PHILADELPHIA — In the last 24 years, eagles They competed against Dallas Cowboys and against it New York Giants for many NFC East games.

Philadelphia’s rivalry with Washington isn’t that big of a deal, but that’s about to change Thursday when the two teams battle each other for the top spot in the NFC East.

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The Cowboys and Giants are struggling for different reasons and will have to rebuild. And with those two teams out for the foreseeable future, it gives the Eagles and Commanders the opportunity to take control of the division for the long haul.

Washington has won the division just three times since 2000. former owner Daniel Snyder He was making terrible decisions, eight different head coaches were struggling to win games, and their quarterback wasn’t good enough.

Things are different now.

Owner of new Commanders Josh Harris hired general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn this offseason – both decisions have paid off so far. The Commanders then drafted their next franchise quarterback as a rookie. jayden danielswho led the team to a 7-3 record.

The Eagles have defeated Washington in 11 of their last 14 games. Now Philadelphia will need to beat them again to win the NFC East and potentially capture the No. 1 seed. Detroit Lions.

Three things to watch during the Eagles-Commanders game:

Can the Eagles stop Jayden Daniels?

Since Week 6, the Eagles are ranked No. 1 in five defensive categories: Total defense (214.5 yards per game), scoring defense (11 points per game), sacks (11), rushing defense (73.5 yards per game). and pass defense (141.1 yards per game).

The Eagles still have a lot to prove because during their five-game winning streak, they played against four subpar offenses (Givs, Browns, Jaguars, and Cowboys) with bad/mediocre quarterbacks and poor rushing attacks.

However In the Week 8 victory over the Cincinnati BengalsThe Eagles’ defense has shown it can be elite. they kept Joe Burrow – One of the NFL’s best quarterbacks – completed 234 passes and one touchdown and surrendered just 17 points.

Three weeks later, the Eagles were able to shut down Daniels and the Commanders’ offense with a clear victory.

But this will not be an easy task.

The Commanders went from being the second-worst team in the league last season to one of the best this year with Daniels at point guard. He has the second-most rushing yards (464) and 11th-most passing yards (2,147) among NFL quarterbacks this season and has thrown nine touchdowns to two interceptions.

“He plays really good football” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said about Daniels. “That’s obvious. I think everyone can see this. He’s a really good player, he started very quickly, so we’ll have a tough challenge here this week. I can’t say enough good things about him.

“You know that you go to the right place in football, you act accurately, you know what you can do when things go wrong. I have great respect for him and we will have our hands full.”

Daniels plays with great poise and has developed into one of the best point guards in the league, but he can be stopped. He rushed for just five yards and passed for 202 yards in the Commanders’ Week 10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio He credited Pittsburgh’s outside linebackers and defensive linemen for containing Daniels and said his defense had to play with discipline to beat Washington.

“Yeah, we’ve got to be careful with the assignment, make sure we always have a guy ready to move the quarterback if he’s successful,” Fangio said. “Sometimes he can do that with blockers. If you overdo the run, sometimes he just pulls when he’s there. You’ve got to be tough on the assignment.”

Fangio can confuse the 23-year-old point guard and force him to make bad mistakes.

Terry McLaurin vs. Quinyon Mitchell

Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin He has been one of the NFL’s most consistent wide receivers since being drafted in 2019, completing four 1,000-yard seasons in five years. He currently ranks third in receiving yards (711) and has the fifth-most receiving touchdowns (6).

The Eagles’ secondary needs to prevent McLaurin from taking over. In 10 career games against the Eagles, he has 58 receptions for 847 yards and four touchdowns.

Eagles rookie cornerback quinyon mitchellHe will protect McLaurin, who is among the favorites for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

According to Pro Football Focus, Mitchell has not allowed more than 23 receiving yards in a game this season. Over the Eagles’ last five games, he has done a good job of covering some of the league’s best wide receivers, including the Bengals wide receiver. Ja’Marr Chase and Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers. By holding McLaurin to under 100 yards, he could provide Washington’s offensive tackle.

Eagles’ star wide receivers secondary against Washington without Marshon Lattimore

Commanders acquire former Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore He is at the trade deadline to improve their secondary, but will not play for the second straight week due to a hamstring injury.

Before Week 1, most expected Washington’s secondary to be among the worst teams in the league. Quinn – former Cowboys’ defensive coordinator – and Commanders’ defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. He deserves huge credit for helping an inexperienced secondary school reach the top five in the first 10 weeks.

But the Commanders may not have enough talent to stop the Eagles’ wide receivers. A.J. Brown And DeVonta Smith. Brown and Smith are winning the majority of their one-on-one opportunities and will have some easy matchups against the Commanders.

Commanders will have to pressure the Eagles’ quarterback jalen hurtsforce some turnovers and leave the running back Saquon Barkley to win.