The Philadelphia Eagles' Week 1 matchup against the Washington Commanders still looks like Philly will have the advantage over their division rival.
First, it was news that Commanders starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil would miss significant time due to his injury. That opened the door for the Eagles' defensive line to be able to have success against a banged-up Washington offensive line.
Things got worse for Washington when the NFL announced that defensive end Dorance Armstrong will be suspended for one game for violating its personal conduct policy. Armstrong racked up 24 tackles, seven quarterback hits, and 5.5 sacks last season for the Commanders. He's entering his third year with Washington and played his previous six years with the Dallas Cowboys.
Eagles gain another huge advantage against Commanders with Dorance Armstrong suspension
Philly is getting some help from their own rival for their Week 1 showdown, which will help the Eagles out big time. The Commanders couldn't control the Tunsil injury, but this one could have been avoided, and it wasn't.
Armstrong isn't a top pass rusher on the Commanders, but he provides depth they need on defense. He can rotate into the game and still disrupt an offense even as a backup.
This will only help the Eagles' offensive line more going into that Week 1 game. It affects the offensive tackles, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, which, of course, shouldn't throw them off their games.
Mailata and Johnson are considered one of the best offensive tackle duos in the NFL. They should be able to handle anything thrown their way, but not having to deal with Armstrong is definitely a plus.
Things will change depending on what the Commanders do with their edge rushers for the game. The starters should be Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson, but it could mean more work for Joshua Josephs.
Again, this is good for the Eagles, since they only have to deal with Oweh and Chaisson, neither of whom is known for getting sacks. The two combined for 15 sacks in 2025, so Mailata and Johnson should be able to hold their own just fine against them.
Read more: Eagles give ex-Chiefs washout perfect opportunity to shine in training camp
Washington doesn't have a trustworthy left tackle to start, and now it doesn't have a key pass rusher in the Week 1 game. Yeah, this is looking more and more like an Eagles win by the day.
Add us as a preferred source on Google