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Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins Battle for NFC East Division Lead

By George Stockburger

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In a Saturday night battle in Philadelphia, the Eagles are ready to take flight against their division rival Washington Redskins. Jay Gruden and Kirk Cousins have put all the preseason drama behind them with the best cure in the NFL: Winning. Chip Kelly and the Eagles on the other hand have had a rollercoaster of a season from day one. After making some questionable moves in the offseason, Kelly and the Eagles have stumbled their way to a 6-8 record. In any other year they’d probably be stuck in third place, but the putrid NFC East has left them in the hunt.

Washington travels up to Philadelphia looking to win their first NFC East crown since Robert Griffin III’s 2012 rookie season. A win and they’re in. While Kirk Cousins has given us a ton to like this year, the Redskins have failed to perform on the road this year. They’re 1-5 this season on the road and have been outscored 183 to 110 by their opponents.

Sep 21, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden prior to the game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY SportsTheir first win outside of FedEx Field this season came just three weeks ago in Chicago.

While Washington has failed to perform on the road, Philadelphia has done just as bad at The Linc. Chip Kelly’s squad is 3-4 at home and have been out scored 169 to 152. Certainly not what Eagles fans envisioned this year. However, Chip Kelly has a decent record in his Eagles tenure when it comes to beating NFC East teams with a 10-6 record overall and 6-4 at home.

The Sam Bradford experiment in Philly seems to slowly be coming into fruition. Despite turning the ball over three times last week versus Arizona (two interceptions and a fumble), Bradford has won six games when he starts and finishes the game. Health is the key for the Eagles if they want to win this game.

A second key for Philadelphia is spreading the ball out to all of their offensive weapons. Eagles wide receivers are at the bottom of the league in completions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. Getting the ball to first round pick Nelson Agholor and sophomore Jordan Matthews is a must. Chip Kelly seems cemented in his plan to divide the running back carries between Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles and DeMarco Murray. While Murray didn’t get any of the key carries in Philly’s loss last week, he’s still a weapon they have in the arsenal. Not an effective on in this offense, but a weapon none the less.

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    • Kirk Cousins will have to get the ball to former Eagle DeSean Jackson and make him a threat to open up the field. Tight end Jordan Reed is having a strong season and can be a major threat to an Eagles defense that allows about 45 yards per game to opposing tight ends this year. Rookie running back Matt Jones will be relieved to know nose tackle Bennie Logan is most likely out for this game, so running the ball should be slightly easier. They will still have to deal with Pro Bowl lineman Fletcher Cox, who is having an outstanding year.

    At the end of the day, I believe the Eagles pull this one out and take a hold of first place in the NFC East. Sam Bradford throws for three touchdowns and exploits a Washington defense (mainly the secondary) that is ranked 20th against the pass. Fletcher Cox also shows us why he’s playing in Hawaii next month with a disruptive presence in the face of Kirk Cousins.

    The Eagles will then have to travel to New York for a battle with the Giants for the NFC East crown.

    Eagles 30 – Redskins 17

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