Preview and Predictions for Philadelphia Eagles' Week 7 MNF Matchup
The 5-1 Philadelphia Eagles are the talk of the league following a couple of head-turning victories, and they’ll look to continue the win streak in an NFC East showdown with the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football.
Philly convinced plenty of non-believers with their 28-23 road win over the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, and get a significant boost in terms of rest. The Eagles’ long break between primetime games may feel more like a bye week, with 11 days separating their Week 6 victory from the Week 7 showdown on Monday night.
While the Eagles are in firm control of the NFC East, we’re still early in the season and their grip on first place will dwindle if the Redskins exact revenge on their Week 1 defeat at home. On the flip side, momentum is a powerful thing in a NFL locker room, and the Eagles could suddenly become darlings of the NFC playoff picture with a fifth-straight win.
Plenty of developments are yet to come throughout the week in regards to injured players and preparation, but these teams are already familiar with one another. Let’s take a closer look at the matchup and make predictions for the Week 7 showdown.
Previewing Key Matchups
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Redskins OL vs. Eagles Pass Rush
The Eagles’ relentless pass rush made Kirk Cousins’ 2017 debut a painful one, sacking him four times and pressuring him with ease. However, the Redskins have only allowed four sacks in their following four games. Behind tackles Trent Williams and Morgan Moses, Cousins has good protection in most matchups, but the Eagles’ defensive line is among the most unblockable in the league.
Zach Ertz vs. Redskins Pass D
Casual NFL fans circled the matchup between Alshon Jeffery and Josh Norman in Week 1, but the Eagles used that as a decoy for tight end Zach Ertz. He began his 2017 breakout in Week 1 with eight catches for 93 yards, and he still leads the league in receiving among tight ends. The Redskins’ 3-4 defense requires more effort from the secondary to deal with Ertz, who will have some extra attention paid to him after his early-season dominance.
LeGarrette Blount vs. Rams Front
LeGarrette Blount is eighth in the league in rushing yards, no thanks to a dud of a Week 1 performance against the Redskins when he went for just 46 yards on 14 carries. The Eagles didn’t get much going on the ground then, which allowed Washington back in the game. The run game in Philly has been a different story in the last four weeks, with Blount leading the way. Washington has a burly front behind Ziggy Hood, Jonathan Allen and Stacy McGee, who will need to replicate their Week 1 performance to keep Blount in check and limit the Eagles offense.
Alshon Jeffery (Finally) Eclipses 100 Yards
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You won’t find an unhappy Alshon Jeffery because the Eagles are 5-1, but to say he’s not performing at the level he wants is an understatement. He’s logged just 317 yards on 24 receptions and two touchdowns on the season, with his only head-turning performance coming in the team’s only defeat.
Week 7 sets up perfectly for him, however.
In his first outing against Washington, he had to deal with Redskins cornerback Josh Norman hawking him. But Norman went down with a fractured rib in Week 4 and has been out since.
It’s too early to tell whether Norman will be able to go Monday or not, but Jeffery should thrive regardless. He’ll either be going up against a less-than-healthy Norman, or he will enjoy a matchup advantage against Bashaud Breeland or Quinton Dunbar.
The Redskins will be forced to pay extra attention to Ertz, and they may even hone in on Nelson Agholor after his proficiency for big plays this season. As a result, Jeffery will get his opportunities and make the most of them.
Rasul Douglas, Patrick Robinson Each Snag INTs
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Shockingly enough, the Eagles secondary has emerged as one of the team’s best units over the last couple of games despite significant injury damage.
The cornerbacks struggled in two games following Ronald Darby’s Week 1 injury, but the core trio of Jalen Mills, Patrick Robinson and the rookie Rasul Douglas have been more than dependable in wins over Arizona and Carolina. They dropped at least two or three sure-fire picks against the Arizona Cardinals, before picking off Cam Newton three times on Thursday.
Cousins has only thrown one interception on the season, but it came against Philly. And that unit of cornerbacks he saw in Week 1 lacked the confidence and swagger that they’ve developed over the last six weeks.
Mills and Robinson each grabbed picks last week, but expect Douglas to get in on the action while Robinson—who has gotten his hands on virtually everything thrown his way in recent weeks—snags another.
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Derek Barnett Starts a Sack Streak
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It took six games, but Eagles rookie defensive end Derrek Barnett finally got his first career NFL sack when he attached himself to Cam Newton’s legs late in Philly’s Week 6 victory.
He may have only gotten credit for a half-sack, but Barnett has been making his presence felt for weeks. Not many teams have his level of talent on their second team pass rush, and that allows for him to overpower offensive tackles when they’re normally expecting a lighter load with the starters having a quick rest.
Barnett barely got opportunities in Week 1 after a dominating preseason, but he’s proved himself worthy of more playing time in recent weeks. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will reward him with plenty of snaps in Week 7, in the hopes that he can chase Cousins around and impact the game.
Brandon Graham lived in the Redskins backfield in Week 1, with two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. The Washington line will hone in on Graham, freeing up Barnett and others for one-on-one matchups.
Expect the rookie to get his first full sack and perhaps more as he tries to continue proving why he deserves to be a part of the starting lineup.
LeGarrette Blount Will Be Held in Check
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Notwithstanding the Kansas City Chiefs game in which LeGarrette Blount totaled zero carries, the visiting Washington Redskins will come into Philly as the only team that's successfully limited Blount this season.
In Week 1, Blount couldn't get anything going and finished with 14 carries for 46 yards. His longest run went for seven yards. Blount's last four games have seen rushing yardage totals of 67, 136, 74 and 67, and he has broken one for 18 or more yards in each of them.
The Redskins didn't even have to stack the box or commit extra attention toward the run game to stifle Blount. They proved more intent on committing extra bodies to their pass defense. But Washington's base 3-4 defense matches up well against the type of downhill running employed by Blount behind the Eagles offensive line, and their physical linebackers did a good job of shutting down his running lanes.
We've seen in recent weeks just how hard the Philly offense is to stop when the running game gets going, so expect that to be a major area of emphasis for Washington in preparation.
Kenjon Barner Takes One to the House
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The heavy feelings worn by Eagles fans after Darren Sproles' season-ending injury have been alleviated a bit by Kenjon Barner, who revitalized his Eagles career in the wake of Sproles' absence and has provided a huge spark in every game thus far.
Initially tabbed as a punt-return man exclusively, Barner excelled in that department off the jump and notched a spectacular 76-yard return in the win over Arizona. With Wendell Smallwood injured for the past two games, Barner has received a share of the workload in the backfield as well, out-snapping Corey Clement in Week 6 to emerge as the Eagles' No. 2 back for the short term.
For all of Barner's success in the punt return game, he committed a huge mistake against Carolina that could have shifted the game when he botched a return, only for the Eagles to recover the fumble. He should have laser focus to make a big play when he gets his next chance, intent to prove that was a one-off mistake.
Barner will get chances for the big play both in the return game and the running game. After knocking on the door a few times in recent weeks, Barner will finally go the distance.
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