3 reasons Commanders can upset the Eagles in Week 10
By Jerry Trotta
2. Commanders run defense has been elite
Don’t look now, but the Commanders’ run defense ranks first in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric. Over the last three games, Jack Del Rio’s group has limited Dalvin Cook, Jonathan Taylor and Aaron Jones — three of the top 10 backs in the league, and two of the top five in Cook’s and Taylor’s case — to 151 combined yards on just 3.5 yards per carry.
Further, Washington held Ezekiel Elliott to 2.9 YPC in Week 4. In Week 5, Derrick Henry galloped for 102 yards and two touchdowns, but on just 3.6 YPC. And the last time the Commanders faced the Eagles, Miles Sanders managed just 3.1 yards per carry on 15 totes and Hurts logged 20 rushing yards on nine carries.
The Eagles have proven capable of beating teams by throwing the football, but it goes without saying their offensive identify is pounding the rock. With Washington’s run defense emerging as one of the NFL’s best, and the secondary looking in-sync after a slow start, Philly might find it difficult to sustain long drives.
The secondary will need to hold up its end of the bargain, but the run defense should keep Washington within striking distance.