Eagles And Commanders Looks Like A "Grind It Out" Game

Eagles vs. Commanders, 5:00 ET

Not to be outdone by the college ranks, the NFL starts to spread its wings a bit later in the season, and we start getting some different days with games. Sure, the typical Thursday, Sunday, Monday schedule is still in effect, but this week we get a nice addition of Saturday games. This will overshadow a couple of the college games, but that’s fine. It gives us a nice opportunity to put some bets on both levels. Tonight’s bet will be on the matchup between the Eagles and Commanders. 

The Eagles come in off of a nice win over the Raiders, a matchup they absolutely dominated. This was what most people in the business would call a "get right" game. They won 31-0 and were repeatedly playing on the Raiders' side of the field. At one point in the first half about 80% of their snaps came in Las Vegas territory. This, however, was their first win in five games. They beat the Lions at home, and then in three consecutive weeks lost to the Cowboys, the Bears, and the Chargers (in overtime). Two of those were road games, and two were against likely playoff teams. So, it isn’t like they had easy competition, but they should’ve been able to manage, nonetheless. Last week was about reestablishing themselves and getting back to what they need to be. They scored a touchdown in each quarter, and Jalen Hurts was able to toss three touchdown passes on just 15 throws. To be honest, he could’ve had four passes four touchdowns, but Dallas Goedert dropped a wide-open touchdown early in the game. 

May 30, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball during practice at NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Commanders got a win of their own last week. Marcus Mariota and the cast of sometimes-injured, sometimes-playing Commanders were able to take the road victory over the Giants. It wasn’t a bad game from New York, they were competitive and kept it close, but they had a very costly special teams play in the second quarter, and that quarter proved to be the main difference in the game. The Commanders returned a punt 63 yards, and that gave the Commanders a lead they would never relinquish. I think what I was most impressed by with the Commanders was that their running game looked more poised and powerful than I’ve seen most of the season. Jacory Croskey-Merritt ran for 96 yards. Mariota, always a threat with his legs, ran for 43 yards on top of that. If the Commanders gameplan for the rest of the season is to limit the passing opportunities for their team, and rely on the running game, they at least have a chance to control the clock and potentially keep their opponents from getting the game out of hand. 

This is a matchup that favors the Eagles. Philadelphia isn’t in jeopardy of missing the playoffs, but they do need to get on a roll before the playoffs. They are going to need to get wins in games like this. Sure, the Commanders could play spoiler, but I don’t really see that happening here. We’ve seen Washington play the Eagles tough, so I’d be cautious if you take the Commanders spread. I think what we see is an under. The Eagles offense hasn’t been ridiculously good at any point this season, and the Commanders will probably once again look to run the ball, which means a moving clock. Let’s take the under in this one. 

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