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Week 8 - Washington Commanders (3-4) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (6-1)
Nuts & Bolts
Date: October 29, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Venue: FexEd Field, Landover, MD
How to Watch: FOX
Matchup History: Washington leads all-time series 88-84-6
Last Meeting: Philadelphia def. Washington 34-31 in OT on 10/1/23
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Washington +6.5
Over/Under: 43.5
Prediction: Washington 12, Philadelphia 26
Official Game Notes: HERE
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Head Coach: Ron Rivera (4th season, 25-31-1 record in Washington)
Record: 3-4 (0-2, T-3rd in NFC East)
Last Time Out: Lost @ New York Giants on 10/22
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: Brian Robinson Jr.
The Commanders are currently on a historic pace to set the all-time record for sacks given up in a single season.
Through the first seven games, quarterback Sam Howell has been sacked 40 times, having been taken down at least four times in every game, with the season-high of nine coming against Buffalo in Week 3.
The NFL record for sacks in a season is held by David Carr of the 2002 Houston Texans (their inaugural season), who was sacked 76 times that year.
This week, Washington welcomes in the most-feared defensive line in the NFC. The Philadelphia Eagles currently are 3rd in the league in sacks this year with 24, which is the best mark for all NFC teams.
In the meeting in Week 4, a 34-31 OT victory for Philadelphia, Howell was sacked 5 times.
And yet, despite the lack of protection, the Commanders put up 31 points and 365 yards of offense, taking the Eagles to overtime before losing by 3.
Looking at Sunday’s matchup, all of the stats point toward Philadelphia having a significant advantage. However, that was the case in the Week 4 matchup as well.
With divisional games like this, it’s always harder to predict. With that said, the Commanders likely caught Philly a little off guard a few weeks ago and I’d expect the Eagles to be much more prepared on Sunday.
Head Coach: Nick Siriani (3rd season, 29-12 record in Philadelphia)
Record: 6-1 (1-0, 1st NFC East)
Last Time Out: Won vs. Miami 31-17 on 10/22
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: A.J. Brown
The Philadelphia Eagles are flying high once again to open up the 2023 season.
As one of two teams in the NFL that is 6-1 (Kansas City), Philadelphia has been dominating by racking up the 3rd most sacks in the league with one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL.
Offensively, the Eagles rank 3rd in the NFL in total offense, 4th in points per game, and 4th in rushing yards per game.
Through the air, Philly has wide receiver A.J. Brown, who has racked up at least 125 receiving yards in each of the past five games, becoming the third player in NFL history to do so. He could become the first ever to put up at least 125 receiving yards in six straight games on Sunday.
This week, the Eagles added depth to its weakest area on the roster, the defensive secondary, trading for safety Kevin Byard of the Tennessee Titans.
General Manager Howie Roseman has always had an aggressive approach to roster construction and this year is no exception. He sees the potential that the Eagles have and understands that the roster is more than good enough to bring another Super Bowl title to Philadelphia.
After the loss to the Jets two weeks ago, followed up with a dominant win over the high-flying Dolphins, it feels like the Eagles are poised to get on a bit of a run as we head toward the halfway point of the season.