The Eagles won’t face Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels on Saturday in Landover, Md.
Daniels is being shut down for the Commanders’ final three games of the season, coach Dan Quinn announced Monday. Daniels missed Washington’s game Sunday after reinjuring his left elbow last week during a 31-0 loss to Minnesota. It was the same elbow he injured on Nov. 2 vs. Seattle.
With Daniels out, the Commanders (4-10) will continue to start Marcus Mariota, who led Washington to a 29-21 victory over the Giants on Sunday. It was the Commanders’ first win since Oct. 5. Mariota went 10-for-19 for 211 yards and a touchdown. He also lost a fumble. The Commanders got one of their three touchdowns on a 63-yard punt return.
The Eagles and Commanders play twice in the final three weeks of the regular season.
Daniels’ second NFL season will end after he appeared in just seven games. The offensive rookie of the year in 2024 also missed time this season with knee and hamstring injuries.
Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota carries the ball during the win against the New York Giants on Sunday.
Injuries have been a big part of Washington’s decline in 2025 after the Commanders reached the NFC championship game last season. It’s easy to point to Daniels’ availability as a reason for the decline, but the Commanders were just 2-5 in games Daniels played.
The Commanders were a prime candidate for regression in 2024 for a few reasons. ESPN shared the snap-weighted average age of every NFL team on Monday, and the Commanders are the oldest team in the NFL overall and have the oldest defense in the league (28.9 years old). Age is one part of the poor performance this season, but the Commanders also were abnormally lucky in 2024. The luck also included a low number of injuries.
That has changed in a big way in 2025, and the age of the team may have caught up to the Commanders.
Daniels aside — the quarterback turns 25 this week — the Commanders’ season has been marred by injuries to older players by NFL standards.
Washington’s defense alone has three players age 28 or older on injured reserve: defensive end Dorance Armstrong (28), cornerback Marshon Lattimore (29), and defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. (31).
Additionally, 33-year-old defensive end Preston Smith has been limited to 10 games, 32-year-old corner Jonathan Jones has played in nine games, 28-year-old defensive end Jalyn Holmes has eight appearances, and 29-year-old safety Will Harris has played in six games.
Dan Quinn’s second season as head coach of the Commanders has been derailed by injuries.
Veterans Von Miller (36) and Bobby Wagner (35) have stayed healthy, but asking the two of them to anchor a defense at this stage of their careers is not ideal.
Only one team, Cincinnati, allows more yards per game than Washington (382.6).
Then there’s the offense. The latest major injury to the Commanders hit former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, whose season ended last week after the 35-year-old suffered a torn ACL. But 30-year-old receiver Terry McLaurin, who held out in camp and was later signed to a three-year, $96 million extension, has been limited to seven games, and 29-year-old receiver Noah Brown has played in four. Running back Austin Ekeler, who is 30, was lost to a season-ending injury in Week 2.
A nightmare season is almost over for the Commanders, and they made the choice to not subject Daniels to any more meaningless football games.
Leave it to the lowly Las Vegas Raiders to help the Eagles snap a three-game losing streak in style. The Eagles’ 31-0 victory over the Raiders on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field made history and had plenty of notable numbers come out of it.
Here’s a look:
At 2 hours, 31 minutes, Sunday’s game was the quickest Eagles game since at least 1999.
The Eagles posted their first shutout since Dec. 30, 2018. The 31-point margin was the Eagles’ largest margin of victory during a shutout since Dec. 16, 1990, a 31-0 victory over Green Bay.
The 75 yards the Eagles limited the Raiders to were the fewest allowed by the Eagles in the Super Bowl era, and fewest overall since they surrendered just 49 yards to the Chicago Cardinals on Dec. 4, 1955. It was also the fewest yards allowed by a team in the NFL since Cleveland allowed just 58 yards by Arizona on Nov. 5, 2023.
The 312-yard advantage in total yards was the Eagles’ largest margin since Sept. 7, 2008, when they outgained St. Louis by 356 yards.
Dallas Goedert scored twice, reaching nine touchdowns on the season. He has more touchdowns in 2025 than his previous three seasons combined. Goedert became the fifth player in Eagles history to reach 400 career receptions, joining Harold Carmichael (589), Zach Ertz (579), Pete Retzlaff (452), and Brian Westbrook (426).
Goedert is now one off the single-season record for touchdowns by an Eagles tight end. Retzlaff had 10 in 1965.
Brandon Graham, at 37 years, 255 days, became the oldest player in Eagles history to register a sack in a game. The record was previously held by Richard Dent, who registered a sack on Dec. 14, 1997, in Atlanta on the day after his 37th birthday. Graham also became the oldest NFL player to produce multiple sacks in the first half of a game since Bruce Smith on Nov. 28, 2002 (39 years, 163 days).
Zack Baun picked up his third interception of the season. He is the only NFL player with at least 100 tackles, three sacks, and three takeaways this year.
Jalen Hurts became the first quarterback in Eagles history to record multiple games with a 150-plus passer rating (154.9) and .800 completion percentage in the same season. He previously accomplished the feat in Week 7 at Minnesota (158.3 rating and .826 percentage).
The Eagles secured their fifth consecutive winning season with Nick Sirianni at the helm — the longest streak to start a career in franchise history. Sirianni is the 10th head coach since 1970 to start his career with five straight winning seasons, joining Bill Cowher, John Harbaugh, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Sean McVay, George Seifert, Mike Sherman, Mike Smith, and Mike Tomlin (according to Elias Sports Bureau).
This is the 21st winning season under Jeffrey Lurie’s ownership, making the Eagles one of only four teams with 21-plus winning seasons since Lurie took over — joining Green Bay (24), New England (24), and Pittsburgh (23).
(Statistics courtesy of the Eagles’ football communications staff.)
The Eagles could break a 20-season streak on Saturday.
Their magic number to clinch the NFC East reached one late Sunday night after the Eagles blew out the Las Vegas Raiders, 31-0, earlier in the day, and the Dallas Cowboys lost a home game, 34-26, to the Minnesota Vikings in prime time.
The Eagles, at 9-5, have a 2½-game lead over the 6-7-1 Cowboys.
Any Eagles win or Cowboys loss over the final three weeks of the season would clinch the NFC East for the Eagles and make them the first repeat champions in the division since the 2001-04 Eagles.
The Eagles won the division in 2022 before Dallas won in 2023. The Eagles clinched their 2024 division title with a 41-7 home victory over the Cowboys last December. The 2025 title would give them three in four years.
The Cowboys made things interesting in the division after they stormed back from a 21-0 deficit to beat the Eagles in Week 12. They followed that with a Thanksgiving Day victory over Kansas City. But Dallas’ defense, which has continuously let down the league’s best offense by yards per game, couldn’t hold up in losses to Detroit and Minnesota, and the Eagles inched closer to the finish line.
