Game Preview: Eagles face must-win in Washington

Kevin Durso

December 20 2014

The second-place Eagles face a must-win game in Washington in a rare Saturday night game.

The 9-5 Eagles are looking to bounce back from back-to-back losses while the Redskins are looking to snap a six-game losing streak.

Kick-off from FedEx Field is set for 4:30 p.m.

The Eagles rank high in offense but have struggled with Mark Sanchez at the helm. Sanchez is again in at quarterback while the Eagles await the return of Nick Foles.

The targets offensively remain the same as LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin and Jordan Matthews look to power past the Redskins.

The Eagles defense also took a hit last week with the loss of Trent Cole. Cole is out with a hand injury, leaving a hole in the Eagles linebacker group.

The Eagles will have to rely on the pass rush from Connor Barwin, Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, while getting secondary support from Malcolm Jenkins, Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher.

The Redskins rank 10th in passing offense despite playing the quarterback carousel all season. Robert Griffin III gets the start on Saturday in place of the injured Colt McCoy.

Alfred Morris leads the Redskins 20th-ranked run game, averaging 106.2 yards per game as a team.

DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon lead the Redskins wide receivers.

Defensively, Chris Baker and Jarvis Jenkins line up at defensive line while Ryan Kerrigan is the driving force of the Washington linebackers. Brandon Meriweather, Bashaud Breeland and David Amerson are the key players in the Washington secondary.

Game Notes

The Eagles lead have won seven of their last 10 games against the Redskins. This includes a 37-34 win in Week 3 this season.
At FedEx Field, the Eagles are 11-6 all time.
The Eagles have faced Washington 161 times, the second most of any team in the NFL to the New York Giants.
With a win, the Eagles will sweep the two games against Washington for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
The Eagles have 10 touchdowns on defense or special teams this season, a new franchise record. The NFL record is 13.
Milestone Watch

LeSean McCoy needs two more rushing touchdowns to tie Wilbert Montgomery for second in franchise history.
Jeremy Maclin sets a new career-high for touchdowns touchdowns in a season with one receiving touchdown.
Darren Sproles needs nine yards for the third-most punt return yards in a single-season in Eagles history, 23 for second all-time and 87 to set a new franchise record. Sproles also needs one punt return touchdown to set a new single-season franchise record.
Connor Barwin can become the third Eagle with five multi-sack games with two sacks on Saturday.
Cody Parkey is fourth in Eagles history for single-season scoring and trails David Akers by six points for third. Akers holds the top three spots and the single-season record with 144 points. Parkey needs 10 points to set the single-season record. Additionally, with just 11 points, Parkey will set an NFL record for most points by a rookie. Parkey also needs just four field goals to set a franchise record for most field goals in a season by a rookie.
Mark Sanchez will set a new career-high with a fourth game of 300 passing yards or more if he repeats the feat on Sunday. It will also be the third-most ever by an Eagle in a single season.

Injury Report

Eagles
Out

QB Nick Foles (collarbone)
LB Trent Cole (hand)

Probable

LB Emmanuel Acho (groin)
DT Beau Allen (groin)
DE Brandon Bair (knee)
TE Brent Celek (neck)
DT Bennie Logan (pectoral)
S Chris Maragos (hamstring)
WR Jordan Matthews (knee)
K Cody Parkey (groin)
RB Chris Polk (ankle)
DE Cedric Thornton (groin)

Redskins
Out

DE Jason Hatcher (knee)
LB Gabe Miller (ankle)

Doubtful

LB Keenan Robinson (knee)

Questionable

T Trent Williams (shoulder)

Probable

DE Chris Baker (chest)
DE Stephen Bowen (ankle)
LB William Compton (shoulder)
RB Roy Helu Jr. (toe)
C Kory Lichtensteiger (knee)
S Trenton Robinson (illness)

Where to Watch

TV: NFL Network (Broadcasters: Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon, Stacey Dales)
Radio: 94 WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Howard Eskin)
National Radio: Westwood One (Scott Graham, Mike Mayock, Derek Rackley)

Kevin Durso is a contributor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.