Five bold predictions for Washington Football Team vs. Eagles in Week 1

2. Five different Washington defenders log at least one sack

The situation that the Eagles are dealing with on their offensive front is not good, to say the least. Currently, they are dealing with three key injuries on their offensive line.

Left tackle Andre Dillard and right guard Brandon Brooks are both out for the game (and season) while star right tackle Lane Johnson is questionable. Being without Dillard and Brooks is bad enough, but if Johnson can’t play, the team is going to be extremely thin at the tackle position.

This is music to the ears of the Washington coaching staff. Why? Because of how good Washington’s defensive line and pass rush is. Washington has spent their last four picks on defensive linemen — Chase Young, Montez Sweat, Daron Payne, and Jonathan Allen — and they also have Ryan Kerrigan and Matt Ioannidis ready to play big roles in the rotation. If they get a chance to play against three backup offensive linemen, they should feast.

If each of Washington’s starting defensive linemen records a sack, that would be a major feat, but I’m taking it a step further. I think that Washington will have five players each log at least one sack as they attempt to pressure Carson Wentz early and often to rattle the Eagles offense. They could rack up 5-8 sacks on the game, and it could (and should) be a great start for this defensive line unit.

As a bonus prediction, I think that Sweat will steal a bit of Young’s thunder and record 2-3 sacks on the day. Young will still log the first one of what should be a strong NFL career, but Sweat improved greatly at the end of last year and could start off the year with a bang.