The Eagles play their first of two games in three weeks vs. Washington (4-10) on Saturday at 5 p.m. in Landover, Md. The Eagles opened as 5½-point favorites at most sportsbooks.
The Commanders started Marcus Mariota at quarterback Sunday and beat the lowly Giants, 29-21. It was Washington’s first win since Oct. 5. Three of Washington’s four wins are against the Giants and Raiders. The Commanders did, however, beat the Chargers in that Oct. 5 game. Washington’s No. 1 quarterback, Jayden Daniels (elbow), was shut down for the remainder of the season Monday.
The Eagles remain two games behind the top-seeded Rams, who are tied with the Seahawks in the NFC West at 11-3, and a game behind second-seeded Chicago in the NFC playoff race.
At this stage, the No. 1 seed seems like a stretch, but it’s unlikely the Eagles finish below the third seed.
Injuries around the league could shake up playoff races
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Davante Adams left his team’s win over the Detroit Lions after aggravating a hamstring injury.
Micah Parsons is the Packers’ best defensive player. He entered Sunday’s game with 12½ sacks and a league-high 60 QB pressures, a brilliant return on the Packers’ investment. He cost the Pack two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark in a blockbuster trade with Dallas, then signed a four-year, $188 million contract extension.
Then, Sunday. Parsons left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter just before the Broncos took the lead for good in their 34-26 win. Reports indicate that he has a torn ACL.
The loss dropped the Packers to 9-4-1, a half-game in the NFC North standings behind the 10-4 Bears — the team they visit Saturday night — but Green Bay leads the 9-5 Eagles, in case that matters. Parsons’ absence might matter more than anything. It would be like the Browns losing Myles Garrett, or maybe even like the Chiefs losing Patrick Mahomes.
On that point …
Mahomes left the Chiefs’ loss Sunday with a torn ACL. The Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention.
So, suddenly, the best player on an elite NFC team is gone, and, while the return from an ACL injury can be as short at eight months, Parsons, a dynamic athlete who relies on speed, probably won’t be the same until 2027.
Also, suddenly, the best player in the NFL over the last eight seasons on the best team in the NFL over the last eight seasons is gone, and, as perhaps the most effective mobile quarterback in history, Mahomes probably won’t be the same until 2027, either. Neither will the Chiefs.
Finally, star wideout Davante Adams left the Rams’ comeback win against the visiting Lions when he aggravated a hamstring injury. Adams has 14 touchdown receptions, which leads the league by six. He’s seventh on the all-time TD catches list with 117, and he’s the active leader by 11. The Rams sit atop the NFC at 11-3, which might be enough to secure the No. 1 seed, but the impact of a diminished Adams could resonate in the playoffs.
In Mariota, Eagles will again face a former backup QB
Quarterback Marcus Mariota will start for the Commanders on Sunday.
For a second straight week, the Eagles are set to face off against one of their former backups. This time, it will be Marcus Mariota at the helm of the Commanders’ offense on Saturday.
Jayden Daniels, the NFL’s 2024 offensive rookie of the year, has missed seven games this year due to a litany of injuries, including a knee sprain, a hamstring strain, and now an elbow issue. He initially dislocated his elbow injury in their Week 9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and while he returned to action a month later, he aggravated the injury in his first game back against the Minnesota Vikings.
After the second-year quarterback missed the Week 15 win over the New York Giants, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn announced on Monday afternoon that he is being shut down for the rest of the season.
But the injuries to Daniels aren’t the only reason behind Washington’s decline from an offensive standpoint in 2025. The Commanders lack playmakers, and they’re now down two more with former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz tearing his ACL two weeks ago and wide receiver Noah Brown exiting Sunday’s game with a rib injury. Laremy Tunsil, the team’s standout left tackle, also left the Giants game with a shoulder injury.
The Eagles are well-acquainted with Mariota. Much like Daniels, the 32-year-old quarterback has the ability to extend plays with his legs, a quality that has given the Eagles defense fits at times this season.
Mariota was particularly effective on deep passes on Sunday. In fact, he had almost all of his production come on downfield passes, as he went 7-for-11 for 181 yards and a touchdown on throws greater than 10 air yards, according to Next Gen Stats.
Still, the Commanders’ offense practically tried to lose to the worst team in the NFC East. At one point, they had a 15-point lead, then fumbled the ball away twice in the fourth quarter (once from Mariota and another by running back Jeremy McNichols) to give the Giants a shot at a comeback. Saturday’s game shouldn’t be too difficult a test for Vic Fangio’s defense.
Commanders to sit Jayden Daniels for rest of season
Sources: The #Commanders have decided to shut down QB Jayden Daniels for the final 3 games, turning his focus to supporting Marcus Mariota.
Daniels was re-evaluated today & not yet cleared. With him expected to be medically ruled out vs. the #Eagles, then facing a short week vs.… pic.twitter.com/hTu3Sv5wpw
How age, injuries, and a little less luck hurt the Commanders
The Commanders are just 2-5 in games Jayden Daniels played in this season.
They say age is only a number. But for the Washington Commanders, it’s a number that helps explain how a trip to the NFC championship game last year can be followed up by a 4-10 record through 14 games.
The easiest thing to point to is that young quarterback Jayden Daniels has only been available for seven games. But the Commanders are just 2-5 in the games Daniels has played.
Back to the age issue. The Commanders were a prime candidate for regression — this writer had them missing the playoffs in 2025 — in part because of their age, but also because they were abnormally lucky in 2024. The luck also included a low number of injuries. But the age may have caught up in 2025.
Daniels aside — the quarterback turns 25 this week — the Commanders’ season has been marred by injuries to “older” players.
As ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pointed out Monday, Washington has the league’s oldest team weighted by snaps. It has the league’s oldest defense at 28.9 years old and the fourth-oldest offense at 28.0 years old. That defense alone currently has three players aged 28 or older on injured reserve: defensive end Dorance Armstrong (28), cornerback Marshon Lattimore (29), and defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. (31).
Additionally, 33-year-old defensive end Preston Smith has been limited to 10 games, 32-year-old corner Jonathan Jones has played in nine games, 28-year-old defensive end Jalyn Holmes has eight appearances, and 29-year-old safety Will Harris has played in six games.
Veterans Von Miller (36) and Bobby Wagner (35) have stayed healthy, but that’s a lot of stress asking the two of them to anchor a defense at this stage.
Only one team allows more yards per game than Washington (382.6).
Then there’s the offense. The latest major injury to the Commanders hit former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, whose season ended last week after suffering a torn ACL. But 30-year-old receiver Terry McLaurin, who held out in camp and was later signed to a three-year, $96 million extension, has been limited to seven games, and 29-year-old receiver Noah Brown has played in four.
A nightmare season is almost over for the Commanders, and it remains to be seen if they will let Daniels take the field again to play in meaningless football games.
Micah Parsons out for the rest of season with torn ACL
Micah Parsons will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Micah Parsons suffered a torn ACL during the Green Bay Packers’ loss to the Denver Broncos Sunday and will miss the rest of the season, according to multiple reports. Parsons confirmed the injury on social media.
