Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Redskins vs. Eagles: Week 13 offense and defense matchups, score prediction

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 23: Head Coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins looks on from the sideline in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at FedExField on September 23, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 23: Head Coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins looks on from the sideline in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at FedExField on September 23, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 18: Colt McCoy #12 of the Washington Redskins runs for a first down on a fourth down play in the fourth quarter of the game against the Houston Texans at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. The Texans won 23-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 18: Colt McCoy #12 of the Washington Redskins runs for a first down on a fourth down play in the fourth quarter of the game against the Houston Texans at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. The Texans won 23-21. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Redskins offense vs. Eagles defense

The Redskins offense should have a chance to succeed against the Eagles. Philadelphia has a lot of injuries on the defensive side of the ball, and many of their top defensive backs have been out with injury issues. In addition, linebacker Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham are banged up, so the back-seven for the Eagles looks weak.

Unfortunately, this is the greater area of weakness for the ‘Skins as well. The team doesn’t have a great receiving corps, and they don’t have any weapons that can specifically take advantage of the good matchup, save for Jordan Reed. Reed should have a chance to catch some passes against the banged-up linebacker group and given that he has been Colt McCoy’s favorite target so far this season, he could have another solid game.

Speaking of McCoy, expect him to take some downfield chances as he did against the Cowboys. While last week’s result wasn’t a net-positive for McCoy — he turned the ball over three times and took some unnecessary risks — he should have a better chance to avoid mistakes against the Eagles. But again, it’s all about whether or not the team will see their receiving corps step up.

More from Commanders News

Against the Eagles, Josh Doctson may need to turn himself into more of a weapon. He has been emerging as the No. 1 receiver in the offense and with some solid middle of the field weapons like Reed and Trey Quinn emerging, Doctson will need to keep the Eagles honest outside to avoid the team funneling their pass defense to the middle of the field. This will be a big moment for him, so he should be watched closely.

In the run game, Adrian Peterson figures to have a tougher time moving the ball. Timmy Jernigan is coming back for the Eagles and Fletcher Cox is one of the best defensive linemen in the league. The interior of the Redskins line is on the weaker side, as Jonathan Cooper and Tony Bergstrom can be beaten fairly easily, so Peterson may struggle again. The potential return of Chris Thompson could make this a light game for Peterson and a heavier one for the receiving backs.

Overall, the offensive side of the ball is a mixed bag for the ‘Skins. It’s going to be a weakness vs. weakness battle in the secondary, and Washington won’t be able to use their desired run-heavy offensive plan as much as they’d like. Because of this, it may be hard for them to move the ball downfield against a rival on the road on Monday night.

Home/Commanders News