Domo's scouting report: Eagles-Redskins
WHEN THE EAGLES RUN THE BALL
The Eagles' ground game drives their offense, and the last two weeks, it hasn't driven it very well. LeSean McCoy has averaged just 3.4 yards per carry in back-to-back losses to Seattle and Dallas. He was held to 64 yards on 16 carries by the Cowboys just two weeks after rushing for a season-high 159 against the same defense that did essentially the same things it did the first time.
The offensive line play has been inconsistent. The Week 10 returns from injury of C Jason Kelce and LG Evan Mathis hasn't had the effect that had been hoped for. McCoy was held to 22 yards on 19 carries by Washington in Week 3. But Mathis and RT Lane Johnson both were out, and Kelce got hurt in that game.
McCoy has just five rushing first downs and only two double-digit-yard runs in the last two games. Jim Haslett's defenses have generally done a good job v. McCoy. He has rushed for 80-plus yards in just two of 10 games in his career v. Washington.
EDGE: Eagles
WHEN THE EAGLES THROW THE BALL
The Eagles will be going up against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL. Washington's 109.9 opponent passer rating is the worst in the league. They are 31st in TD passes allowed (31), 30th in yards allowed per attempt (8.2) and 26th in opponent completion percentage (65.7).
Mark Sanchez's two biggest enemies have been accuracy and interceptions. He has nine picks in 223 attempts and is 31st in interception percentage. Nearly 60 percent of his pass attempts have been under 10 yards. He has just a 47.2 completion percentage and eight of his nine interceptions on throws of 10 yards or more.
WR Jeremy Maclin, who was averaging 17.5 yards per catch with Nick Foles at QB, is averaging just 13.3 with Sanchez. RBs Darren Sproles and LeSean McCoy have been targeted just 27 times in the 27 quarters Sanchez has played.
With the departure of DeSean Jackson and teams playing more zone coverage v. Eagles, their passing game is different. They are averaging almost 1 1/2 fewer yards per attempt than last year. They have just 55 pass plays of 20-plus yards. Last year, they had 80.
EDGE: Eagles
WHEN THE REDSKINS RUN THE BALL
The Redskins are 20th in the league in rushing (106.2 yards per game) and 12th in yards per attempt (4.1) Alfred Morris' rushing average has dropped from 4.8 his rookie season to 4.6 last year to 4.1 this season. He has just one 100-yard game (vs. San Francisco in Week 12) and has had 20-plus carries in just two of the last 11 games. He had 77 yards on 23 carries vs. Eagles in Week 3.
Washington's offensive line is banged up. C Kory Lichtensteiger sprained his knee and LT Trent Williams sprained his shoulder in the Giants game. Both are expected to play this week, though.
With Robert Griffin III starting at QB this week, the Eagles will have to account for him as a runner, both on zone reads and on scrambles off passing plays.
The Eagles have done a good job against the run most of the season. They have held opponents to 3.6 yards per carry in the last nine games and held NFL rushing leader DeMarco Murray to 3.1 yards per carry in two games. In their last five games, they've held opponents to zero or minus yards on 50 of 157 rushing attempts.
EDGE: Eagles
WHEN THE REDSKINS THROW THE BALL
Benched in Week 12, Robert Griffin III replaced injured Colt McCoy last week against the Giants and played pretty well, completing 18 of 27 passes for 236 yards and a TD. He also was sacked seven times. Griffin has been sacked 28 times on just 178 pass plays this season. That's a sack every 6.4 pass plays. By comparison, Eagles QBs have been sacked once every 22.4 pass plays.
Griffin has a 69.3 completion percentage, but just three TD passes in 150 attempts. He is dangerous when he can extend plays outside the pocket, but has struggled to develop as a pocket passer.
Ex-Eagles WR DeSean Jackson is averaging a league-high 19.1 yards per catch and is second in 30-plus-yard receptions (12). But he has just 14 catches for 173 yards (12.4 yards per catch) in his last four games. The Eagles are second in the league in sacks with 47. They didn't have any in the first Washington game, but Kirk Cousins, who gets the ball out a lot quicker than Griffin, started that game.
EDGE: Eagles
SPECIAL TEAMS
With the exception of that blunder on the opening kickoff last week, the Eagles' special teams have been among the best in the league this season. They have produced six touchdowns - two on kick returns, two on punt returns and two on punt blocks. One of those two KRs for a TD was Chris Polk's 102-yarder in the first Washington game. Darren Sproles leads the league in punt returns (13.7).
Rookie PK Cody Parkey has made 29 of 31 FG attempts, including 4 of 4 from 50-plus yards. He has 42 touchbacks on kickoffs, which is the 10th most in the league, but just eight in his last 32 kickoffs.
The Eagles have given up just two punt returns of 10-plus yards in the last 10 games. P Donnie Jones has had just 17 of his last 47 attempts returned.
Washington PK Kai Forbath has missed just three of 24 FG attempts, but is 0-for-1 from 50-plus. He has the league's fourth lowest touchback percentage on kickoffs (38.3). P Tress Way is averaging a league-best 47.9 yards per attempt, but Washington is 25th in punt coverage (9.9). They are 26th in kickoff coverage (26.1).
EDGE: Eagles
INTANGIBLES
While Sunday night's loss to the Cowboys was a big blow to the Eagles' playoff hopes, they still have a shot at making the postseason, which means they still are very much motivated to win. The 11-loss Redskins don't. They are banged up and in turmoil. It's not going to take much to get them to roll over and play dead Saturday.
EDGE: Eagles
Domo's prediction: Eagles 45, Redskins 17
* Eagles WRs Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper v. Redskins CBs David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland: Washington has given up the second most TD passes in the league. Maclin has team-high 10 TD catches. Cooper has just one. Advantage: Eagles
* Eagles OLB Connor Barwin v. Redskins RT Tom Compton: Barwin is having the best season of his career and has 14 1/2 sacks. Compton, who replaced Tyler Polumbus, has allowed six sacks. Advantage: Eagles
* Eagles CBs Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams v. Redskins WR DeSean Jackson: Fletcher is coming off the worst game of his career, giving up three TDs to the Cowboys' Dez Bryant. Ex-Eagle Jackson leads the league in yards per catch, but QB Robert Griffin III isn't going to have a lot of time to throw to him. Advantage: Redskins
HOT AND NOT
Hot
Eagles: LB Connor Barwin. Has career-high 14
Redskins: LB Ryan Kerrigan. Has 12
Not
Eagles: RB LeSean McCoy. Has averaged just 3.4 yards per carry in back-to-back losses to Seattle and Dallas.
Redskins: WR DeSean Jackson. Has just 14 catches for 173 yards (12.3 per catch) in his last five games.
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