The Washington Football Team is only one win away from going from the second-worst team in the NFL to the NFC East champion. When most people would have deemed Washington the worst team in the division, D.C. has put themselves in a position to make the playoffs.

It helps that the NFC East is the worst division in football by a landslide. The favored Dallas Cowboys have been riddled with injuries, Carson Wentz's struggles have taken the Philadelphia Eagles out of contention, and the New York Giants … well they're just the Giants.

Their fate is completely in their own hands. Win and get in.

Washington's Week 17 matchup is against their division rivals, the Eagles. Philly is mathematically eliminated from the playoffs but will look to play spoiler to finish the season.

Jalen Hurts has been significantly better than Wentz in his brief debut and may look to finish out the season strong. This could help his case for being named the starting quarterback next season.

Any way you want to spin it, this game is going to be a good one.

Here are four bold predictions for the Week 17 matchup between the Washington Football Team and the Philadelphia Eagles.

1. Alex Smith will throw for 250+ yards

This may not be too bold of a take, but considering Smith hasn't played in a couple of weeks, this may take a few people by surprise.

Alex Smith has been named the Week 17 starter for Washington after missing two weeks with a right calf strain. Washington fans, take a breath. Having Smith behind center must instill a great deal of confidence for Washington instead of Taylor Heinicke, who has only started one NFL game in his career.

The Eagles rank 20th in the NFL in passing yards allowed with an average of 243 yards allowed per game. Washington ranks 26th in the NFL with 221 passing yards per game, but that will change in Sunday's must-win showdown.

Look out for Logan Thomas and JD Mckissic to have big games in the passing game.

2. Washington Defense will have 2+ takeaways

The Eagles' offense has done a much better job taking care of the ball since Hurts has been inserted into the starting lineup, but this Washington defense is going to be balling on Sunday.

Washington's defense is fully healthy and will assert their dominance on Sunday as a top-five defense in the NFL. A Chase Young–led pass rush will force Hurts into difficult situations throwing the ball, while the Washington secondary should remain active and hungry.

Washington defense comes out firing on all cylinders.

3. Antonio Gibson will have 2+ TDs

Coming back from injury last week, Gibson was the team's top offensive option. With Alex Smith just regaining his confidence as a starter, Washington will likely go to Gibson early and often to establish the run game.

Gibson has been the team's most consistent offensive weapon all season in the run game. The rookie third-round pick has exceeded expectations for Washington and has totaled 961 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns in thirteen games this season.

With Terry McLaurin battling a high ankle sprain, Washington's offense will need an injection of dynamic offensive play, and Antonio Gibson may be the only player capable of providing that.

Gibson is going to be seen in the end zone more than once on Sunday.

4. Washington Football Team will win the NFC East

This was the prediction last week as well, but Washington came out flat at home.

Now that they're in a real do-or-die situation with Smith at quarterback, the Washington Football Team will win when it counts and get their ticket to the NFC playoffs.

Washington's defense should be able to contain Hurts and limit his impact. In Hurts' three starts, he's played a top-10 defense only once (New Orleans Saints), and although he came out victorious, Hurts had a passer rating of only 83.6 with a completion percentage of 56.7.

The Washington defense is going to put pressure on Hurts to make plays outside of the pocket and should capitalize on ill-advised throws.

Contrary to their last two games, Washington should be on the positive side when it comes to the turnover differential in this one.

Alex Smith is one of the league's best game managers and should be able to protect the ball far more effectively than Dwayne Haskins, who had four turnovers last week.

Washington dominates on both ends and stamps their ticket to the playoffs. The NFC East has a new champion yet again.

Overall

This game is going to be a low-scoring affair. Washington, heavily reliant on defense, is going to limit the Eagles scoring offense, while Washington's offense is going to move the ball well and score just enough to get the win.

Alex Smith heads back to the playoffs and the team with no name looks to be disruptive in the playoffs.