Philadelphia must stop Washington’s top wide receiver.
The Eagles should beat the depleted, sagging, disappointing Washington Commanders on Saturday, and wrap up the NFC East for the second-consecutive year, making them the first repeat winners of the NFC East Division in 21 years, since the Eagles were four-time NFC East champions from 2001-04.
That is what should happen, if the Eagles do not fall into the complacency well, beginning at the NFL-odd start time of 5 p.m. at Northwest Stadium. The Eagles are one victory away from clinching the division, while Washington sits at 4-10 and is probably one of the largest letdowns in the NFL this season, after reaching the NFC Championship last year and watching Philadelphia 76ers/Commanders’ owner Josh Harris dance on the sideline. There was no dancing this season, with Jayden Daniels on and off the disabled list, replaced by former Eagles’ backup Marcus Mariota. The 2025 Commanders hint more as last year as an outlier and this season being indicative of what the Commanders are.
Perhaps the only thing Washington has going is wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has had his share of problems last season going up against Eagles’ cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. In 12 career games against the Eagles, McLaurin has caught 64 passes on 89 targets for 917 yards, averaging 14.33 yards a catch, and five touchdowns. This year, McLaurin has missed a career-high seven games due to a quad injury and is about the only threat the Commanders have. Tight end Zach Ertz, the former Eagle, is finished for the season with an ACL. Daniels has been shut down. There was even some debate in Washington about shutting down McLaurin, who only missed three games in his previous six years in the NFL and will turn 31 next season.
The Commanders have nothing to gain, other than players trying to produce good film to either stay in Washington or for another future team. The Eagles are playing for the consecutive NFC East titles and still need to smooth out what has been a shaky offense as the postseason looms. The Commanders just snapped what as an NFL-high nine game losing skid in Week 15 to the equally low New York Giants, giving them their victory in over two months. McLaurin figured prominently in the victory with three catches on four targets for a game-high 69 yards receiving, which included 51-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Mariota.
Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni will be receiving some personal history after the Eagles beat the Commanders. In his five years as head coach of the Eagles, Sirianni has garnered a 57-25 record during the regular season, tied with all-time great Hall of Famer Paul Brown, who was 57-6=3 in his first five seasons as head coach of the Cleveland Browns. A victory over Washington would put Sirianni past him on the all-time list of NFL coaches in their first five years.
Hopefully, it is an omen of good things to come for Sirianni and the offensively stunted 2025 Eagles. Brown won his first of three NFL championships in his fifth year, going 10-2 during 1950, opening that season with an emphatic 35-10 victory over the defending NFL world champion Eagles.
For Sirianni to surpass Brown, the Eagles must shut down McLaurin, if he plays. When the Eagles beat Washington, 26-18, on Nov. 14, 2024, in Week 11, Mitchell held McLaurin to one catch on two targets, though each time Mitchell covered him, Daniels left him alone, never throwing in McLaurin’s direction on 20 plays.
Category: General Sports
