Predicting the Commanders' next four games after 7-5 start in 2024
By Dean Jones
Commanders vs. Eagles - Week 16
- Date: Sunday, December 22
- Time: 1.00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Northwest Stadium
- TV channel: FOX
The Washington Commanders' first meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles this season didn't go according to plan. It was a high-profile showdown on Thursday Night Football between two division rivals in good form. Things were close for a while, but Nick Sirriani's men pulled away late en route to a convincing victory.
Philadelphia has been on a tear after recovering from an indifferent start. They've won their last seven games and look almost unstoppable right now. Their decision to swing for the fences with running back Saquon Barkley is proving to be yet another masterstroke by general manager Howie Roseman.
Another exceptional performance from Barkley in Week 12 versus the Los Angeles Rams put him firmly in the NFL MVP conversation. The former Penn State star is a big play waiting to happen every time he touches the football. Washington's run defense is improving gradually, but they had no answer for the dual threat last time out.
Having Marshon Lattimore back to counteract the threat A.J. Brown brings to the table will help enormously. But unless Kliff Kingsbiry's offense finds its rhythm again, the Commanders have their work cut out on home soil.
It doesn't seem likely that the Commanders can push Philadelphia for the divisional crown. They've tailed off at the worst possible time while the Eagles have kicked on. These two squads are in different places right now. That's the long and short of it.
The Eagles are primed to go deep into the postseason. The Commanders are in Year 1 of a comprehensive rebuild. They punched well above their weight until lately, so fans must keep the bigger picture in mind regardless of how things go the rest of the way.
- Prediction: Commanders loss (9-6)
This looks like a step too far for the Commanders currently. Their chances will improve if they can figure things out over the next couple of games. However, one would be hard-pressed to predict anything other than a Washington loss looking at how things stand.