The Philadelphia Eagles were able to beat the Washington Redskins in Week 1 of the 2017 NFL season. Now, the Redskins will look to get revenge in their Week 7 matchup.
The Washington Redskins were hoping to get the 2017 campaign started off with a win when they took on the Philadelphia Eagles at home in the first week of the season. With some buzz surrounding the team amid Kirk Cousins’ poor preseason play, the Redskins were able to fight valiantly, but they ultimately fell to the Eagles by a final score of 30-17.
The Redskins played well in the contest, but a late, controversial fumble recovery for a touchdown sealed the deal for the Eagles. At the same time, the Redskins are going to have to improve if they want a shot at knocking off their NFC East rival.
Early in the season, the Eagles were not thought of to be a major title contender. While many expected the team to improve from their 7-9 record in 2016, few predicted that they would be a legitimate contender to win the NFC. Through six weeks of the 2017 season, it appears that they are indeed a Super Bowl contender, and the team is definitely in a groove.
The Eagles only have one loss on the season and that came against the 5-1 Kansas City Chiefs. In that game, the Eagles played very well and had a chance to beat the Chiefs. Just one mistake too many put them over the edge. Otherwise, they may have been undefeated.
With all that said, here’s a look at an in-depth preview for the Redskins-Eagles second matchup during the 2017 campaign.
Redskins offense vs. Eagles defense
In the first battle with Philadelphia, the Redskins offense was not operating at peak efficiency. Kirk Cousins’ preseason struggles had continued. The team had minimal success on the ground. And the receivers were not able to perform consistently. If the Redskins want to improve, that will need to change.
The good news for the Redskins is that Cousins has been performing very well in recent weeks. Against the 49ers, Cousins was playing very well and really was able to carry the team to victory. His ball placement and accuracy on short to medium length throws has been great in recent weeks, and the only area that he could improve in is with deep balls. Cousins has telegraphed his longer throws and that has allowed opposing safeties to read his eyes. He can easily fix that if he focuses on that in practice this week.
Fortunately for Cousins, the Eagles don’t have the greatest secondary right now. The team has a couple of very good safeties, but their cornerbacks have been shaky. They lost Ronald Darby in Week 1 against the Skins, and at the time, they didn’t have a strong replacement. Rasul Douglas has looked pretty good in recent weeks and Patrick Robinson is a veteran, but neither is consistent yet. That said, the Redskins need to make sure they attack this area in order to find success.
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Against the Eagles, it seems like Josh Doctson may be the best option for the team. While Doctson hasn’t played many snaps this year, he has flashed game breaking ability in his limited opportunities. He has a touchdown in two of his last three games, and he has the height and speed necessary to beat the Eagles corners. Jay Gruden has to trust him and put him in the game. It remains to be seen if that will happen.
In the run game, the Redskins are going to have to do a lot more than they did in Week 1. In that contest, the Redskins running backs saw only 13 carries and totaled 34 yards. Rob Kelley finished with 30 yards which was equal to the rushing total of Cousins. The Eagles are very good against the run, but the Redskins have to find a way to be more consistent.
In all likelihood, the way that the Redskins will find success is by using Chris Thompson in a bigger role. Thompson has shifty playmaking ability and if they can get him involved on some screen plays, that may open things up for Kelley. It could be beneficial for the Redskins to run some two back sets, as the Eagles will have to account for Thompson which could open up more space between the tackles for other runners.
Overall, the Eagles still have an advantage against the run game, so the Redskins will have to be carried by their passing game. It’s not going to be easy, but the team could potentially beat the Eagles if they can at least keep the defense honest.
Redskins defense vs. Eagles offense
In the first matchup between the two sides, the Redskins did well to contain the Eagles defense. They focused on containing the top receivers for the Eagles and that was a good strategy. Aside from a 58 yard touchdown to Nelson Agholor at the start of the contest, the Eagles weren’t able to get into a consistent rhythm on the edge thanks to the performances of Bashaud Breeland and Josh Norman.
