MNF: Redskins vs Eagles Game Thread

Monday Night Football, Week 13. Tonight the Washington Redskins travel a few hours north to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia Eagles.

A few weeks ago the 6-5 Redskins were riding high as the surprise first place team in the NFC East with an undefeated record in the NFC East and an overall 5-2 record. Things have quickly gone south from there. The Redskins come into this game in second place in the NFC East, losers of three of their last four games and trying to hang on to a playoff spot in the highly competitive NFC race. The loss of starting quarterback Alex Smith for the season has badly hurt the Redskins’ chances. Backup quarterback Colt McCoy is a fine backup quarterback, but he is nobody’s idea of the kind of quarterback you want leading your team down the stretch in a tight divisional race. It will be a surprise if the Redskins are able to hang on and squeak into the playoffs this year.

The Philadelphia Eagles have also been a surprise this season. They have been surprisingly mediocre coming off a Super Bowl title in 2017. The 5-6 Eagles have struggled all season putting points on the board, having scored more than 25 points in only one game all year. A good part of the problem has been a rash of offensive turnovers. The Eagles have lost a ridiculous nine fumbles this year, in addition to throwing seven interceptions. If the Eagles could stop shooting themselves in the foot they might be a dangerous offense. Unfortunately the defense also has been disappointing, ranking 31st in the NFL in turnovers generated and 29th in the NFL in passing yards allowed. Throw in an anemic running game ranking 25th in the NFL in yards rushing and you have a recipe for a bad football team. It’s actually a bit surprising the Eagles have managed to win five games given their struggles in nearly every aspect of the game. A brutal schedule down the stretch looks likely to spoil any playoff hopes for the Eagles this year. Nonetheless the Eagles have managed to hang around the periphery of playoff contention all year, and a win tonight could begin an unlikely run to the playoffs if they were to somehow run the table.

It’s the Redskins and the Eagles in a NFC East clash on Monday Night Football with major playoff implications for both teams.

Enjoy the game everybody.