Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles
In Week 14, the Washington Redskins travel to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in a NFC East matchup. The first time these two teams met in Week 6 of the 2016 NFL season, the Redskins gave their home crowd something to cheer for as they defeated the Eagles, 27-20. It was behind the arm of their quarterback Kirk Cousins, who dominated the Eagles secondary when he threw for 263 yards and two scores.
As the Redskins head into a must-win game against the Eagles to keep their Wild Card hopes alive, they will need to rely on Cousins once again to dominate. Cousins has been great this season and outside of his poor Week 13 performance, he has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL as of late.
The opposite could be said for the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, 2016’s second-overall pick Carson Wentz. The rookie quarterback has lacked confidence in his offense and it has showed recently. He is coming off his worst performance as a professional, so it will be interesting to see how he bounces back.
Whenever NFC East teams play at the end of the year, thing get interesting, so this game should be no different. This division heats up when the games matter most and both teams are in need of a win.
Redskins Keys To Victory
Let Kirk Cousins Sling It All Over: If you did not already know, the Eagles have arguably the worst cornerback tandem in the NFL. Cousins already sliced them for two scores earlier in the year, so look for him to throw the ball all over the field again and dominate them once more.
Kill Pressure With Quick Passes: The Eagles front-seven is the best aspect of their defense, but if you can get the ball out of your hand quickly at times, it kills any chance they have to make a difference and puts all the pressure on their secondary.
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Get After Carson Wentz: Last week, Wentz was crushed as he was hit 12 times. It translated into his worst game of the year, so the Redskins defense needs to fly around and make sure they let the rookie quarterback know it is going to be a long day.
Eagles Keys To Victory
Someone Step Up In The Secondary: It’s been clear to everyone for a while now that the Eagles secondary was their weak point of their defense. In Week 14, someone needs to step up or they will once again get dominated and lose.
Run The Football: The best way to help a rookie quarterback is to run the ball. Head coach and play-caller Doug Pederson may not know that, considering he had his rookie throw the ball 60 times last week and had only 15 called run plays to running backs.
Get Carson Wentz His Confidence Back: You can see the lack of confidence in his game, so the Eagles need to get it back by allowing him the chance to hit some big throws and get the offense rolling. If they have a run game going, the secondary is playing well, and he is completing passes; the Eagles have a chance to beat the Redskins.
Odds
Point Spread: Washington -2
Moneyline: Washington -130, Philadelphia +110
Over/Under: 47
Next: 10 Bold Predictions for End of 2016 Season
Prediction
The Redskins need this win to stay alive in the wildcard race while the Eagles need this win to stay alive to their fans. With the game in Philadelphia, the Eagles will put up a fight, but they just aren’t good enough to beat the Redskins. Cousins is going to have a field day against this secondary and lead his team to a big win on the road.
Pick: Washington Redskins: 30, Philadelphia Eagles: 24