Bold predictions for Eagles versus Commanders on Monday Night Football

It won’t be long now. As we await another installment of Philadelphia Eagles versus Washington Commanders, most of us have applied the face paint and gone through the mental reps. Every good Birds fan has thought this game through and analyzed it from every angle and from the first quarter to the fourth. Each time we do so, we imagine another Eagles win. We’re just waiting on reality to catch up with our imaginations.

We checked the line. Vegas is still on Philly’s side. Their line indicates that they believe the Birds will win by at least two scores. It’s the 176th edition of this long and deep-rooted rivalry. The stage is Monday Night Football. Here are a few theories and ideas about how we expect this one to play out.

The long layoff serves the Eagles well. Here are a handful of bold predictions.

At the risk of sounding like we’re looking past a worthy opponent and ignoring the possibility of a ‘trap game’, it would be honest to state that a ton of adversity is expected. Sure, the Commanders may keep this one close at times, much like the Houston Texans did in Week 9, but at no point, whether we see ebbs and flows or not, should you worry and concern yourself about the outcome.

The Eagles will win this game.

1. Robert Quinn has his breakout game.

More often than not, each victory earned by the Eagles during their historic 8-0 start has produced different heroes on offense and defense. Philly’s acquisition of Robert Quinn hasn’t produced statistical fireworks, but he has helped influence the outcome of a play here and there from time to time. This week, he makes his mark on the stat sheet.

Something about playing inconsistent offenses that don’t protect the quarterback well will do that for you. Figure a sack, tackle for loss, and an additional quarterback hit as Quinn has his breakthrough party in midnight green.

2. The Eagles’ defense will rack up six sacks.

Watching the Eagles rack up nine sacks in Week 3 led us to believe that better days were on the horizon for Philly’s defense. Sure, it’s unreasonable to expect that type of production weekly, but while that may be the case, Taylor Heinecke was sacked three times and hit on seven other occasions in Week 9.

Something tells us that the Eagles didn’t fix all of those protection issues in a week.

3. Jalen Hurts tosses three touchdowns.

A.J. Brown is on fire. DeVonta Smith had his best day as an Eagle versus these same Commanders in Week 3. Dallas Goedert is unstoppable when the opposing defense elects to play zone coverage.

Jalen Hurts is running less post-bye week, and there’s no reason to believe that he can’t throw three touchdowns in this one. Think about it. We didn’t even mention Zach Pascal or Quez Watkins.

4. Philly gives up 100 yards receiving to Curtis Samuel but shut down Terry McLaurin.

While we trust Darius Slay and James Bradberry on the outside, admittedly, we aren’t as confident about the Eagle’s defense at the slot cornerback position. Things won’t get any easier with Avonte Maddox out in Week 10.

Don’t get us wrong. We like Josiah Scott. He has a ton of potential, but any offensive coordinator worth his salt has to know that they’d be wise to attack a backup slot corner in the passing game.

Scott should be fine overall, but we may want to account for a few big plays by Curtis Samuel.

5. The Eagles win by 11 points thanks to two turnovers.

Jahan Dotson returns to the Commanders lineup after missing every game since Week 4. He may need some time to get reacclimated to the speed of the game, but even if he has a decent showing, the Commanders just don’t have the firepower to hang with the Eagles offensively.

Since playing the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Detroit Lions in Week 1 and Week 2 and scoring 22 and 27 points in those games respectively, the Commanders have only exceeded the 17-point threshold once in their last seven games. That includes an eight-pointing showing versus the Eagles the last time around.

Once the Birds establish themselves and construct a comfortable lead, Washington will press and turn the ball over a couple of times. We’ve been stuck on this score all week and see no reason to change it. Final score: Eagles 27, Commanders 16