Eagles vs. Washington: Breaking Down Philadelphia's Game Plan

Following back-to-back defeats, the Philadelphia Eagles no longer control their own postseason destiny. They now need help in the form of the division-rival Dallas Cowboys losing at least one game or one of three wild-card contenders dropping two with only two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Of course, the Birds must also take care of their own business first and win out down the stretch, beginning with a trip to Washington on Saturday. The only way they have any prayer of pulling all of this off is if quarterback Mark Sanchez can get back on track.

GM	CMP%	YDS	TD/INT	RATING
Wk 14 vs. SEA	50.0	96	2/1	76.2
Wk 15 vs. DAL	60.7	252	0/2	60.4

Sanchez got off to an excellent start after replacing an injured Nick Foles in Week 9, but he has since reverted to his old New York Jets form. The sixth-year veteran is missing open receivers and making poor decisions with the football more often than not, particularly over these last two losses.

Is it any coincidence that during the same span, wide receiver Jordan Matthews has disappeared from the offense?

GMS	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
First 7 Games	29	275	9.5	2
Games 8-12	25	411	16.4	5
Last 2 Games	2	23	11.5	0

Maybe, but the rookie wideout was rolling when Sanchez first got under center. Matthews recorded five of his season’s seven touchdowns in the first four-and-half games with the backup signal-caller at the helm, not to mention he eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the first time in his NFL career—twice.

Yet, in the past two games, Matthews has just two receptions for 23 yards. He was held without a catch in last week’s pivotal 38-27 defeat at the hands of the Cowboys.

It could simply be that Sanchez has struggled overall and not necessarily be his inability to involve certain weapons. That being said, it’s pretty clear he’s most comfortable throwing the football over the middle, where the slot receiver does the bulk of his work, as opposed to going outside the numbers.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), 1,010 of Sanchez’s 1,752 passing yards—or 57.7 percent—have come from passes over the middle.

If the Eagles want to work the middle of the field, Matthews has to be involved. He’ll have a good matchup at Washington in the form of E.J. Biggers, a safety who handles most of a patchwork secondary’s slot duties.

Michael Perez/Associated Press

To be fair, Sanchez needs to be better overall. Washington is ranked seventh in the NFL against the run, so Philadelphia cannot necessarily count on a big day from LeSean McCoy and Co. on the ground. Plus, the opponent’s defensive backfield is a mess. No team is allowing a higher opponents’ passer rating than Washington (109.9).

Sanchez must bounce back Saturday to give the Eagles any hope. He should be eased into the game by calling Matthews’ number a bunch early, seeing if the quarterback can find his rhythm, and then, the offense should attack Washington outside the numbers and down the field.

Control the Momentum

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The last time Washington’s offense scored more than 27 points in a game was against Philadelphia, way back in Week 3. In the 11 tilts since, the team is averaging 16.0 points per contest.

Simply put, Washington is a mess. The offense is back to Robert Griffin III under center, who, to his credit, has done some things well. The 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year is completing 69.3 percent of his passes, he’s taken off with the football a lot more since returning from his latest injury and is only on the hook for six turnovers this season.

GMS	CMP%	AVG	TD/INT	SCK
7	69.3	7.6	3/3	29

But for all that Griffin has done well, it hasn’t translated on the scoreboard. That’s because he still makes his share of mistakes, too.

In the last four games Griffin has received extensive playing time, he’s been sacked at least five teams in each. Last week against the New York Giants, Griffin was hauled down behind the line of scrimmage seven times.

That bodes well for a Philadelphia defense that is No. 2 in the NFL with 47 sacks in 2014.

The Eagles should be able to force Griffin into enough drive-killing mistakes that as long as their offense holds up its end of the bargain, they’ll win with ease; however, if Washington’s passing attack can connect on one or two big plays over the top and the Birds offense struggles at all, this has the potential to become a ballgame.

No defense in the NFL has allowed more completions of 20 yards or more than Philadelphia, and only the Pittsburgh Steelers have surrendered more of 40-plus yards. On the flip side, Washington ranks fifth in 20-yard completions and No. 1 at 40-plus yards.

GMS	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
13	50	957	19.1	5

Obviously, a lot of that has to do with DeSean Jackson, who leads all individual receivers with 10 receptions of 40 or more, accounting for 62.5 percent of Washington’s completions. One of those was against the Eagles back in September, an 81-yard play that temporarily tied the score late in the third quarter of Philly’s eventual victory.

That was a busted coverage by safety Nate Allen, who’s been on the hook for a few of those this season—but none quite like that since giving up the game-winning, 85-yard touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Allen and the Eagles’ 28th-ranked secondary cannot afford to allow Jackson to have that type of impact again Saturday. As long as they can force Washington’s offense to stay honest and matriculate the ball down the field, Griffin can eventually be stopped.

If the Eagles allow Washington to hit those big gainers and score quickly, though, all bets are off. Once the momentum is on Washington’s side and a downtrodden team senses an opportunity to play the role of spoiler, the Eagles could find themselves in a tight battle with their playoff livelihoods on the line.