NFL Picks 12/22 – Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders

NFL Picks 12/22 – Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

Week 16 presents an NFC East showdown as the first-place Philadelphia Eagles (12-2) visit the second-place Washington Commanders (9-5) at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. Sunday is the second meeting between the teams, Philadelphia outlasted visiting Washington 26-18 in Week 11 on Nov. 14. Superstar running back Saquon Barkley scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to seal the game for the Eagles. Philadelphia has won six of the last seven against Washington, including three straight at Washington. Philadelphia is a 3.5-point favorite and the total is 45.5.

Philadelphia enters Sunday’s game red hot after picking up a 27-13 win against the AFC East-leading Pittsburgh Steelers at home last Sunday. It was their franchise-record 10th straight win. Jalen Hurts broke out of his mini passing yards slump by throwing for 290 yards with two touchdowns in the win. Hurts had failed to top 200 yards passing in the Eagles previous three games which appeared to cause some dissension from star wideout A.J. Brown.

The aforementioned A.J. Brown caught a season-high 8 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown for Philadelphia. He made headlines prior to the game for being critical of the Eagles passing game. Fellow wideout Devonta Smith also had a big game hauling in 11 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles defense held Pittsburgh to their lowest point total of the season and limited Russell Wilson to just 128 passing yards while sacking him twice. The Eagles can clinch the NFC East division with a win on Sunday.

Washington held off the Saints 20-19 last Sunday in New Orleans. Washington led 17-0 early in the third quarter and 20-7 to start the fourth quarter. The lead quickly evaporated when Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler relieved ineffective starter Jake Haener in the third quarter. Rattler led all four of the Saints scoring drives but failed to convert on a two-point conversion that would have won the game at the final buzzer. 

Washington’s wunderkind rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 25 of 31 passes for 226 with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for a team-high 66 yards on 11 carries. Daniels recorded his fourth game with multiple touchdown passes and no turnovers in what has been a stellar rookie season for the LSU product. Star wide receiver Terry McLaurin caught both of Daniels’ touchdown passes. He finished with seven catches for 73 yards on the day and now has a career-high 11 touchdown receptions this year.

GAME STORYLINES: PHILADELPHIA

The previous two seasons have been a whirlwind for the Philadelphia Eagles as they experienced the high of making it all the way to the Super Bowl in 2022 where they narrowly lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35. They followed that up with a mystifying collapse last season that saw them start the season 10-1 only to finish 11-6 and suffer a humiliating 32-9 loss at Tampa Bay in the opening round of the playoffs. 

The 2024 season has seen Philadelphia regain their 2022 form as they enter Sunday’s game with a franchise-best 10-game winning streak and a 12-2 record. They are now tied with Detroit for the best mark in the NFC. The key to the Eagles tremendous success this season has been the play of superstar running back Saquon Barkley. The Eagles signed Barkley to a three-year, $37.7 million contract in the offseason after he spent the first 6 years of his career starring on mostly mediocre New York Giant teams. 

NFL Picks 12/22 – Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders

Saquon Barkley is putting together a historic season in his debut with the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s rushed for 1,688 yards with 13 touchdowns, along with 276 receiving yards and 2 rushing touchdowns across 14 games. Barkley set the Eagles franchise-record for rushing yards in a season during a win against Carolina on Dec. 8. He has a shot at breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards. Dickerson set the record in 1984.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts (2,892 passing yards, 18 touchdowns to 5 interceptions, 69.2% completions, 589 rushing yards, team-leading 14 rushing touchdowns through 14 games) along with the outstanding wideout duo of A.J. Brown (946 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns in 11 games) and DeVonta Smith (662 receiving yards, 6 touchdowns in 11 games) are all having fantastic seasons alongside Saquon Barkley. Hurts has rushed for double digit touchdowns in four of his five NFL seasons and needs 3 more rushing touchdowns to establish a personal career high

Philadelphia boasts the NFL’s top rated defense in addition to their explosive offense. The defense is anchored by pro bowl linebacker Josh Sweat (35 tackles, team-leading 8 sacks in 14 games), breakout star linebacker Zack Baun (134 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 interception in 14 games), and a trio of former University of Georgia Bulldog teammates — who won the 2021-22 National Championship — in linebacker Nakobe Dean (116 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble in 14 games), defensive tackle Jalen Carter (39 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble in 14 games) and linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. (37 tackles, 5.5 sacks in 14 games).

