5 Commanders reality checks for Week 10 against the Eagles

1. The Reality Is, in any rivalry, sometimes you have to play spoiler.

In some seasons, the Washington-Philly games are some of the best matchups in the entire NFL. Not so this year. Washington is a mediocre team this season. Philadelphia is a good, borderline great team so far this season. Washington is a 10.5-point underdog against a more healthy, talented and rested team. But this is still an NFC East game. This is still a rivalry game. This is why the NFL is broken up into divisions…to bring extra intrigue to games like this one that, on paper, should be a snoozer.

Look for Washington to pull out all the stops in play-calling and game management. This game is functionally their Super Bowl this season. Win it, and they just might maintain a glimmer of hope to keep their season meaningful into the final stretch, along with a massive confidence boost that they can compete with anybody in the NFL. Lose it, especially decisively, and it would be nearly impossible to imagine a return to relevance this season. If you look at the odds alone, this is a fait accompli. Real fans know differently.

Give me your thoughts below in the comments section. Or, ping me on Twitter @TheRealityIs__ where I always post a few game-day gut-feel Reality Checks including a game prediction.