Commanders prepare for ‘the lion’s den’ at the Linc for a Week 18 matchup vs. the Eagles

The Eagles will host the Washington Commanders to close out the regular season on Sunday. The last time the teams met was Dec. 20 when the Eagles clinched the division with a 29-18 victory, becoming the first team to win back-to-back NFC East titles since 2004.

Now, the Eagles enter as 3.5-point favorites. Will quarterback Tanner McKee lead the Eagles to victory? Or will the 4-11 Commanders come out on top at Lincoln Financial Field?

Here’s what the Commanders are saying about the Eagles …

Although the Eagles plan on sitting most of their starters, including Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, Commanders coach Dan Quinn is treating Sunday’s game like any other. When asked if the Birds’ decision to rest their starters changed anything, Quinn responded: “Not for us.”

“By no means are we at full strength nor are most teams in the NFL during Week 18,” Quinn told reporters. “But what I do love is the number of guys that are really hungry for this opportunity and chance to compete together. We had so many players miss time, they want a chance to express themselves and to prove it.

“So, when you miss games and stretches of games, you’re hungry for that competition and you’re hungry for that space. In our league, we practice way more than we play. So they want to be able to go play, and I love that about our guys. We had a hard battle with them two weeks ago, and I expect another hard battle Sunday.”

» READ MORE: Eagles vs. Commanders Week 18 prediction roundup: Will the Birds end the season with a win?

The Eagles trailed 10-7 at halftime in their Week 16 matchup at Northwest Stadium before taking over in the final 30 minutes. One of the biggest story lines coming out of the game was Nick Sirianni’s decision to go for two late in the game to give the Eagles a 19-point lead. After the two-point conversion, tensions built up and a fight broke out between the teams, resulting in three ejections.

Commanders quarterback Josh Johnson is looking forward to playing in one of the tougher fan environments in the NFL on Sunday.

“It’s awesome,” Johnson told reporters. “We get to go into the lion’s den. I love it. I wouldn’t change it. It’s great to be able to have a game of this caliber vs. this type of team to finish the season. So I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited. Football is going to have to be played at the highest level. In order to beat this team, we got to play at a very high level, and I’m looking forward to us going out there and playing at a high level.”

Johnson understands the type of challenge he will face on Sunday.

“We got to do what we do well,” Johnson said. “Do what we do well. Execute. Stay on task. Keep the chains moving and then score touchdowns. They got a lot of great players, but we got great players too. We have to trust our techniques, we got to trust our fundamentals.

“The good thing about going against great players in this league is that it holds you to a standard of doing the little things right over and over. And I think that’s a great challenge for us to go out there and finish on a strong note by going out there and doing the little things right over and over again and coming away with a victory.”

» READ MORE: Eagles remain favorites over the Commanders; plus, game props for Week 18

Although the Commanders aren’t going to the playoffs, they’re still entering Sunday’s game with one goal on their mind: Winning.

“There’s a million ways to look at this game,” Commanders center Nick Allegretti told reporters. “Obviously, this is the last game of the season for us. But everyone in this locker room in their life has dreamed of being in this situation. If you told me when I was 10 that I would get a chance to play in a Week 18 game, I think it would be the coolest thing in the world. … We get a chance to play against another NFL team. Go try to win that game. Who cares about what happened the week before or the week after?”