GAME STORYLINES: WASHINGTON

For about a 25-year period from the start of the Super Bowl era through 1992, Washington had established itself as one of the most storied franchises in the NFL by winning multiple Super Bowls and playing in front of sold out crowds at venerable RFK Stadium in Washington D.C. Things have taken a turn for the worse over the last 30+ years for Washington as they’ve now become one of the worst franchises in the NFL due to poor ownership, terrible drafting/personnel decisions and coaching instability. Washington has only made six playoff appearances since the 1992 season and won just two playoff games during that span. 

After another routine dismal season (4-13) in 2023, Washington found itself in the familiar role of having a high pick — No. 2 overall — in the NFL draft. However, Washington appears to have struck gold with their high draft pick after selecting LSU quarterback and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels with the second pick. During his epic 2023 season at LSU, Daniels passed for 3,812 yards with 40 touchdowns to 4 interceptions and rushed for 1,134 yards with 11 rushing touchdowns en route to winning the Heisman.

NFL Picks 12/22 – Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders

It didn’t take long for Jayden Daniels  to get acclimated to the NFL as he had his breakout performance in just his third NFL start at Cincinnati on Monday Night Football. Daniels went 21 of 23 for 254 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 39 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown in Washington 38-33 upset win. With the exception of a few slight injuries, Daniels has been superb since his spectacular breakout performance at Cincinnati.

On the season, Jayden Daniels has passed for 3,045 yards with 17 touchdowns to 6 interceptions while completing 70.5 percent of his passes across 14 games. He’s also rushed for 656 yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. Daniels was named the NFL’s Rookie of the Week for a ninth time after last week’s win at New Orleans. He’s now tied with Ben Roethlisberger (2004) for the most Rookie of the Week nods in NFL history and has 3 more opportunities to break the record. Daniels has led Washington to 9 wins which is their most since 2015. With two more victories, Washington will have its highest win total since the 1991 Super Bowl winning team finished 14-2. 

Wide receiver Terry McLaurin (969 receiving yards, career-high 11 touchdowns in 14 games) running backs Brian Robinson Jr. (705 rushing yards, 8 touchdowns in 11 games) and Austin Ekeler (355 rushing yards, 346 receiving yards, 4 touchdowns in 11 games) along with veteran tight end Zach Ertz (526 receiving yards, 4 touchdown in 14 games) are the key components in Washington’s high-powered offense. 

The 29-year-old Terry McLaurin is enjoying a career year catching passes from Jayden Daniels. He’d been posting solid numbers over the first five years of his career despite being saddled with middling quarterbacks. Having Daniels under center has elevated McLaurin’s game as he’s now among the better wide receivers in the NFL. The versatile veteran Austin Ekeler was a dangerous weapon in Washington’s offense but is now on IR after suffering his second concussion of the year against Dallas on Nov. 24. He could return in Week 18.

In what could be considered a surprising development, Washington has one of the better defenses in the NFL. They rank fourth overall. Leading the way for the defense is All-Pro veteran Bobby Wagner (team-leading 109 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 forced fumble in 14 games), safety Jeremy Chinn (93 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 force fumble in 14 games), linebacker Frankie Luvu (82 tackles, 8 sacks, 1 forced fumble in 14 games) and linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. (31 tackles, team-leading 8.5 sacks, 1 Pick-Six, 1 forced fumble in 14 games). All four players were added as free agents in the offseason which may signal a change for Washington which was notorious for making poor free agent signings over the last 30+ years

The 34-year-old, 10-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner continues to be a dominant force in his 14th NFL season. The Super Bowl champion’s leadership and excellent play has played a huge role in the unexpected success of the defense. The 28-year-old Frankie Luvu and the 30-year-old Dante Fowler Jr. are both a career years in their debuts with the Commanders. Washington is Fowler’s fifth team in 10 seasons after he was selected third overall in the 2015 NFL Draft out of Florida. 

THE PICK: EAGLES (-3.5)

The Eagles are now clicking on all cylinders as both the offense and defense look dominant. I think Washington will just be the latest team that gets steamrolled by the Eagles as they seemed poised to make a Super Bowl run. Lay the Points…Eagles 31, Commanders 17

NFL Picks 12/22 – Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders