What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 16 vs. the Commanders

That feeling you experienced at approximately 3:35 p.m. Sunday was the earth beginning to rotate on its axis again.

The Eagles won a game for the first time in approximately a month and all is right in Philadelphia, for now. The defense remained dominant. The offense was mostly sharp and efficient. Jake Elliott didn’t miss any of his kicks for the first time since Week 11 against the Detroit Lions.

» READ MORE: Eagles dominate Raiders in all phases, end losing streak in first shutout since 2018

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Eagles are just one victory (or one Dallas Cowboys loss) from winning the division and becoming the first back-to-back NFC East champions in 20 seasons.

This Saturday, the Eagles’ obstacle is the 4-10 Washington Commanders, their struggling division rival that ended its eight-game losing streak on Sunday with its first win (29-21 over the New York Giants) in over two months.

Here’s what we know (and what we don’t) about the Eagles ahead of their Week 16 matchup against the Commanders:

Now that the proverbial confetti has settled, how much stock can the Eagles really put in a win over the now-2-12 Las Vegas Raiders?

Time will tell if the Eagles can sustain their all-around dominance for the rest of the year. But there’s no denying that the Raiders are one of the most inferior teams of the last decade, boasting the 19th-worst points differential (-167) and the fifth-worst yards per offensive play (4.38) in that span.

Credit where credit is due, though. The Eagles could have stooped to the level of their opponent by committing the self-inflicted wounds that have plagued them throughout the season. They could have used the windy conditions as an excuse for a lack of efficiency in the passing game.

Instead, the Eagles incurred just three penalties, their lowest total in a game this season. Jalen Hurts and his receivers registered the league’s second-best single-game expected points added per pass (+.87) in 2025, a metric that measures the average points an offense adds on a passing play.

A close win would have been concerning. A blowout provides hope that the Eagles can potentially sustain this level of complementary football into the playoffs.

The Commanders won’t provide the Eagles with the best litmus test this week. They’ve been one of the NFL’s lowliest defenses this season, conceding a league-worst 7.5 yards per passing attempt and a sixth-worst 4.7 yards per carry. Their offense has experienced a sharp drop-off compared to 2024 with Jayden Daniels dealing with various injuries throughout the season.

For a second straight game, the Eagles are set to face off against one of their former backups. This time, it will be Marcus Mariota at the helm of the Commanders offense on Saturday.

Daniels, the NFL’s 2024 offensive rookie of the year, has missed seven games this year due to a litany of injuries, including a knee sprain, a hamstring strain, and now an elbow issue. He initially dislocated his elbow injury in the team’s Week 9 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and while he returned to action a month later, he aggravated the injury in his first game back against the Minnesota Vikings.

After the second-year quarterback missed the Week 15 win over the Giants, Commanders coach Dan Quinn announced Monday afternoon that he is being shut down for the rest of the season.

But the injuries to Daniels aren’t the only reason behind Washington’s decline in 2025. The Commanders lack playmakers on offense, and they’re now down two more with former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz tearing his ACL two weeks ago and wide receiver Noah Brown exiting Sunday’s game with a rib injury. Laremy Tunsil, the team’s standout left tackle, also left the Giants game with an oblique injury in his side.

» READ MORE: The Eagles can still get to the Super Bowl, but only if their defense drags them there

The defense has been rough, too, for most of the season, but we’ll get to that later.

The Eagles are well-acquainted with Mariota. Much like Daniels, the 32-year-old quarterback has the ability to extend plays with his legs, a quality that has given the Eagles defense fits at times this season.

Mariota was particularly effective on deep passes Sunday. In fact, he had almost all of his production come on downfield passes, as he went 7-for-11 for 181 yards and a touchdown on throws greater than 10 air yards, according to Next Gen Stats.

Still, the Commanders offense practically tried to lose to the worst team in the NFC East. At one point, they had a 15-point lead, then fumbled the ball away twice in the fourth quarter (once by Mariota and another time by running back Jeremy McNichols) to give the Giants a shot at a comeback. Saturday’s game shouldn’t be too difficult a test for Vic Fangio’s defense.

One of the lone bright spots of the Commanders’ season has been the emergence of Jacory Croskey-Merritt, the seventh-round rookie running back who goes by the nickname “Bill.”

Croskey-Merritt became the team’s featured back after Austin Ekeler went down in Week 2 with an Achilles injury. He has been efficient on the ground, averaging 4.5 yards per carry, which ranks third among rookie running backs with at least 100 attempts this season.

Sunday marked one of the best performances of Croskey-Merritt’s young career. He posted 96 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, his second-best total output this year. But he’s also had three fumbles this season, including one that the Commanders ultimately recovered in the second quarter.

The Eagles defense had its best performance of the season against the run on Sunday, conceding just 46 yards. According to Next Gen Stats, the Eagles were the first team this year to not miss a tackle attempt in a game. The unit seems to be on the mend, even in the absence of Jalen Carter, after giving up 281 yards on the ground to the Chicago Bears in Week 13.

The Commanders defense has been the source of the majority of the team’s dysfunction this season. The rush and coverage have been poor, underscored by injuries to key pass rushers Dorance Armstrong and Deatrich Wise and the regression of cornerbacks Mike Sainristil and the injured Marshon Lattimore.

Five games into Washington’s eight-game losing streak (in which it lost by 21 points in four straight games), Quinn demoted defensive coordinator Joe Whitt and took on his responsibilities. Since the change, the Commanders are still giving up 352.5 yards per game, the ninth-highest total in the league since mid-November. Their 23.8 points allowed per game are tied for 12th-most.

But the Commanders defense bailed out the offense on Sunday. McNichols fumbled the ball away with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Giants down by eight points. The Commanders stopped the Giants on fourth down to force a turnover on downs to seal the win.

Antonio Hamilton, the 32-year-old journeyman cornerback, was targeted frequently on that last drive and rose to the occasion. Starting in place of the injured Jonathan Jones for the first time this season, Hamilton broke up a third-down pass intended for Giants receiver Darius Slayton. He finished the day with a team-high two pass breakups.

Still, the Eagles should be able to exploit the Commanders’ secondary. Washington particularly struggled to cover Giants tight ends Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger, who combined for 107 yards on six receptions. Bellinger also drew a defensive pass interference call in the red zone against Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves.

In total, the Commanders have given up 905 receiving yards (the fourth-highest total in the NFL) and nine touchdowns to tight ends this season. Dallas Goedert, who is coming off his third multi-touchdown game of the year, could feast again on Saturday.