However, this week the duo may not be around to lock down Alshon Jeffery and company. Norman is dealing with a rib injury and was out last week while Breeland injured his MCL against the 49ers. If neither is able to play, Jeffery could be poised to have a nice game while Agholor will be able to do damage outside as well.
Also, the Redskins have struggled to cover tight ends this season, so matching up with Zach Ertz could be a problem. The team’s safeties are banged up and the linebackers are not quite quick enough to keep pace with more athletic targets. Ertz could have big day as a result unless the Redskins develop a new plan to keep him covered.
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Since the last time these two teams did battle, the Eagles running game has changed a bit. While LeGarrette Blount is still the lead back, the team lost Darren Sproles for the year due to an injury. In his stead, Wendell Smallwood has taken on a bigger role as a receiving back and he has done well in it. He has essentially replaced Sproles’ production when on the field. However, Smallwood has dealt with swelling in his knee and missed the past couple weeks with the injury. He should suit up on Monday, but it’s hard to know how effective he’ll be.
The Redskins should focus on slowing down Blount to start the contest. They are going to be without rookie Jonathan Allen due to a Lisfranc sprain he suffered. Because of this, Stacy McGee and Terrell McClain will get more snaps, and both very good run stuffers. Slowing Blount could prove to be crucial as they look to render the Eagles offense one dimensional.
Still, it’s hard to picture a scenario where the Redskins win on defense. Though their unit fared well in the season opener, they have suffered too many injuries to keep pace with the high flying Eagles offense. Allowing a few touchdowns wouldn’t be a surprise, and the team may allow the Eagles to put up 30 points again.
Rookie kicking battle
Just a few days ago, the kicking battle in this game wouldn’t have been a huge story. The Redskins would have Dustin Hopkins and the Eagles would have solid rookie Jake Elliott at their disposal. However, Hopkins was placed on Injured Reserve with a hip injury. Instead, Washington will march into battle with a new kicker.
Nick Rose is the man who the Redskins tapped to replace Hopkins. The rookie out of Texas doesn’t come with any NFL experience. He played in the preseason twice for both the Falcons and the 49ers, but he didn’t do a lot either time. Most recently, he made 3-of-4 kicks for the 49ers and drilling a 55 yarder. He isn’t very accurate, he only hit 71 percent of his college kicks, but he obviously has a big leg.
The Redskins are going to need Rose to be consistent for them. They were able to rely upon Hopkins from within 40 yards, and Rose has to do the same. If he can hit some 50 yarders too, that would be huge. But accuracy is the most important thing.
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Meanwhile, for the Eagles, Elliott has been a very steady kicker. He was signed off the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad after an injury to Caleb Sturgis, and he has done well for the Eagles. After going 4-for-6 in his first two weeks, Elliott has made his last eight field goals. He has made 3-of-4 attempts from over 50 yards and looks like a long term solution at the position for the Eagles.
On Monday night, the kicking battle could be huge if it’s another close game. Both young kickers need to make sure that they are ready for the moment, but the edge right now is clearly with the Eagles. Elliott has done very well and Rose has no actual NFL experience. Rose needs to be ready for the pressure, but it would be understandable if he is nervous at the start of his career.
Overall
There’s a lot going into this game that is working for the Redskins. It is an opportunity for a revenge game. They lost to the Eagles in the first week of the season and they’ll want to get back at their rivals. Additionally, a win would put the Redskins only a half game back of the Eagles in the race for the divisional crown. So that would be a major accomplishment for the team.
At the same time, the Redskins have some glaring weaknesses that the Eagles will be able to exploit. Their defense is missing some of their key players. The team has a rookie kicker who has never played in an NFL contest. And the Eagles run defense will have a shot to bottle up Kelley and Thompson for another week.
The only way the Redskins will have a chance to win is if they can match the Eagles passing attack blow for blow. Cousins will have to be at his best and while that’s possible, it still may not be enough as the Redskins look to notch their fourth win.
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With all that said, it’s hard to see the Redskins coming in to Philly and winning. The primetime game will prove to be a bit too much and the Eagles will continue their rise to the top of the NFC. It will be a close one, but ultimately, the Eagles will prevail.