Philadelphia Eagles versus Washington: 5 Matchups to watch in Week 1

Goal number one for the Philadelphia Eagles on defense should be easy to figure out.

It’s almost common knowledge to any football fan, one of those unwritten rules that don’t get mentioned that often but never changes, and it’s a fact whether we’re talking about a 15-year veteran or the next big thing that hasn’t quite put it all together yet.

Quarterbacks hate pressure, and more than that, they hate immediate pressure up the middle. It doesn’t matter how many times they’ve seen it, had to diagnose it, or how many instances they’ve had to deal with it.

Dwayne Haskins may be a few weeks away from greatness. He could also be a few years away from the standard Washington is looking for. Who are we kidding? Let’s be frank. After what we all saw last season, none of us know what this guy is capable of yet or what he will become. That can be said about any signal-caller though.

Haskins improved in 2020 as the season went on. That’s fair right? In Week 15 versus the Philadelphia Eagles, he put in work and almost led Washington to a victory. Philly won though. That’s all that matters, and that’s all that will matter Sunday. Yes, it’s hard to determine what Haskins will be able to do and how Washington will be able to score consistently, but there’s one thing that Philly can do to give themselves a chance at winning, pressure the second-year signal-caller.

With Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat and Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson at Jim Schwartz’s disposal, that should be doable even if Derek Barnett and Javon Hargrave are missing in action. Put a period at the end of that sentence.