Five key players to know ahead of Saturday's game between the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles
After getting their fourth win of the season at the Meadowlands against the Giants, the Commanders will host the Philadelphia Eagles in week 16 where they will try and make it two wins in a row over divisional opponents. This week, we take a look at five players for the Eagles that will be key for them on Saturday.
RB Saquon Barkley
Barkley finished last season as the offensive player of the year with 2,005 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns along with 33 receptions for 278 yards and two touchdowns. This season for Barkley however has been a much different story. The Eagles as a whole have struggled offensively and a big part of that is the run game not being as successful as in the past. This season, Barkley only has 940 yards for six touchdowns and 37 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns. Barkley is only averaging 3.9 yards per carry this season which is tied for his second worst average during a season he played in more than two games. If the Commanders are to get the win Saturday, stopping Barkley and the Eagles run game will be key.
TE Dallas Goedert
Goedert has seemed to have become Jalen Hurts’ safety valve this season. Goedert is third on the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards this season while leading the team in receiving touchdowns with nine. With how beat up the Commanders secondary is, they will likely have to pick their poison against the Eagles receiving core. In the red zone and on third down, Goedert has been the go to guy this season and stopping him in those key areas will be key for the Commanders.
DB Cooper DeJean
If the game goes how the experts and Vegas expect it to go, the Eagles should win comfortably which would mean the Commanders are throwing the ball around a lot. A key contributor to the Eagles passing defense success is DeJean. This season, DeJean is second on the team in pass deflections with 12 while also having an interception. A big difference about DeJean than most defensive backs however is how he is used all over the defense. DeJean is also second on the Eagles defense with 79 total tackles while also adding four tackles for loss to his name. Confusing DeJean and getting him in the wrong spots will be key for the Commanders offense if they want to pull off the upset on Saturday evening.
DL Jordan Davis
One reason the Eagles defense has been so dominant in the past has been their defensive line. Currently with Jalen Carter dealing with an injury, a lot of the pressure has been on Jordan Davis to stuff the middle of the run game and to get interior pressure on the quarterback. Davis this season has 59 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and four sacks while also adding two forced fumbles to his name. With the Commanders sticking with Mariota at quarterback for the rest of the season, they might look to get the run game going more to have less pressure on Mariota to make plays. It will be Davis’ job to shut down the middle of the field for the Commanders run game and he is definitely capable of doing so. The Eagles ruled out Jalen Carter for Saturday's matchup, making Davis' presence all that much more important for a Commanders' offensive line set to be without Laremy Tunsil.
LB Nakobe Dean
Dean, like a lot of the Eagles this season, has missed several games due to injury this season. Altho he has only played in nine games this season, he is tied for the lead on the Eagles in tackles for loss with seven. Dean also has 53 total tackles and two forced fumbles on the season. With the injuries to Carter and Azeez Ojulari, Dean has been tasked with a larger role on the Eagles defense than before and he has excelled in that role. The Commanders will need to key in on Dean on Saturday and make sure he can not cause havoc if they want to pull off the upset.
With the season winding down and the Commanders eliminated from playoff contention, there are few things the team can do to put a positive spin on the season. However, one of the biggest things you can do is beat an NFC East rival and put them lower in the playoff picture. With two of their final three games being against the Eagles, the Commanders will be looking to play spoiler and give the Eagles a worse seed than they already have. The game is set to kick-off at 5PM ET on Saturday and will be airing on FOX.