Eagles-Commanders matchups to watch in Week 11 – NBC Sports Philadelphia

On November 15, 2024By Littum

The Eagles (7-2) will host the Washington Commanders (7-3) in a battle for the lead in the NFC East on Thursday Night Football.

Here are some key matches to watch:

Quinyon Mitchell vs. Terry McLaurin

The Eagles’ first-round pick has been one of the best rookies in the NFL this season. Quinyon Mitchell hasn’t picked a pass yet, which will probably keep him from really being in the running for Defensive Rookie of the Year, but he’s been incredibly solid from Day 1. He’ll have a big test on Thursday.

Mitchell has been the Eagles’ right cornerback all season, making for a really fun matchup against Pro Bowler Terry McLaurin. Because of Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid offense, McLaurin doesn’t really move around the formation much. Here are McLaurin’s snaps by position, per PFF, this season:

LWR: 392
RWR: 28
Slot: 89

So unless there’s a major change in plan for Washington in a short week, we should get to see the matchup between the impressive rookie and the veteran, who leads the Commanders in receiving with 47 catches for 711 yards and 6 touchdowns. McLaurin third in NFL in receiving yards behind only Ja’Marr Chase (981) and Justin Jefferson (831). The Commanders other leading receiver is old friend Zach Ertz; tight end has 381 yards this year.

Vic Fangio vs. Jayden Daniels

It looks like the Commanders hit No. 2 in this draft when they selected Jayden Daniels out of LSU. The 23-year-old is having a great rookie season. He has completed 68.7% of his passes for 2,147 yards with 9 touchdowns and 2 picks and has rushed for another 464 yards and 4 touchdowns. You have to keep an eye on him to pull the ball on zone reads. The Eagles need to keep an eye on him, which is why having good linebacker play from Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean is so helpful.

He leads one of the best offenses in the NFL under Kingsbury, who interviewed for the Eagles’ job in the offseason. The Commanders average 2.96 points per game. drives this season (which ranks first in the league), and they are second in EPA/game behind only the Ravens. And Daniels is a huge reason why.

The Eagles have had a lot of takeaways on defense the past few weeks, but Daniels hasn’t coughed up the ball. He has just two interceptions and hasn’t thrown one since Oct. 6, and he hasn’t fumbled in the last nine games after coughing it up three times in the opener. It will be a tough test for the Eagles’ defense to get the ball off him in this one.

Eagles run defense vs Brian Robinson Jr.?

While the Commanders are fourth in the NFL in rushing, their leader in that category is Daniels. Their top back this season is Brian Robinson Jr., who has 461 yards in seven games. This offense is a pass-first offense, but of course they still want to run the ball effectively. Robinson missed the Commanders’ Week 10 game with a hamstring injury and was listed as limited to start the week. So we’ll see if he can go on Thursday. If Robinson can’t go, the Commanders’ top running back is Austin Ekeler, who had 44 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Steelers in a tough loss Sunday.

After some early struggles this season against the run, the Eagles have really turned it around. They are now a top-five unit in run defense this year and have lowered their yards-per-carry average to 4.4. The Eagles have given up just 78.2 rushing yards per game since the bye week. While some of those plays were blowouts that prevented the opposing offense from making a run, it’s still pretty impressive. The Eagles get strong play against the run up front from guys like Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams, and that keeps their linebackers clean. Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean have been able to clean up and aren’t short on tackles.

Eagles edges vs. damaged tackles

The Eagles have started Nolan Smith in three of the last four games against Josh Sweat. While Sweat mostly rushes left tackles, Smith has lined up on the defensive left side to watch right tackles. This matchup also applies to Bryce Huff, who has been limited in recent weeks. You remember Andrew Wylie from Super Bowl LVII. He was the Chiefs’ starting right tackle, which was supposed to be the weak spot for Haason Reddick to hit. But Wylie did a good job in that game, and field conditions certainly didn’t help as the Eagles struggled to get pressure on Patrick Mahomes. Wylie is now in his second season with the Commanders as their right tackle. He has been solid this year, but has given up 14 pressures in 9 games. He missed the Steelers game with a shoulder injury but was limited to starts this week, so there’s a chance he could be back for this one.

The Commanders have dealt with several injuries to their line this season, including left tackle Cornelius Lucas, who was limited to starts this week with an ankle injury that has kept him out the past two games. So both Commanders’ starting tackles enter this week with injury concerns. Look for Sweat to pounce on his matchup with Lucas at left tackle or his replacement Brandon Coleman.

Overall, the Commanders have given up just 21 sacks as a team, and their 30.6% pressure rate is pretty good. That’s the 20th highest rushing rate in the NFL. But with a couple of backups in there, the Eagles might get to Daniels a little. But Daniels gets the ball out quickly, averaging 2.73 seconds in his time to throw.

Saquon Barkley vs. Commanders run defense

Barkley needs just nine more rushing yards to reach 1,000 on the season. Even on what was a slow day for him last week, he still had 78 scrimmage yards against the Cowboys on Sunday and was able to play through a left forearm injury he suffered in the first half. The really good news about Sunday’s game is that Barkley only got 15 touches in that game after a 30-touch performance against the Jaguars a week earlier. So as long as his arm is fine, Barkley will be healthy enough for this quick turnaround.

The Chiefs’ defense has clearly been their weaker unit this season. They are 28th in run defense and 29th in yards-per-attempt at 4.9 yards. They have given up over 100 yards on the ground in all but one game this season. With how dangerous the Commanders’ offense has been, this could be a game where the Eagles use Barkley and play, stay away a bit. Of course, that doesn’t mean the Commanders don’t have solid players in their back seven. Future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner runs the show in Dan Quinn’s defense and is still playing at a high level. They have paired Wagner with Frankie Luvu at linebacker and also have Jeremy Chinn back at safety.

AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith vs. Commander’s cornerbacks

The Commanders told you what they thought of their cornerbacks when they traded for Marshon Lattimore at the deadline. Lattimore came to Washington with a hamstring injury and was unable to play against the Steelers on Sunday. He was a DNP to start this week, so there’s a good chance he won’t be ready for this game either. If he isn’t, the Eagles should have an advantage. If Lattimore is out, expect Benjamin St-Juste, Mike Sainristil and Noah Igbinoghene to be the starters. Here’s where these three players rank on PFF’s top 109 cornerbacks in 2024:

68. Sainristil
102: The Igbinoghen
105. St-Juste

The Eagles feel like they have an advantage pretty much every week with AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, and this week will be no different. It’s also a bit of a revenge game for Jahan Dotson, who was traded to the Eagles by the Commanders in August. Dotson hasn’t gotten many targets, but he has an explosive catch in each of the last two weeks.

Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson vs. Dante Fowler

As a team, the Commanders have 27 sacks on the season, which is tied for ninth in the NFL. Their leader in that category is Dante Fowler with 8 1/2. Fowler also leads the team in total pressures with 31. He lines up on both sides of the defensive line, so he will see right tackle Lane Johnson and the Eagles’ left tackle. There’s a good chance it will be Jordan Mailata, who had his practice window activated Monday after missing the last four weeks on IR with a hamstring injury.

The other side is veteran Dorance Armstrong, who played the first six years of his career with the Cowboys. So the Eagles know him well. Armstrong has 3 sacks and 26 pressures this season.

A few weeks ago, the Commanders lost Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen for the season with a pec injury. But they still have big Daron Payne to clog up the middle. Rookie second-round pick Johnny Newton has become a starter since the Allen injury.