Eagles Question of the Day:
The over/under set for A.J. Brown against the Washington Commanders is 60.5 receiving yards. Which side do you feel better about and why? Head over to The Feed and weigh in with your answer and explanation!
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
Fantasy Football WR Report: Man, zone coverage performance ahead of NFL Week 16 – PFF
The Commanders have played man coverage at an above-average rate this season. They place in the bottom five in yards allowed per coverage snap (6.71) and first-down-plus-touchdown rate allowed (50.0%) from those looks. A.J. Brown has excelled against man coverage this season, coming in ranked sixth in fantasy points per route run against man while commanding a high-end 31% target rate. Brown should be in for a big fantasy week again in a great matchup.
Eagles Opponent Film Room: Scouting the Washington Commanders’ defense – BGN
The coverage structure feels flawed in a number of different ways. Linebackers struggle badly in space, with Frankie Luvu offering blitz value but little else, and Bobby Wagner no longer able to carry vertical routes or close throwing windows. Wagner is a huge liability in coverage. I would love to see the Eagles commit to some under center play-action and go after the intermediate areas of the middle of the field. I expect those zones to be wide open if the Eagles can get the linebackers coming downhill. Behind the linebackers, the secondary is struggling with injuries and a lack of talent. Marshon Lattimore and Trey Amos are unavailable, leaving young corners exposed against good receivers this year. Mike Sainristil has playmaking instincts, but has also allowed significant production when targeted. Washington plays a lot of cover 1, and the Eagles should look to throw vertically outside the numbers when they get single-high coverage. They don’t have cornerbacks who can handle AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith. Their most significant issue is the lack of pass rush. They don’t have enough to win with just 4, but they don’t blitz a lot or use a ton of simulated pressure. This allows quarterbacks to sit in the pocket and attack the intermediate middle of the field, an area Washington has failed to protect all season.
The Eagles have owned the NFC East this century – PhillyVoice
The Philadelphia Eagles are on the cusp of being the first NFC East team in over 20 years to repeat as divisional champs. To be determined if they’ll get the job done on Saturday evening against the Washington Commanders. Despite that infamous trend, the Birds have decidedly owned the NFC East this century, so I figured I’d just take a moment to recognize their sustained dominance. All of the following stats are since 2000.
Game Preview – PHI at WAS – Iggles Blitz
The key for the Eagles will be to keep the run game under control. I would expect Washington to have some early success. Once Vic Fangio and his players see what is going on and adjust, the Eagles should be able to take some things away. Any time you deal with a mobile QB, there can be some hiccups. The Eagles need to play smart and tackle well. They did both things last week so hopefully that can carry over. As Fangio pointed out, the defense got a big boost from the offense’s ability to sustain drives and stay on the field. Washington has the #31 defense in the league so the Eagles have a real chance to have another good game. The Commanders are 28th in run defense. This would be another good week for lots of running and controlling the clock. Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby combined for 39 carries last week. If the Eagles can repeat that or come close, they should win.
Eagles notebook: Nakobe Dean’s ‘choo-choo’ celebration gaining steam – NBCSP
Nakobe Dean’s celebration is picking up steam — no pun intended. If you’ve watched the last couple months of Eagles football, you’ve undoubtedly seen Dean make some impressive downhill play to blow up a running back or a tight end and immediately get into his new “choo-choo” celebration. Dean bends his right arm at a 90-degree angle pulls down a few times — as in, choo-choo, the train is coming. In recent weeks, his teammates have joined in. “I love that celebration,” fellow linebacker Zack Baun said. “I said that’s gotta be this year’s defensive celebration. He’s of course like, ‘Yeah, let’s make it happen.’ If he keeps making plays like he’s making, it’ll definitely pick up.”
Even amidst the best season of his career, Jordan Davis calls Brandon Graham’s return from retirement the “highlight” of his year. The reason why traces back to 2022. Davis entered the NFL uncertain about how his personality would play in a professional locker room. The former first-round pick out of Georgia earned a leadership role in college while maintaining his lighthearted approach, often signing and dancing in the locker room or on the sideline rather than being a more traditional enforcer. It’s a side his Eagles teammates are seeing plenty of, especially as Davis has emerged as a young leader this season following a path initially tread by Graham as the “energy-giver” in the team’s leadership nucleus. “As a rookie, I kind of found myself in BG,” Davis said. “Just the way he led. Not saying any of my vets were bad or anything, but the way that BG led, I think it was a different style of leadership that I’m more accustomed to that I’m more used to doing. I did it in college, I never was a rah-rah assertive dude, I was more just keeping everybody up and keeping everybody locked in. You kind of need that influence in the locker room.”
