ASHBURN, Va. — When it comes to the Washington Commanders facing rapper Meek Mill’s favorite NFL team this weekend, understand that there are levels to this, um, stuff.
From the broadest view, the 9-5 Commanders have yet to clinch a playoff berth. There’s an outside chance that, with some specific Week 16 results — root against the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams — Washington punches its postseason ticket for the first time since 2020. At a minimum, beating the NFC-leading Philadelphia Eagles keeps coach Dan Quinn’s team as the conference’s third and final wild-card team.
The Eagles will enter Northwest Stadium on Sunday with a 10-game winning streak. Number six, a 26-18 victory over the Commanders, came on a Thursday night in Week 11 at home. Only the 13-1 Kansas City Chiefs sport a better record than Philadelphia’s 12-2. Running back Saquon Barkley is a legitimate MVP candidate. The defense ranks third in DVOA.
Talk about a challenge. For a Washington team that has flown past realistic outside expectations and has high internal standards, that’s the point.
“If you want to be a contender, you have to beat some heavy hitters,” Quinn said Friday, channeling Ric Flair vibes about taking on the best.
Washington’s future appears bright with quarterback Jayden Daniels, odds-on-favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, and general manager Adam Peters having roughly $100 million in 2025 salary-cap space to restock the roster further. But this is no longer a story about plucky underdogs with new leadership and a standout rookie quarterback reframing how the NFL world views this franchise after two decades of clown car moments.
The saying goes, qualify for the playoffs, and anything is possible. That’s fair on the surface. Other than Daniels’ regular-season debut at Tampa Bay, the Commanders have been competitive weekly. That consistency gives the team light on depth and offensive playmakers a puncher’s chance against any foes.
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However, this season, Washington is 0-4 against teams holding playoff positions: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and Eagles. The Philadelphia rematch is the last opportunity to tangle with a legitimate, high-level contender. Washington closes the season at home against the reeling Falcons (7-7) and at the Dallas Cowboys (6-8).
“It’s the next big team on our schedule. Everybody wants to beat the better teams,” defensive end Dorance Armstrong said. “Those are always the harder games. That’s what the league is about.”
Getting a win would raise the team’s confidence and threat level, not to mention playoff potential. Quinn chose Washington’s weekly captains — wide receiver Terry McLaurin, linebacker Bobby Wagner, special teams ace Jeremy Reaves — as “heavy hitters” representing the Commanders’ required mindset for this headliner contest.
“You have to show that if you want to (succeed), you’ve gotta beat teams that are capable of doing that. That’s really where the focus is, not down the line,” Quinn said. “They’ve proven that in the (NFC) East this season so far that they’re the ones.”
Who’s in, who’s out?
Perhaps the league’s most popular mantra is “next man up,” which refers to teams needing to battle regardless of which players are available. Washington’s early success —winning seven of its first nine games — coincided with a near-clean bill of health. The opposite occurred during a midseason three-game slide, including the loss to the Eagles, with Daniels’ rib injury being the headliner.
With the quarterback limited at Philadelphia, Washington scored only one touchdown until 28 seconds remained. The top two receiving targets in the loss, running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Zach Ertz, combined for 14 receptions, 136 receiving yards and one touchdown. Ekeler is unavailable, having been placed on injured reserve along with starting wide receiver Noah Brown. Ertz’s status is uncertain after suffering a concussion at New Orleans.
However, the veteran participated in Friday’s practice, as did safety Jeremy Chinn (concussion). Both are questionable for Washington’s penultimate home game. Right guard Sam Cosmi missed two practices with an illness, one more than tight end John Bates. They also were on the field as wet snow fell over the practice facility. Center Tyler Biadasz, a last-second scratch against the New Orleans Saints with an illness, practiced this week.
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Commanders’ Jonathan Allen, assumed out for the season, has shot at returning
Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, out since Week 6 following pectoral surgery, joined his teammates but remains at least another week away from being activated off injured reserve. Washington started Allen’s 21-practice window this week. Quinn said he is “encouraged” about Allen’s potential availability in Week 17 but officially ruled out the two-time Pro Bowler for Sunday. That was the only bit of sideways news on the injury front.
