Can Vic Fangio stifle the Commanders’ promising rookie quarterback once again?
It seems like everyone in the NFL is fired up about playing the Eagles. It tends to happen when you are the best team in football, and no team is playing better than the 12-2 Eagles right now.
Washington Commanders’ rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels certainly wants another crack at the No. 1 defense in the NFL after Daniels and the Commanders fell to the Eagles, 26-18, on November 15. This time, the Commanders will be playing for their postseason lives this Sunday at 1 p.m. at Northwest Stadium.
Washington carries a modest two-game winning streak into the game and the Eagles have a current NFL-best 10-game winning streak going on.
“Yeah, I mean, they’re a very good team, rightfully so,” Daniels said this week to the Washington media. “They play hard, they play physical, they play the right way, and if we want to win football games or win the close ones, win the big games, you gotta play against some good teams. And Philly’s just on the clock, so hopefully we go out there and compete against them again.
“No matter who we play, everything starts up front. They got good football players over there, we got good football players here, so it’s more so about the will and the want to up-front between everybody and just the whole team want to go out there, who wants it more. The team with the more want to will prevail in this game.”
Eagles’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio dressed some things up the first time these teams met, laying back and forcing Daniels to throw. When Fangio was asked this week if he would change anything up, considering it was slightly over a month ago the two teams played, Fangio said, “Not really. We need to do what we do best and continue to do that. Obviously, you could play them a little bit different here and there. If you overdo that, then you’re putting your players in uncomfortable positions.”
The looming questions Daniels may have to face is exactly how many chances he will have to score if the Commanders do not have the ball. The Eagles are No, 1 in the NFL in rushing, averaging 186.2 yards per game. In the Eagles’ impressive 27-13 victory over Pittsburgh last week, the Eagles outgained the Steelers, 401 to 163 and almost doubled Pittsburgh’s time of possession (39:52 to 20:08). The Steelers only had two drives in the second half and ran off just 11 plays to the Eagles’ 47 plays.
