The Washington Commanders will continue their division stretch to close out the season with a home matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Here are three keys to them pulling off an upset.
1. Keep feeding the running backs.
The Commanders leaned on their run game against the Giants, and it paid off in the form of 146 yards and a touchdown in a 29-21 win. Jacory Croskey-Merritt had his best game of the season with 96 yards, showing off the vision and quickness that he had earlier in the season.
The Eagles are an obvious step up in competition from the Giants, but they are not quite the defensive juggernaut they were last season. They can be taken advantage of on the ground and have given up 4.5 yards per carry — tied for seventh highest average in the league — and are tied with the Commanders with the seventh most rushing touchdowns allowed this season (14).
It seems like the best approach is to use a blend of speed and power against the Eagles’ run defense. The Chicago Bears, for example, rushed for 285 yards with D’Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai each rushing for at least 120 yards and averaging 5.9 and 6.9 yards per carry, respectively. The Commanders have that combination with Chris Rodriguez, who has the size and power to pick up short yardage, and Croskey-Merritt’s quickness. There’s also Jeremy McNichols, who can provide a bit of both skill sets.
The Commanders tend to be successful when they rely on their run game. Although the Eagles’ secondary isn’t quite as dominant as it was last season, the scheme is still designed to prevent offenses from getting production through the air. The runs might not always result in chunk yardage, but it’s certainly where the Eagles are the most vulnerable.