Washington Football Team: The entire defense needs to Put up its Dukes

The Washington Football Team has one last opportunity to win the NFC East. It all boils down to a Week 17 contest versus the Philadelphia Eagles.

For the Washington Football Team, it’s about starting how you finish. In the season opener, Washington pulled off a 27-17 upset over the Eagles. Fueled by a dominant effort from its defense, Washington notched eight sacks and three turnovers as they overcame a 17-0 deficit.

Both teams have undergone a transformation of sorts since they last met nearly four months ago. Philadelphia has been decimated by injuries and sub-par performances from Carson Wentz and the defense all season.

Fortunately for Washington, those woes have continued into Week 17 for the Eagles. Philadelphia’s injury report is indeed a lengthy one. Against Washington, Philadelphia will be without offensive starters DeSean Jackson, Miles Sanders, Jordan Mailata, and Dallas Goedert. Those are four of the nine players ruled out for tonight’s game versus Washington.

This should be a boost for Washington defensively for apparent reasons. The Washington Football Team defense has been a top-five unit all season and much of the success has been attributed to the defensive line.

Simply put, the defense has provided Washington with an identity. The Eagles will be starting an astonishing 14th different offensive line combination in16 games. Despite struggling against mobile quarterbacks all season, Washington somewhat gets a reprieve in facing rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts behind a banged-up offensive line. It will be imperative for the defense to keep contain in rushing lanes and limit Hurts to playing within the pocket.

Preventing large leads in the first half should also be a point of emphasis for Washington’s defense. The Washington Football Team has allowed double-digit leads in 11 games this season. Being that Philly will be without nearly 50 percent of offensive starters from a week ago this is a matchup defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio needs to exploit.

Hurts will be without the Eagles’ leader in receiving yards and rushing yards, in addition to their only true deep threat and starting left tackle. With Hurts missing most of his playmakers, the onus will be on Washington’s defense to leave him hurting literally and figuratively.

At running back, Philly will more than likely go with the duo of Boston Scott and Jordan Howard. Both players lack Sanders’ big-play ability and are nowhere as productive as the former Penn State product. Greg Ward leads the Eagles with 52 catches but is averaging 7.9 yards per catch.

Washington’s defense should be able to prevent any big plays of 20 yards or more. If they can do that, they should be able to contain rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts and in turn make him look like the rookie that he is. Make no mistake about it, this is a playoff game for the Washington Football Team. They can ill-afford to be torched by a rookie making his fourth career start.

Washington has struggled without three of their offensive playmakers in Alex Smith, Antonio Gibson, and Terry McLaurin. Smith is 4-1 this year as a starter and 10-5 in his career with Washington. Washington is averaging 26.8 points per game with Smith in the lineup in 2020. A dominant effort from the stout defensive line would go a long way in complementing the return of Smith, Gibson, and McLaurin.

Washington’s defense has been average in creating turnovers but they should look to become more opportunistic against Philly. Doug Pederson’s squad has committed 26 total giveaways, which ranks 30th in the NFL. Last week against the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia fumbled the ball four times and committed three turnovers overall.

Washington’s defense needs to show that it can make game-changing impact plays on a consistent basis. All season long, the unit has been the backbone of the team. It’s instilled hoped within the fans.

But now, the defense needs to show that it can put a stranglehold on an opponent. Facing a depleted Eagles team, in a primetime spot, it’s essential the defense plays like a top-five unit. As the adage goes, offense wins games but defense wins championships. If Washington is to win the NFC East, the burden will be on Chase Young & Co. to secure Washington’s first playoff bid since 2015.