“I may be sidelined, but I am not defeated,” Parsons wrote, calling the injury his “greatest test.”
The injury happened near the end of the third quarter. Parsons was chasing Broncos quarterback Bo Nix when he suddenly stopped running and grabbed his knee.
“It’s obviously tough,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur told reporters following the game. “We all know what type of player he is and the impact he’s had on our football team. To lose somebody like that, it’s tough. … We’ve got to find a way. Guys have to rally around one another.”
Saquon Barkley and the Eagles will likely end the season with the NFC’s No. 3 seed.
While it remains mathematically possible for the Eagles (9-5) to still end the season as the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed, it remans a very, very improbable outcome for the season.
But what about the No. 2 seed? That’s how the Eagles entered the playoffs last season, and their postseason run ended with a Super Bowl victory.
The Eagles will enter Week 16 in the NFC’s No. 3 spot, which means if the season were over they’d be hosting the San Francisco 49ers (10-4) at the Linc in a wild card game.
The current No. 2 seed is the Chicago Bears (10-4), who are essentially two games up on the Eagles because of the Birds’ loss to Chicago last month on Black Friday. So there are two scenarios where the Eagles can overtake the Bears:
Eagles end the season 12-5 (winning their final three games), Bears end the season 11-6 (losing two of their final three).
Eagles end the season 11-6 (winning two of their final three games), Bears end the season 10-7 (losing their final three).
The Bears’ final three games are against the Green Bay Packers (9-4-1), 49ers, and Detroit Lions (8-6). So losses to the Packers and/or Lions could impact the standings in the NFC North, where the Bears hold a slim half-game lead over the Packers.
NFC North standings
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If the Packers end up winning the NFC North, the Eagles would need to end the season a half-game up to secure the No. 2 seed, thanks to Green Bay’s tie against the Dallas Cowboys earlier this season.
In the unlikely event the Lions overtake both and win the division (the New York Times gives them a 5% chance), the Eagles hold the tiebreaker thanks to their Week 11 win at the Linc.
The good news is the only way the Eagles would drop to the No. 4 seed is if they lost their final three games and either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7) or the Carolina Panthers (7-7) won out, since they face each other twice in the final three weeks of the season.
There is a highly improbably scenario where the Eagles and Panthers both end the season 10-7, have the same conference record, and Carolina could win a tiebreaker with a better record among common foes (if they sweep the Buccaneers). In that highly unlikely case, the Panthers would move up to the No. 3 slot and the Birds would drop down to No. 4.
Micah Parsons is believed to have torn his ACL and could miss the rest of the season.
Micah Parsons is the Packers’ best defensive player. He entered Sunday’s game with 12½ sacks and a league-high 60 QB pressures, a brilliant return on the Packers’ investment. He cost the Pack two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark in a blockbuster trade with Dallas, then signed a four-year, $188 million contract extension.
Then, Sunday. Parsons left the game with a knee injury in the third quarter just before the Broncos took the lead for good in their 34-26 win. Reports indicate that he has a torn ACL.
The loss dropped the Packers to 9-4-1, a half-game in the NFC North standings behind the 10-4 Bears — the team they visit Saturday night — but Green Bay leads the 9-5 Eagles, in case that matters. Parsons’ absence might matter more than anything. It would be like the Browns losing Myles Garrett, or maybe even like the Chiefs losing Patrick Mahomes.
On that point …
Mahomes left the Chiefs’ loss Sunday with a torn ACL. The Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention.
So, suddenly, the best player on an elite NFC team is gone, and, while the return from an ACL injury can be as short at eight months, Parsons, a dynamic athlete who relies on speed, probably won’t be the same until 2027.
Also, suddenly, the best player in the NFL over the last eight seasons on the best team in the NFL over the last eight seasons is gone, and, as perhaps the most effective mobile quarterback in history, Mahomes probably won’t be the same until 2027, either. Neither will the Chiefs.
Finally, star wideout Davante Adams left the Rams’ comeback win against the visiting Lions when he aggravated a hamstring injury. Adams has 14 touchdown receptions, which leads the league by six. He’s seventh on the all-time TD catches list with 117, and he’s the active leader by 11. The Rams sit atop the NFC at 11-3, which might be enough to secure the No. 1 seed, but the impact of a diminished Adams could resonate in the playoffs.
#Jets coach Aaron Glenn has fired defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Glenn made the announcement at his news conference, a day after another frustrating performance. pic.twitter.com/j6N4qYuZ4S
Playoff picture taking shape means Jalen Carter can continue to rest
Jalen Carter has been out since undergoing a procedure on both his shoulders after the Eagles’ loss to Chicago.
What’s in it for the Eagles to rush Jalen Carter back to the field? Not much. Their magic number dropped to one Sunday with their 31-0 victory over the Raiders being coupled with a Cowboys loss.
The Eagles are in the driver’s seat, and, according to ESPN analytics, are at 99% to become NFC East champions for the second consecutive season — a win that would break a 20-season streak of no repeat champions.
Further, their likely playoff seeding is taking shape. The Eagles remain two games back of the Rams and Seahawks (who are vying for the No. 1 seed at 11-3) and a game behind second-seeded Chicago (10-4). The Eagles are sitting comfortably in the third seed in the NFC, two games ahead of the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Eagles, according to ESPN analytics, are at 83% to enter the playoffs as the third seed. It’s possible their seeding could be decided by the end of Week 17, which would make their Week 18 home game vs. Washington a meaningless game played by backups.
Surely, the Eagles won’t mind. All of this clarity just means more rest for Jalen Carter’s ailing shoulders. The star defensive tackle had a procedure on both of his shoulders after the Eagles’ loss to Chicago.
The Eagles did not put Carter on injured reserve, leaving open the possibility that he could return within four games. Sunday was Carter’s second consecutive absence, and the Eagles really won’t have much incentive to rush him back to the field. The Eagles are getting fine production from their interior defensive linemen after moving Brandon Graham inside and running a rotation of Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Byron Young, and Graham (who had two sacks Sunday).
Carter should be able to work his shoulders back to as close to full strength as possible as the Eagles prepare for their playoff run.
Lane Johnson, meanwhile, who missed his fourth consecutive game with a Lisfranc injury in his foot, could return to the field as soon as Saturday, according to a report from the NFL Network.
Eagles numbers: Dallas Goedert joins an exclusive Birds club
Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert laughs on the sidelines Sunday.
Leave it to the lowly Las Vegas Raiders to help the Eagles snap a three-game losing streak in style. The Eagles’ 31-0 victory over the Raiders on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field made history and had plenty of notable numbers come out of it.
Here’s a look:
At 2 hours, 31 minutes, Sunday’s game was the quickest Eagles game since at least 1999.