“(Allen) did an excellent job,” Quinn said. “I was really impressed. So, that’s the only player we’ll rule out.”
Kickers Zane Gonzalez and Greg Joseph were at practice after coincidentally missing Wednesday due to the birth of their children. Quinn previously said that Gonzalez, out last week with a sore left/plant foot, would be active if healthy.
Wide receiver K.J. Osborn, who was claimed by Washington off waivers last week, is available.
Making Terry scary
Philadelphia expertly quieted wide receiver Terry McLaurin in Week 11 as offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury stuck to his approach of leaving the “X” receiver out wide left for 37 of 38 snaps. The Eagles were ready to deploy shell coverages under heralded defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
When McLaurin ran crossers, defensive linemen were “popping out” to throw off the route. On vertical routes, the Eagles had “the safety carrying with outside leverage by the corner,” McLaurin said. “I wouldn’t say it was double (teams) the whole time, but … they had another defender with eyes on me.”
Terry McLaurin couldn’t find much open space in the first matchup against the Eagles and rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell. (Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
With first-round cornerback Quinyon Mitchell the primary defender, McLaurin had one catch — on a season-low two targets — for 10 yards. It was his only game since Week 3 without at least a touchdown or 98 receiving yards. Anything close to a repeat performance likely dooms the offense. Yet the lack of production had a silver lining.
The Eagles’ loss led to Kingsbury loosening his vision of McLaurin’s positioning. Only 63 of McLaurin’s 622 “wide” snaps begin with him on the right, per Pro Football Focus, but 29 came in three games after that loss to the Eagles. In those three outings, McLaurin caught 20 passes — on 24 targets — for 248 yards and five touchdowns. The sixth-year pro, having already set a career-best with 11 touchdown receptions, is 31 yards shy of a fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season.
“We’ve definitely adjusted since that game,” McLaurin said this week. “Definitely got different looks for myself moving around a little bit.”
Generating only 264 net yards and converting 3 of 12 third-down attempts wasn’t only about Philadelphia stopping Washington’s best skill player. Kingsbury blamed his process — “way too much in (the game plan)” for a short week and not calling a good game” against Fangio’s defense — and a tentative offensive performance.
The coordinator cited too many negative plays for creating long down-and-distance scenarios. “That was our Achilles’ heel the first time,” Kingsbury said.
With mauling defensive tackle Jalen Carter and tackling machine Zack Baun, the Eagles had three sacks and eight tackles for loss while limiting the Commanders to 3.3 yards per carry. Washington is coming off a game with eight sacks allowed and, per Kingsbury, 17 negative plays against a struggling Saints defense.
“If you’re in second-and-long, third-and-long throughout the game, it’s going to be tough sledding,” Kingsbury said. “They can rush to the pass or they can play shell coverage and make it a long day for you.”
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Boxing Barkley
There’s a choice every team must make against Philadelphia’s offense: Drop defenders into coverage knowing the talents of wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith or put seven or eight players near the line of scrimmage in the hopes of slowing down Barkley.
Washington chose the latter approach last month. Don’t expect a strategic change with the new perimeter presence of cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The four-time Pro Bowler was acquired in a trade before the Eagles game, but he was out for several weeks with a hamstring injury.
Lattimore’s ability to cover receivers without safety help and rookie Mike Sainristil’s substantial work at the other corner allows the Commanders to stack the box.
“You have to,” Quinn said of the “unique” offense oozing talent across the offense. “Those are combinations of people that are hard to defend.”
Simply using eight-man fronts or loaded boxes isn’t enough. Washington must disguise its approach to confuse quarterback Jalen Hurts at the snap. It also must be “bold enough” to take on Barkley, knowing that means there will be fewer defenders to surround Brown and Smith.
That worked for much of the first game. Neither Brown nor Smith hurt Washington with big plays. However, with the Commanders’ defense on the field for extended stretches, Barkley rushed for 76 of his 146 yards in the fourth quarter, sprinting for touchdowns of 23 and 39 yards.
Washington’s run defense improved statistically over its last eight games, ranking third in yards allowed. The Commanders haven’t faced a back like Barkley or an offense with so many potent options. Philadelphia hasn’t seen Washington with Lattimore, either.
(Top photo of Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts: Elsa / Getty Images)
