Four things to watch for in Commanders-Eagles on Prime Video and NFL+

• WHERE: Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
• WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | Prime Video, NFL+

First place is on the line when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Washington Commanders on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field, the biggest game for both teams this season.

After Sunday’s win in Dallas, the 7-2 Eagles jumped back into first place in the NFC East for the first time since their Week 1 win. The Commanders had led the division every week since Week 2 until their loss on Sunday to the Steelers at home.

Both Washington and Philadelphia enter Week 11 with seven wins and 2-0 records in the NFC East. This will be the first meeting between these teams in which both have more than four games over .500 entering the season since Week 12 of the 1996 season.

The Eagles have dominated the recent series between the rivals, beating the Commanders in five of the last six meetings. But this is a different Washington team than we’ve seen in a while. With a win on Thursday, the team would have more wins this season than in any year since 2012 and would be one step closer to its first playoff berth since returning to the postseason with a 7-9 record in 2020.

This is also the first meeting between Jayden Daniels and Jalen Hurts, who each rank in the top three in QB rush yards and posted similar passing numbers in 2024. Daniels is the overwhelming favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and Hurts has steadily increased his MVP candidacy with a bounce-back season.

Here are four things to watch for when the Commanders visit the Eagles on Thursday night on Prime Video and NFL+:

1) The Commander’s offense is looking for a rebound. Sunday’s 28-27 loss to the Steelers had to be decided in the final minute, but Washington’s offensive performance in that game was lacking compared to the eye-popping numbers produced by this group. They had just one turnover on Sunday (and only have four this season) but were held to 242 yards. Jayden Daniels was held in check as a runner (three carries, 5 yards) and thrower, posting a 50% completion rate, his lowest average of the season. Teams that had more success against the Commanders tended to be better at stopping their run game, and RB Brian Robinson Jr. has missed the last two games. There’s also the question of whether the league might be adjusting to offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s system after its hot start. History seems to show that whether he’s head coach or OC, the performance of Kingsbury’s offenses tends to decline as the season progresses. In Weeks 1-9, his offenses averaged 26.6 points, 377.9 yards and 0.8 turnovers per game. In Week 10 and beyond of his career, Kingsbury’s offense has dropped to 21.2 points, 331.6 yards and 1.5 turnovers per game.

2) Hurts, Barkley could be a tough matchup. There’s been a lot of talk about Washington’s issues in pass coverage, but we shouldn’t overlook the fact that they’re having trouble stopping the run. They have allowed 506 rush yards in the last three games and rank 29th in the NFL in yards per rush allowed (4.85). The Eagles run the ball better than any of the Commanders’ last three opponents and arguably better than any team Dan Quinn’s defense has faced. Saquon Barkley is nine yards shy of 1,000 yards this season and is on pace to surpass 1,700 yards. Before a tepid game in the loss against Dallas, Barkley was exhausted; He averaged 6.5 yards per carry over the last four games. During the same period, Jalen Hurts had eight rushing TDs and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. The Commanders did a respectable job containing Lamar Jackson earlier this season, but other mobile QBs (Daniel Jones and Caleb Williams) have had some success against them. If they aren’t operational and don’t get the population to the ball, it could be a long night for Washington.

3) Commanders need better security on the backend. The Commanders completed a trade-deadline deal to sign CB Marshon Lattimore, but he missed Sunday’s loss and is out for Thursday’s game as he is still recovering from a hamstring injury. Washington could certainly use him. CBs Benjamin St.-Juste and Mike Sainristil expect to have their hands full with the Eagles duo of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, who remain among the best in their field despite Smith and Brown had a few quiet plays and was held out of the end zone three times in a row. Top receivers like Ja’Marr Chase, Zay Flowers, Malik Nabers and Chris Godwin had big games against the Commanders this season. Washington’s pass rush, led by Dante Fowler Jr.’s 8.5 sacks, has helped the defense hold nine of its 10 opponents under 253 passing yards. But Sunday’s loss to the Steelers brought with it several major failures from the Commanders’ secondary.

4) Eagle killer Terry McLaurin will test the secondary. They don’t call him “Scary Terry” for nothing. Often a lone wolf in the Commanders’ offense, McLaurin continued to cause problems for the Eagles when he faced them, totaling 58 catches for 847 yards and four touchdowns in 10 career meetings. In his last four games against the Eagles, McLaurin averaged 94.5 yards. But the Eagles have changed defensively, with a new coordinator (Vic Fangio) and new DBs (Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean). Fangio will have his hands full trying to slow down Jayden Daniels as a runner and passer and dealing with McLaurin, Zach Ertz and Noah Brown. But Fangio has traditionally done a good job limiting big plays with two high-safety looks, fewer defensive personnel and the occasional use of spies against athletic QBs. Still, the Eagles’ DBs will be tested at some point. Mitchell and Cooper have improved over their predecessors James Bradberry and Avonte Maddox, and the entire secondary has held up well, well stocked with players like Darius Slay, CJ Gardner-Johnson, Reed Blankenship and the freshmen.