The 9-5 Philadelphia Eagles will make their annual trip to the worst stadium in the NFL on Saturday to face the 4-10 Washington Commanders. Here are our five things to watch.

1) The Commanders' run defense still stinks

The Eagles ran all over the Commanders last season:

• Week 11: 40 rushes, 228 yards (5.7 YPC), 3 TDs.
• Week 16: 39 rushes, 211 yards (5.4 YPC), 2 TDs.
• NFC Championship Game: 36 rushes, 229 yards (6.4 YPC), 7 TDs (lol).

TOTAL: 115 rushes, 668 yards, 12 TDs.

The Eagles aren't running it this season anywhere near like they ran it a year ago, but what hasn't changed is that the Commanders' run defense still stinks.

The Commanders' big free agency signing was Javon Kinlaw, who somehow scored a three-year deal worth $45 million. In 2025, he has 30 tackles (4 for loss) and 0 sacks.

Kinlaw has a hulking frame, but has been an atrocious run defender throughout his five-year career. For example, the Eagles tossed him around like a ragdoll in the 2022 NFC Championship Game, as shown here:

And here: 

Kinlaw got overpaid on a one-year "prove it" deal worth $8 million with the Jets last offseason, he proved nothing, and the Commanders were like, "Hey, why don't you come play here for $45 million?" 

Beyond Kinlaw, the Commanders are thin on the edges, where Dorance Armstrong, Deatrich Wise, and Javontae Jean-Baptiste are all on IR. Their top two edge defenders in terms of snap counts are Jacob Martin (6'2, 242) and 36-year old Von Miller (6'3, 250), who has to be wondering why he signed with this team.

LB Bobby Wagner has been a rare player who is still good against the run, but he has also clearly lost a step this season. At the other LB spot, Frankie Luvu is one of the most overrated players in the NFL. He was named second-team All-Pro in 2024, mainly because he had eight sacks. Certainly, he's one of the best blitzing linebackers in the NFL and "he plays with energy," I guess, but man is there some crappy tape of him against the run in the NFC Championship Game. The following clips are in chronological order:

By the time that game was over, he was avoiding blocks because he didn't want any smoke. And we've seen some of that from Luvu this year as well. For example, here he is basically just getting out of the way of Penei Sewell on a long Lions TD run (via @FootballGuy_Al).

Not to mention, PFF has Luvu down for 16 missed tackles. He misses tackles on almost 20 percent of his tackle attempts. He's kind of a fake tough guy, in that he'll seek opportunities for big hits on defenseless players, but doesn't really want to do the dirty work.

Anyway, if there's an opportunity for the Eagles to get the run game going, it's against this team, and they should probably run directly at the fraud wearing No. 4.

2) The Eagles should have opportunities against the Commanders' pass defense as well

Let's first continue on with the Commanders' linebackers, who haven't covered well this season.

Luvu's coverage numbers are hilarious. Per PFF, he has allowed 34 receptions on 36 targets (94.4%!) for 294 yards and 4 TDs. Again, attack that fraud.

Wagner has allowed 35 receptions on 45 targets (77.8%) for 475 yards and 3 TDs, though he does have 2 INTs.

The Commanders have allowed 73 receptions for 905 yards and 9 TDs to opposing TEs this season. The 905 yards are sixth-worst. The 9 TDs are third-worst. This could be a Dallas Goedert game.

But also, the Commanders cornerbacks are banged up, as Marshon Lattimore and second-round rookie Trey Amos are both on IR. 

• Lattimore looked cooked when he was healthy this season, committing 9 penalties in 9 games. He tore an ACL in November and his season is over.

• Amos started 8 games this season. 32 tackles, 6 PBUs, 0 INTs. He was up and down this season. Too many missed tackles. He suffered a fractured fibula in November and his season is over.

