The Philadelphia Eagles take a five-game winning streak into a pivotal Week 11 matchup against the Washington Commanders on Thursday night. Philadelphia hasn’t lost since returning from its Week 5 bye as the Eagles are playing some of the best defense in football. But offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is concerned about the defensive upgrade the Commanders made this season.
As Moore prepares to face Washington, he’s focused on what veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner brings to the team’s defense. “You can just see he runs the show. It’s really, really impressive. You can see him, complete command of the defense, running and operating and playing really like a quarterback for that whole group. Allowing them to get in and out of different looks and different adjustments. He’s one of the best linebackers to ever play in this league, and he’s still playing at a really high level,” Moore said per a press conference transcript provided by the Eagles’ Media Center.
The Commanders’ defense has been solid this season, making for an intriguing Week 11 matchup. “They’ve got excellent push, excellent effort. They get to the quarterback… They do an excellent job of playing aggressive on the receivers… They give you just enough flavor to make you work pre-snap and post-snap, so they’ll do an excellent job. They’ll make it hard on us,” Moore added.
The Eagles will face the Bobby Wagner-led Commanders’ defense in Week 11
The Commanders signed Wagner to a one-year, $6 million deal prior to the season. In 10 games with Washington, the 13-year veteran has 83 total tackles, 47 solo takedowns, two sacks, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and a pass defended. More importantly, he’s helped improve the Commanders overall defense as the team is now 14th in the league.
Philadelphia has the second-best defense in the NFL thanks to post-bye adjustments. And the Eagles’ offense has also improved since the bye. Philadelphia averaged 21.5 points per game in four matchups prior to the Week 5 break. The Eagles are averaging 29.4 points in the five games since then.
Both sides of the ball showed out in Philadelphia’s annihilation of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10. With Dak Prescott out for the season with a hamstring injury, the Eagles faced backup QB Cooper Rush. Moore and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio praised Rush as an adequate substitute for Dak. However, the Eagles held the Cowboys’ quarterback to 13 completions for 45 passing yards as Philly crushed Dallas 34-6.
The Eagles will face a far stiffer test in Week 11 as Jayden Daniels and the Commanders come to town. Daniels has been sensational this season as the top rookie quarterback in a talented draft class. Philadelphia currently has a half game lead over Washington in the NFC East so the Thursday night clash will determine first place in the division.
Follow Us
Subscribe
