It wasn't just a bobbled snap during the Washington Commanders' first matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles that cost them a failed fourth-and-2 at the Eagles' 31-yard line. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter came barreling through the line of scrimmage and nearly took Jayden Daniels down for a sack before the quarterback could even think about trying to salvage the play.
It wasn't the only time Carter and the Eagles' defensive line made an impact on the Commanders' offense in the 26-18 Thursday Night Football defeat. They stifled Brian Robinson and Washington's run game, holding them to 93 yards on 28 carries and sacked Daniels three times for a loss of 20 yards. The Burgundy & Gold had one of their worst third-down performances, converting just 3-of-12, and held to their second lowest yardage total (264) all season.
The Commanders can not only get their 10th win over a division opponent on Sunday, but also upset one of the hottest teams in the NFL, and they know it. They're also aware that they need to be better at holding their own up front to give themselves a chance.
"I think they're well coached," said right tackle Andrew Wylie. "They fly around, and they play well together as a unit. And so, they're able to do some good things."
Carter, the ninth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, is spearheading a defensive front that ranks fourth in run stop win-rate. He's already surpassed his 2023 totals in stops, and he leads his position with 12 tackles for loss. His 83.2 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus is fourth among interior defenders, and while he only has four sacks so far this season, he does have 32 hurries and five pass deflections.
But Carter isn't the only Eagles defender having a solid year. Edge rushers Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith Jr. lead the team with a combined 13.5 sacks. Milton Williams has nine solo tackles and six tackles for loss, and Brandon Graham is tied with Zack Baun with 3.5 sacks.
The amount of talent up front is one of the Commanders' biggest problems this weekend; there isn't just one standout player to isolate on protection schemes.
"In this case they've really got an effective four-man rush," said head coach Dan Quinn. "And so, that's what makes the challenge more difficult to say, 'that's a matchup, that's a matchup.' You can [bring] help to one, you can slide to another, but somebody has the hard down. And so that's what makes it the most challenging to me."
The Commanders went up against a similarly challenging defensive front last week when they traveled to New Orleans to play the Saints. Bryan Bresee and Chase Young led an effort that led to eight sacks, amounting to a loss of 37 yards for the Commanders' offense. Some of that is because of Daniels holding the ball for a little too long, but some of it is also on his protection. The Saints were physical at the point of attack, and it often paid off.
The Commanders can't afford to let that happen against the Eagles and allow their defensive linemen to disrupt plays, as was the case at times in the first matchup.
"You want to get into some down and distances that don't favor the defense," Quinn said. "Winning on first and second down is a big piece of this. Both teams are aggressive, play on fourth down as well. And so, four down football is alive and well this weekend here at the stadium."
To Quinn's point, the Commanders faced a distance of at least six yards on third down four times in their first matchup against the Eagles and failed to convert any of them. Daniels believes he and the offense have improved since their last game against Philadelphia last month, though.
"I mean no matter who we play, who they play, everything starts up front," Daniels said. "They got good football players over there; we got good football players here. So, it's more so about the will and the want to upfront between everybody and just the whole team. Want to go out there, who wants it more. And the more discipline in the team with the more want to [will] prevail in this game."
The Commanders recognize that Philadelphia has an exceptional defense that has been playing like the best in the league during its win streak. The unit is first total yards allowed, tied for first in scoring and passing defense and seventh in rushing defense. That also doesn't mention them being the second stingiest group on third down.
Despite all that, Washington led the game until the fourth quarter back in November, even with their struggles up front. If they can shore up that area of their offense, they know they can give themselves a chance.
"They play hard, they play physical, they play the right way and if we want to win football games or win the close ones, win the big games, you gotta play against some good teams," Daniels said. "And Philly's just on the clock, so hopefully we go out there and compete against them again."
