NFL | Philadelphia Eagles x Washington Commanders - Nov 15 | 01:15 UTC

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Game info Philadelphia Eagles x Washington Commanders

 

On Monday Night Football, which closes week 10 of the 2022 NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles welcome the Washington Commanders in an excellent rivalry duel within the NFC East division. The match will take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. And the oval ball will start flying this Monday, November 14, at 01:15 UTC.

 

How does the NFL work in its 2022 edition?

 

The 2022 season of the National Football League arrives with a bang. After the adoption, for the first time in history in 2021, of a regular season with 17 games for each team and 18 weeks in total (since every team takes a week off), we will have this format again. It is worth remembering that, years ago, each team played 16 games during the qualifying phase, with 17 weeks in total in the season.

 

Traditionally, the NFL comprises two conferences: the American Conference (AFC) and the National Conference (NFC). Each conference has four divisions (North, South, East, and West), with four teams each, for a total of 16 teams per conference. And 32 teams in total in the league.

 

The winners of each division (four per conference) qualify for the playoffs, totaling eight teams. Apart from the division champions, the top three from each conference complete the 14 ranked teams. They play in a knockout tournament, the playoffs, and the AFC champion faces the NFC champion in Super Bowl LVII.

 

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have been an NFL sensation this season. So far, the team remains unbeaten this season, with a perfect 8-0 campaign. And so, the team leads the NFC West with leftovers. Now, the goal is to reach the ninth consecutive victory and take a huge step toward the playoffs. And nothing indicates that this series of positive results will end this week 10. Last week, playing on Thursday Night Football against the fragile Houston Texans on November 3, the Eagles did have a little difficulty. But they still managed to win by 29 to 17, away from home.

 

It was another well-balanced performance by the Eagles, who produced 360 offensive yards, 217 in the air, and 143 on the ground. They also played well defensively, conceding only 17 points to the Texans. In the match, quarterback Jalen Hurts had another performance without scares, hitting 21 passes for 27 for 243 yards and two touchdowns. Endowed with excellent mobility, shirt 1 still ran for 23 yards in the match. But on the ground, running back Miles Sanders was in command of the action, who had 17 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown. Hurts' main receivers in the air were tight end Dallas Goedert, with eight receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown, and wide receiver A.J. Brown, responsible for four receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, the unit greatly limited the Texans' aerial play and even forced two turnovers, which were two interceptions thrown by the inconsistent quarterback Davis Mills.

 

What has impressed football fans most about these Eagles is the confidence with which the team has been playing. The team has been winning naturally, and it is no wonder this is the first 8-0 start in the Eagles' history. However, the fact is that the team has been playing so quickly that it has not had to face tight situations within the matches. In this way, it is necessary to see how the team will react when there is a more even match, as will be the case in the playoffs. Therefore, it will be up to head coach Nick Sirianni to contain the 'woohoo' and keep his team focused on seeking to qualify with the first overall campaign of the entire National Conference, which would guarantee slack in the first round of the postseason.

 

Statistically, the Eagles offense is the league's third-best in yards (391 per game average) and second-best in points produced (28.1 per game). On the defensive side, Philadelphia has the third-best unit in yards conceded to opponents (only 299 per game) and the fourth-best in points (suffering only 16.9 per confrontation). On top of that, the team has the best turnover balance in the league, with leftovers: +15. The team gave the ball for free only three times to the opponents (two interceptions and one fumble) and 'stole' possession on 18 opportunities (12 interceptions and six fumbles). If this balance between offense and defense continues, breaking the Eagles' invincibility will be difficult.

 

Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders arrive occupying the bottom of the NFC West division, with a record of four wins and five losses. In this way, the team is far from fighting for a spot in the playoffs. But a victory over a division rival like the Eagles could boost the team led by head coach Ron Rivera. In Week 9, facing another strong team, the Minnesota Vikings, leader of the NFC North with 7-1, the Commanders had a competitive performance and lost only 20-17.

 

Washington's team even went 17-7 at the start of the last quarter but then had a blackout, conceded a touchdown and two field goals in the final 11 minutes, and thus lost 20-17 in a comeback. It was a painful defeat, even more so because the Commanders performed well defensively, limiting the Vikings' ground attack to just 56 total yards. However, Kirk Cousins resolved the stalemate for the visitors and imposed a fifth defeat on the hosts. Still, without starting quarterback Carson Wentz, who went to injured reserve, the Commanders bet on the decent Taylor Heinicke, and he had a minimally regular game, completing 15 28 passes for 149 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.

 

But it was Washington's ground attack that held the line, producing 137 total yards on 30 carries. The best in the offensive backfield was rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr., with 13 carries for 44 yards. In the aerial game, Curtis Samuel stood out the most in catching passes from Heinicke, with three receptions for 65 yards and a TD. Against the Eagles, the Washington Commanders will need to play football if they want to be competitive. First, it will have to limit the solid ground game of the home team. And on top of that, you'll need to make Jalen Hurts feel uncomfortable throwing the balls.

 

In addition, the attack will need to yield more than it has been producing. The Commanders' offensive unit is 12th worst in yards (323.4 per game) and 7th worst in points (17.7 per game). What has been compensating a little is the defense, which is mid-table in yards conceded (330.7 per game) and in points suffered (21.3 per game). Monday night's game is pretty much all-or-nothing for the Commanders in terms of dreaming of qualifying for the playoffs. So, the expectation is that they will do their best to break the invincibility of their division rival.