The Commanders' starters at CB will likely be Mike Sainristil, Noah Igbinoghene, and Antonio Hamilton. On paper, those guys should not be able to hang with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

But also, the Commanders have not been able to get after the quarterback this season. Their sack leaders:

1. Von Miller: 7
2. Dorance Armstrong: 5.5
3. Jacob Martin: 4.5
4. Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu: 3 each

Their best pass rusher is probably Armstrong, who again, is on IR.

So in summary, the Commanders suck against the run, they don't have much of a pass rush, their linebackers can't cover, and they're deep into their corner reserves.

3) The Eagles will face their second consecutive backup quarterback

Last week, the Eagles faced a backup in Kenny Pickett, who was filling in for Geno Smith. The Eagles proceeded to shut the Raiders out, limiting them to 75 yards. They'll face another backup this week in Marcus Mariota, who has already started seven games this season in relief of Jayden Daniels. He's 2-5, with wins over the Giants and Raiders, who would be picking 1st and 2nd overall in the 2026 draft if the season ended today.

On the season, Mariota is 132 of 213 (62.0%) for 1600 yards (7.5 YPA), with 10 TDs and 7 INTs. Among quarterbacks with at least five starts, Mariota ranks 21st in EPA/play. He has arguably been better than Daniels, who has suffered an assortment of injuries this season, and is a reasonably capable backup, but obviously you do not want to have to start him seven times in a season.

"Marcus, obviously, had played a lot of football and has been in this league for a long time," Nick Sirianni said. "2015, I think, he came into this league. I have so much respect for Marcus. The person, first and foremost, the player, the teammate. Marcus was just a great pro, and I’ve just got nothing but the highest amount of respect for him and the things that he's done in his career. Like I said, top-notch teammate. A lot of respect for Marcus."

Good guy, mediocre quarterback.

Mariota can make plays with his legs. He has rushed 49 times for 298 yards (6.1 YPC) and a TD, so the focus could be to contain him within the pocket, and don't let him escape.

The Commanders' top receivers: 

Ertz (torn ACL) is done for the season, and McCaffrey (fractured clavicle) probably is, too. Samuel is not the player he was for that one season in San Francisco a half decade ago, and McLaurin has had an injury-plagued season after "holding in" for most of training camp.

As a team, the Commanders average 191.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 24th.

4) The run game is by committee

Daniels led the team in rushing last season. If you combine Daniels' and Mariota's rushing totals this season, they would be near the team lead in rushing again.

Croskey-Merritt, Rodriguez, and McNichols are all averaging at least 4.5 yards per carry, so the Commanders have been reasonably efficient running the ball this season. They also have the fifth-highest run:pass ratio in the NFL, as they run it on a little over 48 percent of their plays, which is rare for a 4-10 team but makes sense because (a) they have mostly played with a backup QB this season, and (b) both of their quarterbacks can run.

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The Eagles have gotten bullied a couple times against the run this season, against the Giants and Bears, but have otherwise been pretty good. This cannot be a bully game. The Eagles defense must shut down the run first and foremost, and make Mariota throw 25+ times in this game.

5) Where might the Eagles go Feastin'™️🍗

The Commanders' offensive line looks like this:

Let's start with the OTs:

• Tunsil did not practice on Tuesday, with an oblique injury. He left the Commanders' Week 15 win over the Giants, but did return to the game. Tunsil is an important player, and oblique injuries are tricky. With the Commanders having already decided to shut down Daniels for the season, it will be interesting to see if they let Tunsil play through an injury.

If Tunsil doesn't play, the Commanders would start "blue chip" player Brandon Coleman, who started at LT in 2024.

• Conerly was the Commanders' first round pick this year. He has struggled, as he has a share of the NFL lead with 13 penalties, and PFF has him down for 7 sacks allowed. 

On the interior, Cosmi is a good player, and Biadasz will probably have a long career as a "just a guy" type. Paul isn't an ideal starter, but he has been fine in pass pro.

This offensive line is better than the last two the Eagles have faced, but it's still not very good, especially if Tunsil doesn't play.

#FeastinMeter™️: 7/10 turkey legs 🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗

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