The Eagles posted their first shutout since Dec. 30, 2018. The 31-point margin was the Eagles’ largest margin of victory during a shutout since Dec. 16, 1990, a 31-0 victory over Green Bay.
The 75 yards the Eagles limited the Raiders to were the fewest allowed by the Eagles in the Super Bowl era, and fewest overall since they surrendered just 49 yards to the Chicago Cardinals in Dec. 4, 1955. It was also the fewest yards allowed by a team in the NFL since Cleveland allowed just 58 yards by Arizona on Nov. 5, 2023.
The 312-yard advantage in total yards was the Eagles’ largest margin since Sept. 7, 2008, when they out-gained St. Louis by 356 yards.
Dallas Goedert scored twice, reaching nine touchdowns on the season. He has more touchdowns in 2025 than his previous three seasons combined. Goedert became the fifth player in Eagles history to reach 400 career receptions, joining Harold Carmichael (589), Zach Ertz (579), Pete Retzlaff (452) and Brian Westbrook (426).
Goedert is now one off the single-season record for touchdowns by an Eagles tight end. Retzlaff had 10 in 1965.
Brandon Graham, at 37 years, 255 days, became the oldest player in Eagles history to register a sack in a game. The record was previously held by Richard Dent, who registered a sack on Dec. 14, 1997 in Atlanta on the day after his 31st birthday. Graham also became the oldest NFL player to produce multiple sacks in the first half of a game since Bruce Smith on Nov. 28, 2002 (39 years, 163 days).
Zack Baun picked up his third interception of the season. He is the only NFL player with at least 100 tackles, three sacks, and three takeaways this year.
Jalen Hurts became the first quarterback in Eagles history to record multiple games with a 150-plus passer rating (154.9) and 80% completion percentage in the same season. He previously accomplished the feat in Week 7 at Minnesota (158.3 rating and 82.6% percentage).
The Eagles secured their fifth consecutive winning season with Nick Sirianni at the helm — the longest streak to start a career in franchise history. Sirianni is the 10th head coach since 1970 to start their career with five straight winning seasons, joining Bill Cowher, John Harbaugh, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Sean McVay, George Seifert, Mike Sherman, Mike Smith, and Mike Tomlin (according to Elias).
This is the 21st winning season under Jeffrey Lurie’s ownership, making the Eagles one of only four teams with 21-plus winning seasons since Lurie took over — joining Green Bay (24), New England (24) and Pittsburgh (23).
(Stats courtesy of Philadelphia Eagles’ public relations.)
Jalen Hurts and a return to the Eagles’ winning formula
Jalen Hurts’ ability to run the football kept the Raiders defense on their heels throughout the 31-0 blowout in Week 15.
When Jalen Hurts and the first-unit offense took their well-earned rest early in the fourth quarter of an eventual 31-0 blowout over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Eagles had a run-pass ratio of 32 to 17.
There were myriad reasons for a ground-heavy attack on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field: from wintry weather conditions and schematic improvements to situational play-calling with a lead and rebuilding Hurts after a disastrous performance vs. the Chargers.
But mostly the Eagles ran the ball because it’s what they need to establish if they want to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Coach Nick Sirianni would never cop to looking that far ahead, nor should he, but the hapless Raiders offered the opportunity to give his directionless offense a compass for the future.
The run game wasn’t exactly efficient or close to explosive, especially on traditional handoffs to running back Saquon Barkley. The 2025 offense is unlikely to become the 2024 version of itself.
But a formula closer to that of a year ago — and, really, for most of the five years of the Hurts-Sirianni partnership — is the Eagles’ best hope. That meant, obviously, more carries for Barkley and backup Tank Bigsby, but also more diversity in the calls, more runs from under center, more up-tempo, and perhaps most importantly, more of Hurts on designed keeps.
“These are things that have been staples in our offense for a long time, and we’re just continuing to use things that we think fit for that week,” Sirianni said. “I haven’t watched anything on Washington, but next week we could come out and it could be a completely different game.
“We have core philosophies and visions of our identity, but we’ll see.”
NFL Playoff picture: Eagles will clinch NFC East with a win
Eagles fans have a reason to be happy.
Thanks, Minnesota!
With the Vikings defeating the Cowboys 34-26 on Sunday Night Football, the Eagles will clinch the NFC East and a playoff berth with a win Saturday against the Washington Commanders.
The Birds will also clinch the NFC East with just one more Cowboys loss.
NFC East standings
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That would make the Eagles the first repeat champions in the division since the 2004 Eagles.
The Eagles won the division in 2022 before Dallas won in 2023. The Eagles clinched their 2024 division title after a 41-7 home victory over the Cowboys last December. The 2025 title would give them three in four years.
The only way for the Cowboys to win the division at this point would be for the Eagles to lose out while Dallas wins their final three games — at home against the Chargers and on the road against the Commanders and New York Giants (2-12).
Considering the Birds will likely face the Marcus Mariota-led Commanders twice in the final three weeks, oddsmakers see that as impossibly unlikely. As in less than a 1% chance, according to the New York Times.
Can the Eagles still end up with the NFC’s No. 1 seed?
You’re saying there’s still a chance?
Despite Sunday’s win, the Eagles still face an all-but-impossible chance to end the season in the NFC’s No. 1 playoff spot.
NFC playoff picture
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What would have to happen? For starters, the Birds need to win their final three games ― against the Buffalo Bills (10-4) and twice against the Commanders ― to even have a shot at the top playoff seed.
Now comes the tricky part. In all likelihood, the Eagles would need four of the NFC’s top teams to lose two of their final three games, according to Wharton professor and Eagles analytics nerd Deniz Selman — the Los Angeles Rams (11-3), Seattle Seahawks (11-3), San Francisco 49ers (10-4), and Bears.
All four teams won Sunday, so the Eagles already-slim odds got worst, despite the Birds’ win.
There are some even less-likely scenarios where the Eagles could win on tiebreakers, but it all points to the road to a Super Bowl repeat not going through the Linc.
Odds are the Eagles will win the NFC East and enter the playoffs at the NFC’s No. 3 seed, but the Birds could also end up as the No. 2 seed if things fall their way. Having tiebreakers against most of the top NFC teams helps, though not with the Packers because of that pesky tie.
The Birds entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed last year, and that seemed to work out well.
Merrill Reese called out Hurts critics at WIP and elsewhere
Eagles radio announcers Mike Quick (left) and Merrill Reese.
While there were no pundits that directly called for Jalen Hurts to be benched, a lot of talking heads on 94.1 WIP and elsewhere got close following the Eagles’ three-game losing streak.
“I do think he’s earned the right to start Sunday,” WIP host Joe Giglio said of Hurts leading up to the game. “But that’s the end of where I go with earned, deserve, and all those kind of words. … I would pull the plug if he keeps playing the way he has the last month.”
Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes also echoed those remarks, writing the Eagles would’ve been right to bench Hurts if he struggled against the Raiders Sunday, which thankfully he didn’t.
