To end a conversation:
What would happen if Jalen Hurts played all 4 quarters of the Week 16 loss?
A game that saw the Eagles take a quick 14-0 lead, which saw Hurts exit due to a concussion just 5 minutes into the game. The final score ended 36-33 after the Eagles’ defense couldn’t get a stop, and the offense, led by Kenny Pickett, could barely pick up a first down.
To open the NFC championship game, the Commanders led an 18-play, 54-yard drive that included two 4th down conversions and finished with 3 points. The Eagles’ answer to that drive? This is Saquon Barkley 60 60-yard TD on the Eagles’ opening play of the game.
What followed was an absolute rout. The Eagles saw a 12-point halftime lead before they took things personally and finished the game with a 21-point 4th quarter after forcing two turnovers by the Commanders.
Now, things will look a little different.
Saturday Night
Jayden Daniels has since been shut down for the season due to multiple injuries that have sidelined him for weeks at a time. Instead, the Eagles will face their former backup QB, Marcus Mariota, who has led his current team to a 1-3 record.
Having been eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago, the Commanders will have nothing to play for but draft position and an attempt to foil the Eagles’ playoff/seeding hopes.
However, with a laundry list of injuries ranging from Laremy Tunsil to Colson Yankoff, they are listed as out for this week. With names like Trey Amos, Luke McCaffrey, Zach Ertz, Marshon Lattimore, and Dorance Armstrong already on injured reserve, the Commanders will be thin at numerous positions.
Here’s hoping the Eagles can take advantage of a depleted team that thought they could repeat a 12-5 Cinderella run from only a year ago.
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Categorized:Eagles