Lane Johnson provides update on his rehab process | Eagles at Commanders Daily Updates – PE.com
Lane Johnson won’t make his return this week against the Commanders, but the latest episode of Hard Knocks got an inside look into the rehab of the All-Pro right tackle, who is dealing with a foot injury. “Not being out there, not being a part of it, it’s frustrating,” Johnson said on Hard Knocks. “So I hate it. I absolutely hate it. But I’m attacking the rehab process as diligently as I can.” Johnson has missed the last four games after leaving the Lions game early due to injury. His return is nearing, and the hope is he will hit the ground running. “All things are pointing to a good return here,” his trainer, Gabe Rangel, said. “Hopefully [he] can come back even stronger than we left.
It’s clear that the majority of Hogs Haven readers at this point are focused on seeing younger players on the field — even when that means a 24-yr-old rookie getting the nod in favor of a 26-yr-old 3rd-year ‘veteran’. Fans want to see the younger players on the field so they (the fans) can evaluate them (the players), and there is a strong and well-founded belief that the snaps for these younger players will promote their professional development. Coaches, of course, see things differently. They have the ability to evaluate players on a daily basis from July onwards; they don’t necessarily have to see the young guys get extended play time to evaluate them. Coaches also put a premium on winning games, and they see these last three games of the season as being just as important as the first three. That’s a key difference between coaches and fans. Of course, the veteran players who get displaced in favor of younger players are another factor that fans don’t have to deal with in any meaningful way. NFL seasons are short; NFL careers are short. No player gladly sits down to make way for another player — especially if the reason for the change is just to give the younger player experience. NFL players understand and welcome competition; getting beaten out for playing time is how the business is supposed to work. Losing snaps because coaches are looking ahead to next season isn’t how it’s supposed to work. When it comes to the running game, I expect the coaches will feed the running back who seems to be having the most success against the Philly defense this evening.
JAELAN PHILLIPS: The former first-round pick of the Dolphins has dealt with a number of injuries in his football career, but the arrow is pointing up these days. His acquisition by the Eagles at the trade deadline reunited him with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, under whom he tallied 6.5 sacks in eight games with Miami in 2023. Phillips has since been able to showcase his disruptive potential as an edge defender. He quickly ignited Philly’s defense with his athleticism and aggressiveness as a pass rusher, lifting the team from 19th in points allowed per game and 16th in yards allowed per play in Weeks 1-9 to first and seventh, respectively, in Weeks 10-15. Plus, his presence has created more opportunities for Jalen Carter and Co. to wreak havoc on the inside against one-on-one blocks. With the 6-5, 266-pounder also effectively setting the edge against the run, he has a good chance to draw big bucks from a team seeking a high-quality complementary rusher.
NFL Week 16 predictions, fantasy sleepers, QB notes, bets – ESPN
The Commanders upset the Eagles. Philadelphia’s offense looked healed against the Raiders, while the Commanders’ passing defense is one of the worst in the league (29th in passing yards allowed per game). But Washington coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has had offensive success against Philly coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense. The Commanders have also continued to play hard in a lost season under coach Dan Quinn. Divisional upsets in December are always live, and the Eagles are not a trustworthy squad.
Cowboys likely to activate CB Trevon Diggs from injured reserve – Blogging The Boys
NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday morning that Dallas is “likely” to activate Diggs ahead of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. This news comes right after it was reported that fellow cornerback DaRon Bland is likely headed to injured reserve himself so the Cowboys are in need of bodies. It goes without saying that 2025 has been a weird year for the Cowboys and Trevon Diggs. You will recall that it began with Jerry Jones openly doubting the extension that Dallas gave Diggs (and Terence Steele) as they opened up training camp in Oxnard. For perspective, this happened during back-and-forth discussions around the Micah Parsons situation at the time, but it was unique obviously.
Survey results: Giants fans overwhelmingly want Chris Shula – Big Blue View
The hope is likely that hiring Shula would reorient the Giants’ focus to the defensive side of the ball and get results from the investments made in that side of the ball in recent years. Hiring any defensive-minded coach would also make hiring the right offensive staff critically important, as the development of Jaxson Dart is of paramount importance to the future of the Giants.
Flyers suspend radio announcer after inappropriate sexual comment on hot mic – SB Nation
“While you’re down there would you mind blowing me?!” It’s not just the question being asked, but the classic radio gusto with which play-by-play announcer Tim Saunders asked former Flyers player, and his co-host, Todd Fedoruk. Then the realization of being on the air and the deafening silence that followed. Ultimately it was a dumb, but fairly benign moment. A dumb joke people have a penchant for making. The two game suspension for Saunders is a slap on the wrist, and hopefully a cautionary tale to remember that the mic is always hot.
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