“It might sound heretical to say of the Super Bowl MVP, but if Hurts continues to struggle, he damn well should be benched,” Hayes wrote prior to Sunday’s win. “He is not sacred.”
That brings us to Sunday, where we saw a return to the Hurts who protects the ball and runs effectively, as Jeff McLane put it. That led beloved Eagles announcer Merrill Reese, who obviously heard the chatter from his WIP colleague and elsewhere, to take a shot at all the critics during the game.
“You don’t hear any cries for them to bench him, do you?” Reese asked during the broadcast after Hurts converted a long first down with his legs.
“Not from anyone with good sense,” a laughing Mike Quick responded.
7. Hurts converts a 3rd and 12 with his legs!
Merrill: You don't hear any cries for them to bench him, do you?
The Eagles will take on the Washington Commanders in Week 16 in a Saturday night matchup at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m, and the Eagles opened as 5½-point favorites at most sportsbooks.
It’s a rematch of last-year’s NFC Championship game, but a lot has happened between then and now.
The Commanders have already been eliminated from the playoffs, and under center will possibly be another former Eagles backup quarterback – Marcus Mariota, who is filling in for an injured Jayden Daniels (elbow).
Washington just ended a eight-game losing streak, defeating the lowly New York Giants 29-21. It was Washington’s first win since Oct. 5.
Three of Washington’s four wins are against the Giants and Raiders. The Commanders did, however, beat the Los Angeles Chargers back in October.
The Eagles will also face the Commanders in two weeks at the Linc in their final game of the season, which has yet to be scheduled. But unless it has some impact on the playoffs or the Eagles are in the hunt for the No. 1 seed, expect the Birds’ Week 18 game to take place at 1 p.m. on Jan. 4.
Brandon Graham was going home to an empty house Sunday evening. His family was out of town, and so one of Graham’s first thoughts after he registered his first sacks since coming out of retirement nearly two months ago was: What am I going to eat?
Graham had an answer. He was thinking Chinese. More specifically, he was thinking David’s Mai Lai Wah, the Chinatown staple at 10th and Race Streets.
Graham likes the sweet and sour chicken, the General Tso’s chicken, and the salt and pepper chicken wings at David’s. Why choose one? Graham more than earned himself a whole Peking duck.
The Eagles had their first shutout in almost seven years during their 31-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. They allowed just 75 yards, the fewest the franchise has allowed in the Super Bowl era. The Raiders averaged just 1.8 yards on their 42 offensive plays. They did not possess the ball past the Eagles’ 33-yard line.
In the middle of it all was Graham, playing defensive tackle and not defensive end as the Eagles play without Jalen Carter. Graham sacked Kenny Pickett twice, two of the four sacks the Eagles were credited with on the day.
“It just felt good,” Graham said. “I was like, ‘Dang, Kenny, I’m sorry. But, brother, you’re in the way.’”
Brandon Graham leaves the field after the Eagles shut out the Raiders on Sunday.
The Eagles followed up a disastrous Black Friday performance vs. the Chicago Bears — who piled up 281 rushing yards against the Eagles’ front — with two of their best performances of the season. They allowed a touchdown on the Chargers’ first drive last week, but haven’t allowed one since. The touchdown-free streak reached 20 possessions by the end of Sunday.
“Thankful that nobody turned on each other,” Graham said. “Nobody wavered. Everybody continued to keep pressing, bringing the energy.”
Graham has been bringing the energy in a new room. He has, for the last two weeks, lined up as a defensive tackle and has been in the meeting rooms with the other interior defensive linemen. Graham has been learning new techniques, working on his moves after practice. He picks up on things by watching his teammates, too.
It’s quicker, Graham said, rushing from the inside compared to the edge. But he looks the part through two games. Jordan Davis wants him to stick around even after Carter returns. Davis called Graham a “tweener” and is hoping the Eagles can do a “a little custody split” to keep him around.
Graham’s personality has long been infectious around the NovaCare Complex, and his fellow interior linemen are getting a closer look at it lately. “He loves on people, and you want to love on him,” said Moro Ojomo, who picked up his fifth sack of the season Sunday. Graham said the positivity flows both ways. There are days when it’s his teammates picking him up and not the other way around.
Davis was the position group’s elder statesman before Graham’s position switch. He will be 26 next month, 11-plus years younger than Graham, who on Sunday became the oldest Eagles player to register a sack.
“I always say you can teach an old dog new tricks,” Davis said. “I’ve seen it with BG.
“You’re never too old. I know Philip Rivers is playing today. Truly, it’s all about a mindset. BG just comes in to work. He’s getting that juice, he’s getting that flow back. He never lost a step.”
Graham said Sunday would be a confidence booster for the Eagles as they head into the home stretch, trying to close out a consecutive division title and moving toward the playoffs.
“I’m happy to be able to come back, because I feel like we can make another run,” he said.
Speaking of another run, a two-sack performance begged the question: Is this Graham’s last season? He gave a tearful goodbye just nine months ago, only to return seven months later to a defense that needed his leadership and, apparently, his talent, too.
“We ain’t there yet,” Graham said. “I’m just trying to finish this year and enjoy the whole thing. Right now, I’m thankful that we got the win today, and we’re just trying to keep building for the next one.”
Villanova took its lumps earlier this week when it traveled to Ann Arbor to face what is probably the best team in the country in second-ranked Michigan.
Duke Brennan’s night had to have been discouraging. The Wildcats’ senior center, who leads the nation in rebounding, scored five points on four shots and grabbed a season-low six rebounds. He had four fouls and two turnovers in 22 minutes. Michigan is big and athletic. Its center, Aday Mara, is 7-foot-3, five inches taller than Brennan. Villanova lost by 28, and was really never in the game.
But the Wildcats flew home from Michigan, landed around midnight on Tuesday night, took Wednesday off, and returned to the practice floor Thursday.
“You’ve got to bounce back, especially after bad losses,” Brennan said Saturday. “We had two great days of practice. That prepared us for the game.”
Villanova coach Kevin Willard concurred. He said the practices were strong, and he felt his team showed Saturday that it had let a tough loss go in the way it performed.
Brennan set a new career high with 24 points, and Bryce Lindsay also scored 24 as Villanova controlled the game and pulled away from Pittsburgh in the second half in a 79-61 victory.
From left, Villanova guard Acaden Lewis, forward Matt Hodge, and forward Duke Brennan celebrate as guard Bryce Lindsay is interviewed after the team’s 79-61 win against Pittsburgh on Saturday.
The Wildcats, who are in the top 50 in college basketball in three-pointers attempted, showed a balanced inside-outside attack in the process. Brennan wasn’t up against Mara, but Cameron Corhen was no slouch at 6-10, 235 pounds, averaging 14 points and nine rebounds heading into Saturday. Brennan had his way inside. He made all eight of his attempts from the floor and was 8-for-10 from the free-throw line, a positive development for the transfer from Grand Canyon, who entered Saturday having made just 52% of his free throws.
