The Washington Commanders will close out the season with a road matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Here are three keys to them pulling off a win.
1. Execute in winning time moments.
The Commanders struggles with execution have been an issue all season, but it was so prevalent against the Dallas Cowboys during their Christmas game that head coach Dan Quinn called it out during his postgame press game press conference and on Monday. While he loves the team's desire to fight, he said, that alone is not enough for them to win.
The Commanders had multiple opportunities to come away with what would have been their first home win since Week 3. Two trips inside the Cowboys' 5-yard line ended with field goals, rather than touchdowns, and the offense couldn't take advantage of a missed field goal from Brandon Aubrey and had to punt not long after. On defense, the Commanders forced the Cowboys into six fourth down situations but allowed them convert each one.
The Commanders had a similar situation against the Eagles on in Week 16. They managed to build a 10-7 lead at halftime but struggled on offense once Marcus Mariota left the game. The defense went on to allow 22 unanswered points from the Eagles, making the odds of a comeback slim.
It's unknown at this point if the Eagles will play their starters, but the team is still one of the best constructed rosters in football. As Josh Johnson said earlier in the week, the Commanders will need to put together an exceptional performance with few mistakes to get a win.
2. Stay consistent with the pass rush.
The Commanders have struggled to maintain a strong pass rush this season with all the injuries they have sustained at defensive end, but they had an easier time against the Cowboys, who came into the game allowing some of the fewest sacks in the league. They took Dak Prescott down six times with half of those sacks coming from Johnny Newton.
The Commanders will face a different challenge against the Eagles, who have dealt with injuries to their offensive line but have still kept Jalen Hurts clean. The Commanders did manage to sack Hurts in their first matchup with Philadelphia, but it only resulted in a loss of seven total yards.
But the Commanders found ways to put pressure on Prescott without Daron Payne, who missed the Christmas game with a back injury. Newton, who was regarded as one of the best interior pass-rushers in his draft class, had his first multi-sack game and had five quarterback hits.
Payne, who was a full participant on Wednesday, is currently on track to return as a starter. However, Newton received praise from Quinn for wreaking havoc in the Cowboys backfield, so he might have earned a few extra snaps in the finale. If the Commanders can find a way to highlight Payne, Javon Kinlaw and Newton, it would make life that much harder on whoever is starting at quarterback for the Eagles.
3. Spread it out on offense.
It looks like Josh Johnson is going to be the Commanders' starter this weekend, as Quinn proclaimed Mariota as doubtful to return with his hand and quad injury. Johnson played well against the Cowboys as a starter for the first time since 2021, completing 65% of his passes with no turnovers and helping the offense remain competitive despite running just 41 plays.
The Eagles will be a much more difficult task than the Cowboys, who have struggled as much as the Commanders on defense. Though they are not as devoid of weaknesses as they were last year, they still have a formidable unit that ranks near the top 10 in several categories.
The Commanders will likely employ a game plan that involves a heavy presence on the ground like they did against the Cowboys, but they could also make sure they spread the ball around through the air and utilize all their weapons with screens and shorter throws that allow them to pick up yards after the catch. Deebo Samuel, for example, benefitted heavily from this approach, as he amassed 93 total yards and had three of the Commanders' most explosive plays.
Johnson targeted six different players during the Commanders' Christmas game, and it helped have their second most yards in a game since their bye week. The variety of targets helped Johnson get into a rhythm, which the quarterback said is when the offense is at its best. That hasn't happened as consistently as it did in 2024, but Johnson is confident the offense can compete against anyone if they can find that production.
