Eagles at Commanders predictions for Week 16 of the NFL season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles (12-2) will travel to face the Washington Commanders (9-5) at Northwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Let’s get to the predictions:
Reuben Frank (8-6)
You’ve got to give the Commanders credit for their best season in a long time. They’ve reached the playoffs for the first time since 2020, clinched their first winning season since 2016, need one win in their final three games to reach double digits in wins for the first time since 2012 – five coaches ago. And they finally have a promising young quarterback. What they don’t have is a quality win. The nine teams they’ve beaten (including the Giants twice) are a combined 35-91 and none have a winning record. There are nine NFL teams with four or fewer wins, and the Commanders are 6-0 against them and 3-5 against everybody else. Washington is 0-4 vs. winning teams, one of only six NFL teams that doesn’t have a win over a team currently over .500. The Patriots, Saints, Jaguars, Bengals and Panthers are the others. Going back to the end of the 2022 season, the Commanders have lost 13 straight vs. winning teams and going back even farther they’re 7-50-1 in their last 58 games vs. winning teams. The Eagles, meanwhile, are 5-1 vs. winning teams this year, tied with the Chiefs for the best mark in the league, and they’re an NFL-best 18-5 vs. winning teams since opening day 2022. When I look at those two trends, I start thinking of scores like 30-17. So I’m going Eagles get their 13th win and 11th in a row.
Eagles 30, Commanders 17
Dave Zangaro (9-5)
Could the Eagles lose to the Commanders? Sure, in the same way that any team can lose on any given Sunday. But I’d be surprised. The Eagles are the best and most complete team in the NFL right now. That doesn’t mean they can afford to take the Commanders lightly and their focus is important, but if they play the way they’re capable of playing, they’re going to win this game and, in the process, win the NFC East for the second time under Nick Sirianni. The Commanders will have Marshon Lattimore in this game and he’ll help but they won’t get Jonathan Allen back and the Eagles should be able to run against that defense. On offense, Jayden Daniels is looking a little healthier these days than when he faced the Eagles in Week 11. And the rookie quarterback is having a great season but I have confidence in the Eagles’ top-ranked defense. We’ve seen them play at a high level during this win streak and I think that continues on Sunday for the Eagles’ 11th straight win.
Eagles 26, Commanders 16
Barrett Brooks (11-3)
This will be the first time rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean will see the same opponent twice in a season. How will Washington OC Kliff Kingbury attack the youngsters with his weapons? Mitchell played very well against their best weapon Terry McLaurin last time, holding him to 10 yards on one catch. I believe Kingsbury will move McLaurin around in the slot and on the other side of the field. This way, DeJean and Darius Slay will have an opportunity to face McLaurin. I like our odds. I really think the Commanders will try to run the ball with Brian Robinson Jr. to start the game. They did have success early in the last meeting.
The Eagles’ offense will continue to play a tough, physical running style. The Commanders went out and traded for CB Marshon Lattimore to cover A.J. Brown, so they will be very confident in loading the box to stop Saquon Barkley. This will be useless for them because the Eagles will dominate on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Eagles 33, Commanders 24
Mike Mulhern (11-3)
The first matchup between these two teams feels like it was forever ago. Back in week 11, Jayden Daniels was being hyped as perhaps the best rookie quarterback in history and the Washington offense was absolutely lighting up the scoreboard. They’ve since come back to earth a bit, including a home loss to Cooper Rush and the Cowboys and barely escaping against the Saints. Meanwhile, the Eagles have ripped off wins over current playoff teams like the Rams, Ravens, and Steelers to cement themselves as one of the NFL’s true title contenders.
It’s easy to look at this rematch and chalk up another win, but that first game was even closer than the 26-18 final score indicates. Washington led going into the fourth quarter. They also had a shot to re-take the lead with under eight minutes to play but opted against a go-ahead field goal attempt and instead were stopped on fourth down. Then Saquon Barkley took over and the rest was history. The Commanders are going to be fired up for this one. The Eagles will have to match that intensity early. I see this one being a battle to the end with the defense delivering another key stop late to clinch the division.
Eagles 23, Commanders 20
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