The Eagles at Commanders predictions for Week 16 of the NFL season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles (12-2) travel to the Washington Commanders (9-5) at Northwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Let’s get to the predictions:
Ruben Frank (8-6)
You have to give the Commanders credit for their best season in a long time. They reached the playoffs for the first time since 2020, had their first winning season since 2016 and need one win in their last three games to reach double figures for the first time since 2012 – five coaches ago. And they finally have a promising young quarterback. What they don’t have is a quality win. The nine teams they have defeated (including the Giants twice) are a combined 35-91 and none have a winning record. There are nine NFL teams with four or fewer wins, and the Commanders are 6-0 against them and 3-5 against everyone else. Washington is 0-4 vs. winning teams, one of only six NFL teams not to have a win against a team currently above .500. The Patriots, Saints, Jaguars, Bengals and Panthers are the others. If we go back to the end of the 2022 season, the Commanders have won 13 straight vs. winning teams lost and if we go back even further they are 7-50-1 in their last 58 games against winning teams. The Eagles are 5-1 vs. this year. winning teams, are tied with the Chiefs for the best record in the league, and they are an NFL-best 18-5 vs. winning teams since Opening Day 2022. When I look at those two trends, I start thinking of scores like 30-17. So I’m going for the Eagles to get their 13th win and 11th in a row.
Eagles 30, Commanders 17
Dave Zangaro (9-5)
Can the Eagles lose to the Commanders? Sure, just like any team can lose on any given Sunday. But I would be surprised. The Eagles are the best and most complete team in the NFL right now. That doesn’t mean they can afford to take the Commanders lightly and their focus is important, but if they play like they can play, they will win this game and win the NFC East in the process. for the second time under Nick Sirianni. The Commanders will have Marshon Lattimore in this game and he will help, but they won’t get Jonathan Allen back and the Eagles should be able to go against that defense. On offense, Jayden Daniels looks a little healthier these days than he did when he faced the Eagles in Week 11. And the starting quarterback is having a great season, but I’m confident in the Eagles’ top-ranked defense. We’ve seen them play at a high level during this winning streak and I think this will continue for the 11th straight win for the Eagles on Sunday.
Eagles 26, Commanders 16
Barrett Brooks (11-3)
This will be the first time rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean will face the same opponent twice in a season. How will Washington OC Kliff Kingbury attack the youth with his weapons? Mitchell played very well against their best weapon Terry McLaurin last time, holding him to 10 yards with one catch. I believe Kingsbury will move McLaurin into the slot and on the other side of the field. This way, DeJean and Darius Slay get the chance to face McLaurin. I like our chances. I really think the Commanders will try to run the ball with Brian Robinson Jr. to run to start the game. They had success early in the last meeting.
The Eagles’ offense will continue to play a tough, physical running style. The Commanders went out and traded for CB Marshon Lattimore to cover AJ Brown, so they will have a lot of confidence in stopping Saquon Barkley. This will be useless to them because the Eagles will dominate on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Eagles 33, Commanders 24
Mike Mulhern (11-3)
The first meeting between these two teams feels like it’s been forever. In Week 11, Jayden Daniels was hyped as perhaps the best starting quarterback in history and the Washington offense absolutely lit up the scoreboard. Since then, they’ve come back down to earth a bit, including a home loss to Cooper Rush and the Cowboys and a narrow escape against the Saints. Meanwhile, the Eagles have picked up wins over current playoff teams like the Rams, Ravens and Steelers to cement themselves as one of the NFL’s true title contenders.
It’s easy to look at this rematch and get another win, but that first match was even closer than the final score of 26-18 indicates. Washington led into the fourth quarter. They also had a chance to regain the lead with less than eight minutes to play, but opted against a field goal attempt and were stopped on fourth down instead. Then Saquon Barkley took over and the rest was history. The commanders will be on fire for this. The Eagles will have to match that intensity early. I see this being a fight to the finish, with the defense delivering a key stop late to clinch the division.
Eagles 23, Commanders 20
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