Brennan, who played a season-high 34 minutes, was active. The Wildcats used him as a screener and fed him when he rolled. Their guards executed dribble handoffs with Brennan and, because Brennan had it going, it freed up shooters like Lindsay, who was 4-for-11 from deep, and Matt Hodge, who made two of his four attempts from three-point range.
“I think Duke’s biggest strength is his energy, how hard he plays, his rebounding,” Willard said. “But when we can get him some points down low, I think it rewards him for how hard he plays throughout the game. It also keeps him involved and keeps him happy a little bit, to be honest with you
“I think the more we can get Duke involved in pick-and-rolls and get him on rolls, it just puts pressure on the weakside defense. When you have young guards and you have a team that hasn’t been together overly long, sometimes it just takes a little time to kind of know what works and what doesn’t work.”
Kevin Willard coaching Villanova during the second half against Pittsburgh on Saturday.
It is all clicking right now for Villanova, save for the 40-minute hell that is playing Michigan right now.
Freshman point guard Acaden Lewis kept his positive play going with 11 points and seven assists. He had just one turnover, and the Wildcats had just three on the day. They had 20 assists on 26 makes.
The performance needs to be put in the proper context, though. While Pitt may be a power-conference opponent, the Panthers have struggled so far in 2025. They dropped to 5-6 with Saturday’s loss, and they entered Saturday ranked 163rd in the NCAA’s NET rankings. That made Saturday’s victory of the Quad 4 variety for Villanova, which at least for now makes it as valuable come March as Villanova’s Nov. 11 victory over Sacred Heart.
Villanova is 8-2, and its best win, at least according to KenPom metrics, is Saturday’s victory over Pitt, which was ranked 118th after the game.
There’s something to be said for winning the games you’re supposed to. Villanova’s three-year NCAA Tournament drought is dotted with slip-ups. But it’s never too early to start looking ahead to March, especially with the Wildcats through 10 of their 11 nonconference games.
ESPN bracket master Joe Lunardi had Villanova as his first team out of the NCAA Tournament field as of Saturday morning before the Wildcats played a game that couldn’t help them by winning and could only hurt them by losing.
Villanova guard Acaden Lewis passes the ball against Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Up next is Wisconsin, though. A victory over the Badgers in Milwaukee on Friday night would be Villanova’s only win outside of Quad 4 before Big East play starts. It would be a good feather in the cap of the Wildcats, who entered Saturday 37th in NET and were at No. 34 in KenPom after the win.
Big East play will be here soon enough — Dec. 23 to be exact, a road game at Willard’s old school, Seton Hall, which improved to 10-1 with a win over Rutgers on Saturday.
The Wildcats have essentially two bubble games next before the holiday break. They at least avoided a major blunder Saturday by handling Pitt, and their balanced attack, with Brennan’s scoring inside, should prove valuable moving forward.
What stands out about Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby?
“That [expletive] is a freak,” Fred Johnson said Friday.
“Effort is one thing. Everyone should have effort at this level. But the talent matched with effort takes the person from a great player to a rare player. He’s a rare player.”
Crosby is a rare talent indeed. He’s one of the best edge defenders in the NFL. He also plays more than all of his counterparts, which means he puts extra stress on an offensive game plan that worries a lot about how to stop him.
Crosby plays 93% of the Raiders’ defensive snaps, and that’s actually down from his previous three seasons. For context, Jaelan Phillips is considered the Eagles’ workhorse edge rusher, and he played 80% of the snaps Monday against the Chargers.
Crosby, who has nine sacks and 43 pressures on the season, has played every defensive snap in six games this season. No other defensive lineman has one such game, according to Next Gen Stats. And because Crosby spends most of his time on the left side of the formation, Johnson is going to see a lot of him Sunday.
Johnson, the backup right tackle, is in line for his fourth consecutive start filling in for Lane Johnson, who remains sidelined with a Lisfranc injury in his left foot. The Eagles declined to put Lane Johnson on injured reserve after his injury, but he will still miss his fourth game Sunday vs. 2-11 Las Vegas.
The Eagles may have briefly had to consider Plan C. Fred Johnson was nicked up near the start of Wednesday’s practice and was limited Thursday with an ankle injury he said has been bothering him for a couple of weeks.
The Eagles listed him as a full participant Friday, and he will play Sunday. If he were to miss action, it’s likely Matt Pryor would see time at right tackle, which didn’t go well for the Eagles in Week 3 vs. the Rams.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby is a versatile pass rusher, but he also leads all defensive linemen in run stops, according to Next Gen.
There are few players capable of filling in for Lane Johnsonwithout the offense missing a beat, and the Eagles’ three-game losing streak without him has dropped their record to 13-26 in games he doesn’t start since the beginning of 2016.
Fred Johnson, however, has performed well in relief. He struggled a bit against Dallas but rebounded with solid performances against Chicago and the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I feel like I’ve executed my job,” he said. “There’s a lot of things I want to do better. But I feel like I did what I came out here to do — execute, be ready for this team, be ready for my teammates, be accountable, and everything else like that.”
Sunday will present a bigger challenge than he’s faced in recent weeks. Though the Raiders have just two wins, Crosby has the ability to wreck both the passing and running games, which right now hasn’t been very difficult for Eagles opponents during the team’s offensive slump.
The Eagles like to leave their tackles on islands, but they may have to give Fred Johnson some extra help on Sunday. Crosby is a versatile pass rusher, but he also leads all defensive linemen in run stops, according to Next Gen.
Fred said he talked to Lane this week about Crosby, and Lane said he would watch some extra film and report back with what he’s seeing. Fred said the the results of Lane’s studying were “classified.”
After Lane went down, Fred, who left in free agency to try to become a starter in Jacksonville, only to return via trade after training camp, said he was viewing this stretch of games as a chance to show what he can do in an effort to “to make a name for himself.”
No bigger chance than Sunday?
“Every chance is a big chance,” he said. “I just feel like it’s the next week and it’s the next opponent. He’s a great player in his own right, but I got to control what I can control and make sure I’m doing what I got to do, check my boxes, and go about it like that.”
Injury report
In addition to Lane Johnson, the Eagles also ruled out Jalen Carter, who is recovering from shoulder procedures. Rookie tackle Cameron Williams is listed as questionable, but he will likely be ruled out and remains on injured reserve during his 21-day practice window.
Landon Dickerson (calf/rest) returned to the field Friday after missing practice Thursday. He is good to go for Sunday.
The Eagles on Friday also activated long snapper Charley Hughlett from injured reserve. Their 53-man roster is now at the maximum after waiving snapper Cal Adomitis earlier in the week.
Adoree’ Jackson’s interception of Justin Herbert with 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter Monday night was gift-wrapped thanks to Jaelan Phillips getting a hand on Herbert as he released the ball. But there was another present: Kimani Vidal’s 15-yard personal foul.
