Game Preview, Week 17: Eagles at Washington
December 31, 2021
by Steve Thomas
Happy New Year, everyone. Washington has been beaten down two weeks in a row now, with last week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys being one of the worst losses in franchise history. The Redskins Washington still has a slim, mathematically possible chance at the playoffs, but realistically, the competitive portion of the season is over. Therefore, Washington is just playing for pride and for 2022 jobs. Can they rebound and actually play the Eagles close, or, heaven help us, actually win? Or can the simply not embarrass themselves? The bar is set pretty low at this point. No one really knows which version of this Washington team is going to show up on Sunday. The biggest question is probably the ratio of Eagles fans to Washington fans who will be in attendancea – I suspect that it will tilt very heavily towards Philadelphia. Our game preview starts below.
Game time & location: Sunday, January 2, 2022, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fed Ex Field, Raljon, Maryland; Gates open 11:00 a.m. ET; Red Zone parking lots open 8:00 a.m.; all other parking lots 9:00 a.m.
Television: Fox
Television announcers: Adam Amin and Mark Schlereth
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: The Team 980
Washington radio network: click here
Eagles radio network: click here
Satellite radio: Sirius XM: 225 (Wash. broad.); internet: 831 (Washington broad.)
Redskins roster: click here
Redskins depth chart: click here
Eagles roster: click here
Eagles depth chart: click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Eagles: 87 – 81 – 6 (last 10: 3 – 7; streak: 0 – 1)
Last meeting: L, December 21, 2021, 17 – 27
Early odds: Eagles, -4
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Generally get their act together
Obviously, this team has been abysmal for the past two weeks, for many reasons: injuries, Coronavirus losses, bad attitudes, bad coaching and more. The single most important factor to Washington having a shot at winning this game is for the team to actually look like a legitimate professional football team again. Whether they can actually make that happen is another story, but if they can’t get to a decent point as a team, this is going to be another blowout. This is critical to Washington’s ability to even be competitive in this game.
Force Jalen Hurts to beat them with his arm
The Eagles have the #1 rushing offense in the league, in no small part because of Jalen Hurts’ athleticism. Hurts didn’t produce a ton of rushing yardage two weeks ago, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen in this game. Hurts isn’t a great passer and has achieved in large part because of his legs. A key to this game is to keep Hurts in the pocket and force the Eagles to have to become a passing team. Again, it’s a tall order for Washington given the poor state of their defense, but it’s nonetheless vital to their chances to get a win.
Use the short passing game to control the tempo
The idea that Washington is going to all of a sudden produce a viable running game with anyone not named Taylor Heinicke is far-fetched at best. This is particularly true against the Eagles, who are giving up just 3.9 yards per rushing attempt this season. Washington is unfortunately missing the perfect weapon for this sort of game plan, J.D. McKissic; regardless, someone else is going to have to step up and make a Jay Gruden-style short passing game work. Keep an eye out on how much Washington tries – and fails – to make an interior rushing attack work instead of going with a consistent short passing attack.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
This is the highest profile matchup in the game. Slay held McLaurin to just 2 receptions for 51 yards two weeks ago, so McLaurin needs to do more to maximize his productivity in this game. McLaurin putting up big numbers would allow Washington to open up its offense in a way that hasn’t happened in awhile. Certainly, the quarterback, whether Taylor Heinicke or Kyle Allen, needs to do his part, but McLaurin must do a better job of putting up the numbers that we’ve come to expect.
Dallas Goedert vs Cole Holcomb and Jamin Davis
In the last game these two teams played, Goedert put up 135 yards in just 7 receptions, which is both entirely too much and par for the course for Washington going back a very long time. Fortunately, Holcomb is back from Coronavirus jail, so he’ll start this game; unfortunately, he’s not great in pass coverage. Davis has the athletic ability to be good in coverage, but hasn’t gotten to that point yet. One way or the other, one of these two linebackers needs to figure out how to stop Goedert, or its going to be a long day. Keep an eye out on how much the Eagles passing game is directed at Goedert.
DeVonta Smith vs William Jackson III, or someone else
Jackson versua Smith is a high-profile, quality matchup. Jackson has missed the last couple of games, and as of Thursday, hadn’t practiced yet this week, so it’s entirely possible that Jackson misses this game as well. If so, then the job of covering the former Heisman Trophy winner will fall to someone else, most likely Kendall Fuller. Watch out for what kind of numbers Smith puts up.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (active roster only) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful NL – not listed
| Washington | Eagles |
| T S. Cosmi, illness; Wed: DNP; Thurs: to COVID list | DT F. Cox, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| CB W. Jackson III, calf; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | RB J. Howard, stinger; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q |
| DE M. Sweat, personal (NIR); Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: Q | C J. Kelce, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| OL S. Charles, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | RB M. Sanders, hand; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| RB A. Gibson, hip; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: to COVID list | S K. Wallace, hip; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| WR C. Samuel, hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | RB K. Gainwell, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| DE J. Smith-Williams, illness; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | G N. Herbig; knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| QB T. Heinicke, knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | QB J. Hurts, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| CB K. Fuller, NIR (personal); Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: DNP | T L. Johnson, NIR (rest); Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
TEAM STATISTICS
Washington:
Washington has scored 297 points, which is ranked 24th. They are 20th in total yards, 20th in passing yards, 14th in rushing yards, and 21st in rushing yards per attempt. Taylor Heinicke’s quarterback rating is 86.9, which is ranked 23rd. Washington is ranked 10th in average time of possession, 20th in third down conversion, and 25th in red zone efficiency.
