Eagles at Redskins
The Washington Redskins have picked themselves off the mat following an early stumble and won three straight games to put themselves back in the conversation of defending their NFC East crown. While talk often is cheap in the nation's capital, the host Redskins can make a significant statement on Sunday should they defeat the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles for a fourth consecutive time.
Kirk Cousins threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns as Washington clinched the NFC East with a 38-24 victory over Philadelphia on Dec. 26. Jordan Reed reeled in nine receptions for 129 yards and two scores in that contest, but the dominant tight end is in jeopardy to miss Sunday's contest with a suspected concussion. Quarterback Carson Wentz's storybook beginning to his rookie season encountered a sour chapter last Sunday as his late interception proved costly in Philadelphia's 24-23 setback to Detroit. Tight end Zach Ertz was limited to just three catches versus the Lions, but recorded 13- and 15-catch outings in two of his last three meetings with the Redskins.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Eagles -2.5. O/U: 44.5
ABOUT THE EAGLES (3-1): Running back Ryan Mathews looks to atone for his costly fumble in the fourth quarter against Detroit when he faces Washington, versus which he scored in his last encounter and looks to exploit a defense yielding an NFL third-worst 130 yards per game on the ground. Jordan Matthews has been held in check with just six catches over his last three games, but hauled in that many receptions for 104 yards and a touchdown in his last meeting with the Redskins. The 24-year-old didn't face Josh Norman in that contest, but was limited to just three catches for 14 yards by the stud cornerback in a 27-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers last season.
ABOUT THE REDSKINS (3-2): DeSean Jackson has mustered just four catches in his last two games but could get untracked versus his former team, against which he has 13 receptions for 283 yards and a touchdown in three games since leaving the Eagles following the 2013 season. Jackson currently is in a contract year and revealed that his once ice-cold relationship with Philadelphia has thawed, most noticeably after Doug Pederson replaced Chip Kelly as the team's coach. Fellow wideout Pierre Garcon found the end zone last week and has scored in each of his last two encounters with the Eagles. Running back Matt Jones was limited to just 31 yards on 14 carries in Sunday's 16-10 win over Baltimore, and will face a third-ranked defense allowing just 73.3 yards per game on the ground.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Philadelphia DT Fletcher Cox collected a team-high four sacks and a forced fumble in four games this season and notched a pair of sacks in his last meeting with Washington.
2. Redskins LB Preston Murphy has recorded a team-best 4.5 sacks through five games in his third season after mustering only six in his previous two years.
3. Eagles rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai will get the start as fellow RT Lane Johnson begins serving a 10-game suspension on Sunday.