Washington Football Team: Five bold predictions vs. Eagles in Week 17

2. Washington runs for over 200 yards against the Eagles

This number may raise some eyebrows, and rightfully so. After all, didn’t Washington total only 80 rushing yards against the Eagles in Week 1? And don’t the Eagles have a solid run defense?

One of those statements is true. Washington’s 80 rushing yards against the Eagles was the second-lowest rushing total the Eagles have allowed on the season.

However, the Eagles’ once-strong run defense isn’t what it used to be. They are allowing 127.3 rushing yards per game which is the ninth-most in the NFL this season. The issue is largely because of their linebacker unit, which is one of the worst groups in the NFL.

Washington Commanders

The Eagles haven’t allowed a 200-yard game this season, but that could change in Week 17. They are without their best defensive lineman, Fletcher Cox, and that will hurt their ability to push into the backfield at the line of scrimmage. So, if Washington can spring its backs open with holes at the line of scrimmage, they should be well-positioned to break off some long runs and beat the linebacker group at the second level.

The only issue for Washington is that Antonio Gibson isn’t fully healthy. He’s dealing with a nagging toe injury that kept him out of practice all last week, and if he isn’t at 100 percent, he could be limited in this game. Still, J.D. McKissic has proven to be a more-than-capable elusive and explosive option, so he should rip off some chunks. And if Lamar Miller gets a few carries, maybe he can make some noise, too.

A 200-yard day on the ground may not be likely for Washington, but it’s certainly possible. If Gibson can handle 12-15 carries with some combination of McKissic, Miller, and Peyton Barber mixing in for 10-15 more, they should have a chance to break that mark. It may only take one long run to get to that level, and without Cox to slow things at the point of attack, Washington may have more than one explosive run in them.