On defense, Washington has now fallen to 30th in total points surrendered, 28th in total yards, 30th in passing yards, 8th in rushing yards, and 16th in rushing yards per attempt. Quarterbacks have earned an average quarterback rating of 104.7, which is the highest in the NFL. Washington is ranked 31st in opponents’ third down conversions.
Record: 6 – 9 (3rd) (Home: 3 – 4; NFC: 5 – 5; NFC East: 1 – 3)
All-time franchise record: 616 – 621 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 24 (points) / 20 (total yards) / 20 (yards per game) / 23 (yards per play) / 20 (passing yards) / 23 (passing yards per att.) / 14 (rushing yards) / 21 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 297 |
| Yards per game | 324.3 |
| Passing
|
496 att (20th); 320 comp; 64.5% comp per. (22nd); 6.8 Y/A; 3124 net yds; 21 TD; 14 Int |
| Passing leader | Heinicke (440 att (18th), 3052 yds (20th), 64.8% comp perc (22nd), 20 TDs / 14 Int, 86.9 QB rating (23rd) |
| Receiving leader | McLaurin (899 yds (25th), 116 tgts (16th), 66 rec (30th), 5 TDs, 13.6 YPC (30th)) |
| Rushing | 418 att (12th); 1741 yds; 4.2 Y/A; 116.1 Y/G (14th); 11 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Gibson (237 att (4th), 891 yds (8th), 6 TDs (19th), 3.8 Y/A (39th), long 27) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 37 / 22 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 30:49 / 10 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 38.27% / 20 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 54.55% / 25 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 30 (points) / 28 (total yards) / 28 (yards per game surrendered) / 31 (yards per play) / 30 (passing yards) / 29 (passing yards per att.) / 8 (rushing yards) / 16 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 407 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 373.4 |
| Opponent’s passing | 540 att (23rd); 368 comp; 68.1% comp perc. (27th); 7.8 Y/A; 4038 net yds; 33 TDs; QB Rating 104.7 (32nd) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 371 att (9th); 1563 yds; 4.2 Y/A; 12 TDs; 104.2 Y/G (8th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 34 / 17 / Allen (8.5) |
| Tackles leader | Holcomb (120) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 9 / 25 / Collins, Holcomb, Jackson, McCain (2) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 50.50% / 31 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 58.93% / 17 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 25.4 Y/R (4th), 32 returns, long 101 yards (3rd), 1 TD |
| Punt returns | 9.3 Y/R (12th), 12 returns, long 16 yards (31st), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 22.0 Y/R (20th), 24 returns (9th), 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 8.8 Y/R (20th), 25 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 48.3 Y/P (5th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 23 / 16 / -7 / 26
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 78 / 6
Philadelphia:
The Eagles have scored 398 points, which is ranked 9th. They are 13th in total yards, 26th in passing yards, 1st in rushing yards, and 1st in rushing yards per attempt. Philadelphia is ranked 5th in third down conversions and 12th in red zone efficiency.
On defense, the Eagles have surrendered 318 points, which is ranked 12th. They are ranked 5th in total yards surrendered, 9th in passing yards, 9th in rushing yards, and 6th in rushing yards per attempt. Opposing offenses have scored touchdowns in the red zone at an average of 65.38%, which is ranked 25th.
Record: 8 – 7 (2nd); (Away: 5 – 3; NFC: 6 – 4; NFC East: 2 – 2)
All-time franchise record: 598 – 626 – 27
Offense
| Offensive rankings
|
9 (points) / 13 (total yards) / 13 (yards per game) / 11 (yards per play) / 26 (passing yards) / 13 (passing yards per att.) / 1 (rushing yards) / 1 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 398 |
| Yards per game | 364.9 |
| Passing | 434 att (32nd); 270 comp; 62.6% comp per. (26th); 7.2 Y/A; 3026 net yds; 18 TDs; 9 Int |
| Passing leader | Hurts (406 att (21st), 2930 yds (22nd), 61.1% comp per. (28th), 16 TDs / 9 Int, 87.0 QB rating (22nd)) |
| Reception leader | Smith (821 yds (30th), 94 targets (36th), 58 rec (45th), 5 TDs (51st), 14.2 Y/C (22nd) |
| Rushing | 483 att (1st); 2448 yds; 5.1 Y/A; 163.2 Y/G (1st); 22 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Sanders (137 att (30th), 754 yds (17th), 0 TDs, 5.5 Y/A, long 38 yds (38th)); Hurts (132 att, 740 yds, 10 TDs (8th), 5.6 Y/A (3rd), long 31 yds) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 27 / 8 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 29:36 / 21 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 44.55% / 5 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 60.71% / 12 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 12 (points) / 5 (total yards) / 5 (yards per game surrendered) / 3 (yards per play) / 9 (passing yards) / 4 (passing yards per att.) / 9 (rushing yards) / 6 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 318 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 320.2 |
| Opponent’s passing | 525 att (16th); 360 comp; 68.6% comp per. (29th); 6.5 Y/A; 3234 net yds; 23 TDs; QB rating 92.3 (19th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 404 att (29th); 1569 yds; 3.9 Y/A; 15 TDs; 104.6 (9th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 25 / 131 / Hargrave (7.5) |
| Tackles leader | Singleton (129) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 11 / 20 / Slay (3) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 40.21% / 17 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 65.38% / 25 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 18.1 Y/R (29th), 29 returns, long 44 yards (16th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 7.5 Y/R (22nd), 31 returns, long 39 yards (10th), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 26.5 Y/R (29th), 29 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 9.3 Y/R (24th), 23 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 45.1 Y/P (20th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 15 / 15 / 0 / 17
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 98 / 22
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com