It set the Eagles up on the Chargers’ 30-yard line. After a miserable half, they were in field goal range to at least cut Los Angeles’ 10-6 lead to 10-9. They had two timeouts to try to advance the ball and give Jake Elliott an even more manageable field goal.
Instead, Jalen Hurts took a shotgun snap, looked only to his left, where three receivers were running routes near the sideline, and launched the ball intentionally out of bounds. Elliott trotted onto the field and missed from 48 yards out — just his second miss of the season on a field goal inside 50 yards, although he missed an extra point a week earlier.
Any analysis of what went wrong could theoretically stop right there. SoFi Stadium is indoors, and Elliott knows it’s a kick he needed to make.
“They need to stop,” Elliott said of his misses. “I feel like I’m striking the ball well. Last week, obviously, windy conditions. But no excuses here indoors. It’s frustrating.”
Elliott was rightly frustrated with himself, but he had reason to be frustrated with his team for not making the kick any easier on him. The Eagles had two timeouts, but the play they called looked more like a time-waster than one with a real chance at advancing the football.
Four of the five route-runners were near the sideline. The fifth, Jahan Dotson, wasn’t even to his break before Hurts fired the ball out of bounds.
Here’s a screenshot of where the receivers were when Hurts released the ball:
The play the Eagles ran before attempting a field goal before halftime Monday night. (Screenshot from NFL Pro film review.)
It was a low-percentage play that the Chargers covered easily. Perhaps the Eagles were simply just comfortable with the distance for Elliott, who had already converted from 41 yards and 30 yards in the first half and entered Monday 9-for-10 on kicks inside 50 yards.
But why, with two timeouts, was there not any effort to use the middle of the field to try to make the attempt a little bit easier for Elliott?
“We’re trying to advance it,” Nick Sirianni said when he was asked Wednesday. “The way we tried to advance it was to the sideline, and it didn’t work. We have plays in our offense to be able to advance it, without getting too much [into it], in the middle, and then we have plays in our playbook that try to advance it on the sideline. We chose the one on the sideline and it didn’t work.”
The three points would have been critical, but it’s not the only reason the Eagles lost. Still, the inability to get points before halftime when they are available has been an ongoing theme for the Eagles.
On the year, the Eagles have started a possession inside 1 minute, 20 seconds on the clock before halftime eight times and have zero points to show for it from those scenarios. (They have started four possessions just before the two-minute warning and have come away with points on three.)
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has been conservative this year in late-half situations.
Every situation and every game is different. The Eagles had two of them vs. Denver. The first possession came with 1:19 left and the ball on their own 11-yard line. They went three-and-out, but they forced a Broncos punt on the ensuing drive that gave them another possession starting at their own 5-yard line with only eight seconds left. Hurts took a knee. No harm, no foul there.
But it’s worth exploring a few of these late-clock examples in which points were possible. In Week 3 vs. the Los Angeles Rams, the Eagles had a woeful first half of offense. But they got the ball on their own 35-yard line, trailing 19-7, with 10 seconds left on the clock and three timeouts. They opted to have Hurts kneel and go to halftime. They eventually won the game, but only because of two blocked field goals. Three points may have been critical.
Against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7, the Eagles got the ball back at their own 16-yard line with 59 seconds left and all three timeouts. To their credit, they came out firing. Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith on first down for 6 yards. Then, without huddling, the two hooked up again for a 16-yard gain to the Eagles’ 38-yard line. The Eagles took their first timeout with 34 seconds left.
Hurts threw incomplete on the next play and was sacked on second down to bring up a third-and-13 from the Eagles’ 35-yard line. There were 23 seconds on the clock when Hurts was tackled, but Sirianni decided to let the clock expire rather than calling a timeout to run another play. The Eagles hit halftime with a 14-6 lead and kicked off to Minnesota to start the second half.
“In that particular case, it was time to let that drive end and go to the locker room,” Sirianni said the next day, after the Eagles’ 28-22 victory. “Third-and-13 is not a guarantee. I believe in our team and believe in our guys at all costs, but you’ve also got to play smart.
“Third-and-13 in that situation where you’re not in a guaranteed, ‘Hey I’m getting points if I convert this third-and-13.’ I’m still going to have work to do once I do get this third-and-13.’ The risks kind of outweigh the potential benefits from it. At that point, you don’t get it and then you have to punt.
“Obviously, I wanted to go and get points, which is why you saw the drive go as it was, but once we did take the sack, we played that how I wanted to play that. I have no regrets there.”
Coach Nick Sirianni walks off after the Eagles lost in overtime to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sirianni is somewhat obsessed with situational football. He has studied end-of-half scenarios — not just his own, but other situations around the league. Each scenario in a given game has different context, including how the offense is playing at that time.
The Eagles have pushed the envelope in these spots in the past, but they have gone conservative at times this year.
Against Dallas in Week 12, the Eagles, leading 21-7, started a drive with two timeouts and 17 seconds left in the first half at their own 28-yard line. They called a handoff to Saquon Barkley that went for 1 yard and let the clock expire. Perhaps a chunk run would have resulted in a timeout and some aggression from the Eagles to try to score points, but how often have chunk runs been reliable? And if the point was to just get to halftime, why not just kneel?
Points weren’t guaranteed, but they were possible.
The Eagles, of course, lost that game by three. Just like they did Monday.
The Eagles are suffering through a rough patch. They have lost three consecutive games. Their offense hasn’t been able to lead them to more than 21 points in five consecutive games, the longest such streak for any Eagles team since 2005.
Well, happy holidays to the Eagles, because here comes the gift that keeps on giving for NFL teams: the Las Vegas Raiders, who haven’t won since Oct. 12, when they beat Tennessee, one of only two other teams without a third win this season.
The Eagles are double-digit favorites, and their get-right game is here — or so they hope.
Here are some numbers that could play a part in Sunday’s result:
46.3
Since their Week 9 bye, 3¾ of the Eagles’ five games have come without Lane Johnson, who has been out with a Lisfranc injury in his foot. The Eagles have been historically bad without their All-Pro right tackle, and his impact usually shows up in a big way when he’s not on the field more than when he is.
This time around, it’s in the pressure on Jalen Hurts. In two of the last three games, the Eagles have allowed Hurts to be pressured 18 times, the two highest totals of the 2025 season.
He has not been handling it well. Going back to Week 10, the game before Johnson went down with his injury, Hurts has a 46.3 passer rating when under pressure.
Jalen Hurts passes while Los Angeles Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack bears down on him in Monday’s game.
Two things are working in his favor for Sunday: the Raiders have the third-worst pressure percentage (27.3%) in the NFL, and Johnson could return to action.
Sure, Maxx Crosby has still been a menace. He has 43 pressures, according to Next Gen Stats, and nine sacks on the season, but only two other Raiders — Malcolm Koonce and Jonah Laulu — have more than 18 pressures.
Hurts should have plenty of time, and his passing numbers should reflect that.
