At the end of Week 7 there is another treat: The Washington Redskins (3-2) travel to the division duel to the Philadelphia Eagles (5-1) and could open all doors with a victory in the NFC East. On the other hand, Philly wants to extend his lead – who will have the upper hand? In the coin toss, mySPOX user JaydoggBO argues for Washington, SPOX editor Adrian Franke explains why the Eagles are winning. The game will be shown live on Tuesday night from 2.30 a. m. on DAZN!
Philadelphia Eagles (5-1) – Washington Redskins (3-2) (Tue, 2:30 a. m. live on DAZN)
mySPOX-User JaydoggBO: This game could almost lead to a preliminary decision in the division if the Eagles win here. Washington travels to the Eagles as an underdog, but they still have a realistic chance of winning. If this season has shown something, it’s that the matchups will decide a close match.
Here I see two very important matchups with the advantage for the team of Jay Gruden. Firstly, this is the offensive line of Washington. The two tackles Moses and Williams are among the best offensive tackle duos in the league. Brandon Scherff, who is ranked by Pro Football Focus on the third place of all guards, will be added to the list. This meant that cousins had to take eight sacks at an adjusted sack rate of 5.1 percent.
He often has time to go through his reads at 2.62 seconds “Time to throw”. This matchup will be very important, because the pass rush of the Eagles is good, even without the big bag numbers. Philadelphia produces a lot of pressure here, especially by Fletcher Cox.
This matchup leads indirectly to the next matchup, that of the Eagles Cornerbacks against the receivers of the Redskins. As good as the front seven of the Eagles is, the more average are the cornerbacks, and probably Ronald Darby is missing.
And with Reed, Pryor Sr., Crowder and Doctson, who recently became a very effective Red Zone Target, Washington has a lot of weapons in the Passing Game.
If the capitals should be able to win these two matchups, then I see them on a very good way. Then.
Adrian Franke (SPOX): The strength of the Eagles is not primarily due to the progress of Carson Wentz, the much improved receiving corps or the better running backs. It’s the quality of this line of scrimmage team that gives Philly consistency and stability in a season marked by inconsistencies and surprises. Let’s start with the offense.
While shaky line-play – whether in New England, Seattle, Arizona, Cincinnati or Detroit – is one of the stories that runs like a thread through the season so far, the Eagles can sleep soundly in the evening before the matchday. Philly has one of the most stable lines in the league, which is a big part of the fact that the Run Game achieves 4.4 yards per run without a dynamic star in the backfield. Washington’s run-defense has been good so far, so we’re expecting a first exciting duel here.
But of course everyone is looking forward to the next appearance of Carson Wentz. He has made a clear step forward compared to last season and even if his game still has mistakes: stopping Wentz won’t be easy for Washington. This is all the more true because in Secondary Breeland and Josh Norman there are still far from 100 percent, especially Norman could be missing again. In addition, defensive Lineman Jonathan Allen will be absent for at least several weeks.
At the same time, Washington is likely to focus its defensive game plan more strongly on Tight End Zach Ertz, who is playing an outstanding season than on the Week 1 bankruptcy. This should give Jeffery and Agholor dangerous one-on-one matchups, and Wentz has shown over the past few weeks that he is not afraid of a 50:50 downfield pass. Especially since the Redskins have been able to rely defensively on their good pass rush so far – but in this game Philly’s line should give Wentz enough time so that the gaps in the shattered secondary will be there at some point.
In the first duel of this season, Philadelphia’s pass rush Kirk Cousins put a lot of pressure on Cousins, and Washington’s very good offensive line – I agree with you – must be able to turn the tables. Otherwise, the Redskins offensively over four quarters have no chance against this defense.
But assuming a scenario where Washington’s line wins the duel, it could actually be problematic for the Eagles-Secondary. Philly lives from the pressure on the quarterback, which were central elements in the games against Arizona and most recently in Carolina. After all: Patrick Robinson, Jalen Mills and Co. Philly’s Defense is no longer as dependent on the Defensive Line as feared.