Eagles (3-1) at Redskins (3-2)
1 p.m. on FOX
Eagles -3
The Eagles missed their chance at revenge in Detroit last week, but have another shot at retribution Sunday against the NFC East rival Washington Redskins.
Washington eliminated the Eagles from playoff contention the past two years and the reigning division champions currently own a three-game winning streak in the series. 2016 is a new season though, and everything is different now that Carson Wentz has entered the fray.
1. Mr. Wentz goes to Washington
Now that Wentz got his first interception and loss out of the way, the focus should begin to shift a little bit from the quarterback's sensational rookie season to what the Eagles need to do to win Sunday. Given some of the issues the club has been having with Washington and at FedEx Field in particular of late, those are probably a much bigger deal in this division matchup.
As mentioned, Washington has held the upper-hand in the series of late. In 2014, a squad that finished 4-12 wound up ending the Eagles' postseason bid with a 27-24 in Week 16. The following year, the Eagles returned to FedEx Field in October and again fell 23-20 after Kirk Cousins engineered an eight-minute touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. Finally, Washington visited Lincoln Financial Field last December and clinched an NFC East championship with a 38-24 victory.
Of course, those losses were with Chip Kelly as the head coach, Bill Davis as defensive coordinator and either Mark Sanchez or Sam Bradford under center. It's a new ball game with Doug Pederson and Jim Schwartz on the sideline and Wentz in the huddle. Still, that two-touchdown win last season is the largest margin of victory between these two teams since 2012, so no matter who's on the field, the games are usually tight.
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2. Cousins has their number
A big reason for Washington's success again the Eagles in 2015 is simply the way Cousins played in those two games. Granted, the fifth-year signal-caller was in the midst of a career year in general. However, even looking back on his performance in a 2014 matchup, Cousins always seems to play well against the Eagles.
In a pair of victories last season, Cousins completed 62 of 92 passes (67.4 percent) for 655 yards with five touchdowns, and most importantly, zero interceptions. He was only sacked three times as well and did not commit a turnover of any kind.
Giveaways have always been Cousins' downfall though. Look no further than the 2014 tilt, where he completed 30 of 48 passes for 427 yards and three touchdowns, but also one interception. That pick led to a field goal in a game the Eagles wound up winning 37-34 at the Linc, their last win in the series.
Cousins has improved in the turnover department, but does have five interceptions already this season. If the Eagles can get pressure on this quarterback, he will make mistakes, which could ultimately be the difference in the contest.
3. Big V-ulnerability?
Meanwhile, Wentz isn't the only rookie who will be in a huge spot for the Eagles on Sunday. Halapoulivaati Vaitai takes over for suspended right tackle Lane Johnson this week, and the fifth-round draft pick out of TCU will be tested right away, particularly by outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan.
Kerrigan and third-year linebacker Trent Murphy have keyed Washington's pass-rush early on in 2016, the pair being responsible for seven of the defense's 11 sacks through five weeks of the season. It's Kerrigan in particular the Eagles have to be concerned about though. The sixth-year veteran is one of the most underrated players in the league, racking up 50.0 sacks and 18 forced fumbles in 85 career games.
He's the type of player who can impact every play, especially working against a tackle who's playing in his first NFL game. The Eagles figure to give Vaitai plenty of help on the outside, or they should any way, because if they don't, this has the potential to be reminiscent of the time in 2007 when Winston Justice made his first start and was eaten alive by Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora.
Could Washington wind up with eight sacks Sunday? The possibility certainly exists, and we've seen the circumstances that could lead to it before.
4. Feed Mathews more
Washington is not without its own vulnerabilities though, particularly on that defensive side of the football. One area where the Eagles should be able to impose their will with little trouble, even without Johnson, is in the ground attack.
While the Eagles have featured a somewhat middling running game this season, ranked 10th in yards per game (118.5) and tied for 13th in yards per carry (4.1), Washington hasn't shown the ability to stop or so much as slow down anybody. The unit is 30th in the NFL in yards per game (130.0), and most telling, dead last in yards per attempt (5.1), that average being the only defense allowing upwards of 5.0.
Sure, Ryan Mathews had the costly fumble last week in Detroit that probably cost the Eagles a win, but this matchup provides an excellent opportunity for the seventh-year back to make up for it. We should probably see a bit more of Kenjon Barner and Wendell Smallwood in this spot too.
Washington has an obvious weakness, one they haven't come close to correcting yet, and the Eagles need to exploit it. To their credit, they've done a nice job of establishing the run and sticking with it this season. With a rookie right tackle making his first start Sunday, it would be wise to keep going to the well with it.
5. Just for kicks
The Eagles may hold a three-game losing streak in the series, but at least two of those are contests they probably should've won. When you have a hard-fought division rivalry like this though, outcomes can hinge on the bounce of a ball or even a couple of kicks.
That's what happened in 2014, when Cody Parkey missed field goals of 34 and 46 yards — in the midst of a Pro Bowl campaign we might add — during a three-point loss at Washington. Then last season, it was Caleb Sturgis who came up small, missing a 33-yarder and an extra point in another three-point defeat at FedEx Field.
We can all count. Those points would've helped.
The positive for the Eagles here is Sturgis has been much more consistent in his second season with the team. In fact, he's been almost perfect, making 10 of 11 field goals and 11 of 12 extra points on the year. The way these matchups have gone, the Eagles are likely depending on Sturgis to continue that success.
