After getting a little too close for comfort in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, watching a double-digit lead evaporate into a certified nail-biter down the stretch, the Philadelphia Eagles flew down to Dallas, took the field against their division rivals, and beat them into submission before fans could hit the jawn during the halftime intermission.
Jalen Hurts had an efficient game with only one real lowlight, an endzone interception that was meant for Dallas Goedert, Saquon Barkley averaged nearly five yards per carry on only 166 attempts, and AJ Brown went for over 100 yards – 109 to be exact – for the third time his season.
And the best part? Things got so out of hand so quickly that the backups were able to play meaningful snaps to great effect, with Kenny Pickett commanding the offense for 14 plays, the backup offensive linemen getting a few drives of action, and Will Shipley more than doubling his total production with nine carries for 34 yards after having his touchdown in Week 9 called off due to a penalty.
Factor in another near-shut-out performance by the Eagles' defense and some strong special teams play from Michael Clay's unit, and Philadelphia really proved that they are among the best teams in the NFC, period, even if they are still in a near-dead heat with the Washington Commanders for the best record in the NFC East.
Fortunately, in Week 11, the Eagles not only have a chance to put themselves an additional game up in the standings but also get a win on the Commanders in their tenth game of the season, which could prove incredibly valuable from a tiebreaking standpoint. With the game at home, on Thursday Night Football no less, and a five-game win streak on the line, Week 11 could be the defining game of the Eagles' 2024 season, and it should prove once and for all if they are contenders or pretenders against another legitimate NFC contender.
1. Saquon Barkley runs absolutely wild on the Commanders' defense
While the Commanders have a pretty good passing defense, allowing just 1,822 yards through the air over their first ten games of the season, they are far more vulnerable against the run, where opposing teams have consistently found success against Dan Quinn's front.
Since allowing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to rush for 112 yards in Week 1, the Commanders have allowed all but one of their opponents to run for at least 100 yards on the ground, with the lone exceptions coming against the Carolina Panthers in Week 7. They've allowed 181 yards to the Arizona Cardinals, 176 yards to the best rushing team in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens, and 202 yards to the Chicago Bears in Week 8, a mark 50 yards higher than their next-highest rushing production on the year.
And in Week 11, the Commanders have the unenviable task of going against two of the top rushers at their position in the NFL in Hurts and Barkley, who have combined to run the ball for 1,369 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns on the year.
In his first nine games of action in midnight green, Barkley has passed into triple-digits as a rusher in five of them, including a 109-yard performance in Week 1, a 147-yard game in Week three – on just 17 rushes, no less – a 159-yard game against the Jaguars in the Eagles' most-recent home game, and a near-career-high 176-yard game against his former team, the New York Giants.
2. Vic Fangio makes the Commanders' offense one-dimensional
In 2024, the Commanders' offense has been one of the most dynamic units in the NFL.
They can attack teams on the ground, attack teams through the air, and have found success with one of the most dynamic plays in the game, the RPO, with the potential to make it even better with a throw to Terry McLaurin over the top to really test the entire field.
And yet, in Week 10, the Pittsburgh Steelers made the Commanders' offense one-dimensional, holding Kliff Kingburry's offense to just 60 yards on the ground – albeit without Brian Robinson – and thus making Daniels beat him with his arm. Unfortunately, Daniels couldn't get that done, completing a season-low 50 percent of his passes for 202 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Asked what he could learn from the Steelers' performance, Fangio noted that while Pittsburgh didn't go for broke on a ton of zero blitzes but instead varied up who they sent at Daniels, which got him off balance when the run wasn't setting up easy throws.
“Yeah, they rushed a lot of guys. When I say a lot, they rushed five a good bit, or four. Pittsburgh is pretty good,” Fangio told reporters. “You've got [Steelers LB TJ] Watt and [Steelers LB Alex] Highsmith on the outside. They're good guys. [Steelers DT Cameron] Heyward is still on the inside. They're a good defense.”
Fortunately for the Eagles, they do have a number of quality players up front who can attack opposing quarterbacks with ease, with a legit rotation of rushers supplemented by a pair of linebackers, Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean, who have played at an elite level in 2024. Ranking fifth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, with just 906 yards surrendered versus 1,585 yards gained by the offense, the Eagles should be able to force Daniels to throw the ball in the pursuit of victory.
Related Philadelphia Eagles NewsArticle continues below
The problem with that Commanders' strategy? The Eagles are actually better against the pass than they are against the run, with Fangio's young secondary allowing just 173 yards per game, which is the third-best mark in the NFL. If the Eagles can force Daniels into obvious passing downs early and often, it will only improve their chances of winning.
3. Jalen Hurts leads the Eagles to an 8-2 victory
After playing his way into the MVP conversation just two seasons ago, even though his stats were only slightly worse last year, there's a prevailing narrative that the Eagles QB isn't impacting winning in the same way other elite signal callers are.
On paper, the narrative goes a little something like this: Hurts hasn't attempted more than 25 passes since Week 4 and is averaging just 209.2 yards per game. Yes, the Eagles are running the ball a ton, yes, Hurts is completing 65.5 percent of his passes, and yes, he has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 8-to-1, but do you know what? In the eyes of some fans, if you aren't throwing for 300 yards, you aren't contributing to winning.
Unfortunately for those fans, their narrative will likely continue into Thursday Night Football, as it's hard to imagine Hurts getting enough passing attempts to throw for 300 yards – which, based on his current yards per attempt average of 8.4, would be 35.7 passing attempts – but that doesn't mean the Eagles won't be able to move the ball against the Commanders, let alone defeat them at the Linc.
While the Commanders have a good passing defense, their run defense has been a certified liability, with all but one of their foes rushing for at least 100 yards and the Panthers coming just five yards away from that mark. If the Eagles don't make silly mistakes and instead play up to their potential, there's little reason to expect Nick Sirianni's team to do anything but gain a commanding win in Week 11 against one of the true success stories of the 2024 season. With maybe one true statement win on the season, their Week 8 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, taking care of the Commanders might just make fans around the NFL – and, more importantly, in Philadelphia – believe the City of Brother Love has a Super Bowl contender once more.