On the flip side, the Eagles’ defense should be able to have a field day rushing old friend Kenny Pickett, if he indeed gets the nod for the injured Geno Smith.
The Eagles generated a 68.3% pressure rate against Justin Herbert Monday night, the highest rate of any team this season. Eight Eagles generated at least three pressures, the most by any team this season. Jaelan Phillips and Nolan Smith each registered seven. Jalyx Hunt, meanwhile, had five pressures and 2½ sacks.
Jalyx Hunt sacks Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert and forces a fumble.
The pass rushers should be raring to go Sunday. They may not generate a 68.3% pressure rate, but the Raiders allow pressure on 36.9% of their drop backs, tied for ninth-most in the NFL. Smith was pressured on 56% of his 25 dropbacks in Sunday’s loss to Denver, according to Next Gen, while Pickett was pressured on 38.5% of his 11 drops.
The Raiders’ passing offense runs through Brock Bowers, the second-year tight end who was a first-team All-Pro after his rookie campaign in 2024. Bowers leads the Raiders in targets (73), yards (574), and touchdowns (six) while playing in just 10 of the team’s 13 games.
Bowers is effectively a receiver out there, and the Raiders use him as such. Against the Broncos, Bowers aligned in the slot or out wide on 22 of his 31 routes (71%), according to Next Gen. Bowers was out wide on just seven of his 51 total snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Bowers’ alignment should not pose much of a problem to the Eagles. Cooper DeJean has been among the best nickel players in the league, and if Bowers is being covered by a linebacker on routes from a normal tight end alignment, Nakobe Dean could flex his coverage chops. Dean entered last week allowing a 47.4% completion percentage when targeted this season, according to Next Gen, the lowest among 734 linebackers with at least 15 targets in a season since 2018. He did surrender three catches on three targets Monday, however.
The Eagles defensive backs and linebackers will have their hands full with Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, who is more of a receiver.
DeJean, meanwhile, pitched a shutout on three targets Monday and was a big part of taking the Chargers’ Ladd McConkey out of the game. Entering Monday, DeJean had a league-high 408 coverage snaps from the slot and had allowed just a 59.0% completion percentage, according to Next Gen, the seventh-lowest number in the NFL on a minimum of 20 targets, and no touchdowns.
The Eagles should have the answers for Bowers, and Quinyon Mitchell will likely see a lot of Tre Tucker.
The Eagles have a big advantage when the Raiders are in obvious pass situations.
91.9%
This isn’t specific to the game, but we’ve been tracking playoff chances here for most of the season, so why not continue doing so?
For all of the panic about the Eagles during their three-game skid — to be fair, there is reason to worry — they are still almost a lock to win the division. Sure, they have to play the games, but the Eagles have a favorable schedule the rest of the way.
According to FTN Fantasy, they have a 91.9% chance of making the playoffs, and a 91.5% chance of winning the NFC East. They are most likely (73.6%) to finish with the No. 3 seed in the NFC and will have a home playoff game.
The magic number to win the NFC East is just three. Any Eagles win or Dallas loss drops it, and the Eagles might be double-digit favorites in three of their remaining four games starting with Sunday. They’re still in the driver’s seat.
Very few things about this Eagles season have made much sense, so what happened Monday is in some ways was just par for the course in what has been a wacky post-Super Bowl campaign.
The offense looked the best it has during what is now a five-game slump of sorts. The Eagles racked up 365 yards against the Chargers, finally had a balance of run and pass, yet Jalen Hurts threw four interceptions, more than he ever has in a game, and the Eagles suffered their third consecutive defeat after one final turnover in the red zone in overtime.
Two days later, as calls for his benching outside the NovaCare Complex — both from radio talking heads and some fans — increase, Hurts said he plans to lean on the things that he always does, but taking it all to “another level.”
“I take the approach I’ve taken for a while, and it’s seemed to work,” Hurts said Wednesday. “I think right now it’s just a matter of being more detailed, more focused.
“When you put forth the work, put forth the effort, good things happen when you need them to happen. That’s my mentality. That’s how I’ve gotten to where I am today.”
Jalen Hurts throws the ball to A.J. Brown in the second quarter Monday.
Regarding any benching, Hurts’ coach put that notion to rest, at least for now, during his weekly interview with 94 WIP, calling the idea “ridiculous” Wednesday morning.
The offense, Nick Sirianni said later in the day, did “a lot of good things,” a sentiment left tackle Jordan Mailata later expressed in the locker room after the Eagles began their practice week with a walk-through. It was the turnovers, Mailata said, that made the difference. The turnovers, of course, put Hurts under the microscope. But of his four interceptions, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith took ownership of one apiece.
“[We’ve] got to make catches and I think it’s a different ballgame,” Mailata said.
The message this week, Mailata said, was to “pick ourselves up from off the floor and dominate your box.”
For Hurts, there is plenty to work on, even if two of the four interceptions weren’t entirely on him.
The Eagles added some new wrinkles to the offense Monday. They returned to the under-center looks that they found some success with earlier in the season. They had new schemes in the running game, and invited Hurts to be more aggressive throwing the ball over the middle of the field, something he hasn’t done much. The Eagles and Hurts value possessing the ball, and we learned Monday why they don’t take too many chances in the middle of the field and into tight windows. But there were still signs of life from an offense that has too often looked impotent and vanilla.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo with wide receiver A.J. Brown and quarterback Jalen Hurts during the game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I think that he did a good job of taking some of those opportunities that he was given, and I think he’s always done a good job of taking what the defense gives him,” Sirianni said of Hurts using the middle of the field. “Obviously, I never want the turnovers, but he did some really good things. I’m always going to look at the win-loss, the turnovers, and look at that and say that, but there were a lot of good things on offense. We were able to move the football against a really good defense.
“Now, we didn’t finish drives for multiple different reasons, and we turned the ball over for multiple different reasons, but there was a lot to be encouraged by, that we’re continuing to go into the right direction that we need to go.”
Hurts said there seems to be an “antagonist” every week.
“When we do something very well, then there’s another thing that comes up and kind of bites us,” he said. “This week, it was turnovers.” Hurts also had one interception a week earlier vs. Chicago, which doubled his count from one to two this season.
“We just have to find a way to put it all together,” Hurts said.
Last week, leading up to the Chargers game, Hurts revealed that he often returns to old film. It is well documented that Hurts has dealt with a lot of change. He’s had 10 coordinators in the last 10 years. But Hurts goes back deep into the archives, he said, to reflect on how things were and how things are now — the rhythm of the games, the structure of the offense.
What’s he learning right now, and how does one Monday Night Football game test what he knows about himself and what he can push for?
“I stick to the process and I just stay the course,” Hurts said. “I think a lot of the going back is trying to find ways we can improve, find ways that we can have new perspective or maybe think about some of the perspective we’ve lost. I’m doing all those things in the midst of change. It’s thinking about all the different perspectives that I’ve had to lean on from a coaching perspective.
