Eagles vs. Commanders predictions: Our writers pick a winner for Week 18
The Eagles won't be putting their best foot forward on the personnel front, but a win could still be meaningful.
Welcome to Preseason Week ... err ... Week 18 of the NFL season.
The Eagles made the decision to rest some starters for Sunday’s season finale vs. the Washington Commanders to give themselves a pseudo bye week ahead of the playoffs.
But Sunday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field presents the potential for the Eagles to move up a spot and into the No. 2 seed in the NFC if they win and Detroit is able to pull off a road win at Chicago.
Will the Eagles’ backups do their part? Or will Washington end a miserable season on a high note? Here’s what our writers think:
It’s Tanner Time.
And, really, is there anything near as interesting as the Eagles’ backup quarterback on Sunday? Sure, there are some young players whose progress and development will be on display, but this wacky season deserves nothing more than a phony quarterback controversy to start the postseason run.
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In all seriousness, Tanner McKee and whichever amalgamation of offensive players take the field for the Eagles’ first series Sunday still have a very real chance at winning the game and putting the fate of the playoff seeding in the hands of the Bears. We can expect to see a similar McKee that we saw in Week 18 last season. He’s a capable passer who can operate the offense at a pretty high level. And Washington’s defense is really bad.
The Commanders, meanwhile, are expected to start third-stringer Josh Johnson at quarterback. His cross-field throw into the waiting hands of Cooper DeJean in Week 16 is all you really need to know about the Commanders’ offense with Johnson playing quarterback. Jacory Croskey-Merritt got free for a 72-yard touchdown last Thursday, but otherwise he had 10 carries for 33 yards.
The Eagles don’t typically stack the box, but if their backups are able to stop the run with success, it may be tough for Johnson to beat them with his arm. The Eagles will have some capable players on the field on defense. Imagine how long Josh Uche has been waiting to rush the quarterback in a game?
Games like this are really hard to predict. Who plays? And for how long? But the Eagles have the advantage at quarterback, and they’re the team with more football to play beyond Week 18. I’ll take that combination in this one.
Will there actually be a quarterback controversy? McKee will probably play well enough that the sports radio callers will engage in the absurdity. Happy New Year.
Prediction: Eagles 27, Commanders 16
The million-dollar question this week: can the Eagles backups beat the Commanders?
McKee will certainly give them a chance. Whenever he has been called upon, both in the preseason and the regular season, the 2023 sixth-rounder out of Stanford has risen to the occasion. In his last start, he led the Eagles to a 2024 Week 18 victory against the New York Giants.
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But McKee isn’t throwing the ball to himself, blocking for himself, nor trying to stop the Johnson-led Commanders offense. Is this Eagles team as deep as they were last season at every other position?
That’s up for debate. The players adding secondary depth were more experienced in Week 18 of last year, with players such as Avonte Maddox and Isaiah Rodgers starting at safety and cornerback, respectively. Kelee Ringo and Jakorian Bennett are likely to get the nod at cornerback, while Sydney Brown will likely start at safety.
On the offensive line, Drew Kendall could also earn his first start at center. Last year, it was sixth-year veteran Nick Gates in that role.
Still, the Eagles can’t rest all of the starters. Perhaps a few starters such as Marcus Epps and Jihaad Campbell see some playing time on Sunday.
The Commanders aren’t exactly operating at full strength. Center Tyler Biadasz went on injured reserve this week and left tackle Laremy Tunsil isn’t expected to play, either. While the Eagles will be motivated to win, the banged-up Commanders have more experience playing together this season. Plus, they may still have a bad taste in their mouths given the scrum that occurred late in the Week 16 game at Northwest Stadium.
Prediction: Commanders 21, Eagles 17