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Currently 41 degrees Fahrenheit. In Celsius, that’s “meh, jacket weather.” Mild wind. Virtually no chance of rain, snow, hail, sleet, sneet, slail or any other wintry mix.
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Hello from the penultimate wave of NFL games this season.
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By way of disclaimer, I should mention that I live in Northern Virginia, just a couple of miles outside the Capital Beltway. But I won’t let proximity to one of these two teams sway my thinking today.
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…
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It’s just that it’s been a really difficult time in the DC metro area (or DMV, as we call it, prompting a lot of confusion with the Department of Motor Vehicles). It snowed weeks ago, and the ground is still an ugly combination of white snow and black exhaust. We’ve had all the chaos of a change in administration, there’s a lot of uncertainty … so, yeah. It might be nice for this area to experience some joy.
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That said, these aren’t the Eagles that the rest of the NFC East is used to hating. There’s a lot of respect here for Saquon Barkley, who has been gracious about the NY Giants’ unfathomable decision to let him walk away. Coach Nick Sirianni also seems like one of the good guys in this oft-cantankerous league.
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…
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But wait … haven’t Commanders fans suffered enough? When did the Eagles last win it all? Seems like last week. The Commanders last won the Super Bowl in 1991. I was alive – in fact, that’s the year I graduated from college – but a lot of DC residents weren’t. Since then, the organization has been a model of futility and hostility.
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Perhaps the future looks bright with Jayden Daniels wrapping up a rookie season for the ages. But Washington fans remember the last time a franchise QB came to town – Robert Griffin III, who blew up the league in 2012 but suffered from injuries for the rest of a short career that ended up the road in Baltimore.
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So would it hurt anyone if the Commanders took a turn?
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Oh … Barkley? Yeah, fair point. Like Terry McLaurin, Washington’s all-important wide received, he has served many years with a team that was mediocre or worse.
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So there are a lot of rooting interests out there. Feel free to share yours by email. Or bobsled. Still frozen out there.
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important events
How do celebrities crash the pregame show and appear on the field?
Today, yes bradley cooper. Coincidentally, I actually ran through his duet with Lady Gaga for an upcoming rehearsal.
Washington has its share of celebrities, too. dave grohl? a little bit?
got it, kevin durantof course. and … Matthew McConaughey? Mr. Texas?
and Taraji P. Henson.
This is something that passes for classy Mid-Atlantic/Northeast trash talk…
person 1: “Today, more people are wearing Bill's stuff than the commanding officer at Wegmans in D.C.”
person 2: “Isn't there an eagle? 🦅, haha?”
person 1: “They're at Wawa.”
For the record, the day a Wawa opened in my town was one of the happiest days since my kids were born.
The weather is…
…probably not a factor.
It's currently 41 degrees Fahrenheit. In Celsius, it's “well, jacket weather.” Light wind. There is little chance of rain, snow, hail, sleet, sunito, sales, or any other winter mix.
a zoo, you say?
One bright spot in the DC area these days – pandas are once again. At least they are enjoying the snow.
yes you can too yell at me with blue skis.
preamble
Hello from the penultimate wave of NFL games this season.
As a disclaimer, I should mention that I live in Northern Virginia, a few miles outside of the National Capital Beltway. But I can't shake my thoughts on one of these two teams today.
…
It's just that it's been a really difficult time in the DC metro area (or DMV, as it's called, which has prompted a lot of confusion with the Department of Motor Vehicles). It snowed a few weeks ago, but the ground is still an ugly combination of white snow and black exhaust. We've had all the chaos of management changes and there's a lot of uncertainty… Yeah. It may be nice for this area to experience joy.
That said, these aren't the Eagles the rest of the NFC East is used to hating. there's a lot of respect here Saquon Barkleywas gracious about the NY Giants' unfathomable decision to let him walk away. coach Nick Sirianni Also seems to be one of the good guys in this often cantankerous league.
…
But wait… haven't Commander fans suffered enough? When did the Eagles last win? It seems like last week. The Commanders last won a Super Bowl in 1991. In fact, I am the year I graduated college, but many DC residents were not. Since then, the organization has been a model of futility and hostility.
Perhaps the future looks bright jayden daniels For the ages, it wraps up the rookie season. But Washington fans remember the last time the franchise QB came to town – Robert Griffin III, He blew up the league in 2012, but struggled with injuries the rest of his short career that went the way of Baltimore.
So, will everyone be hurt if the commander takes his turn?
Oh… Berkeley? Yeah, fair points. like terry mclaughlinWashington's all-important wide, he has served on mediocre or bad teams over the years.
So there's a lot of supportive interest there. Please feel free to share via email. Or bobsled. It's still freezing.
Beau will be here soon. In the meantime, here's Graham Searles on the key matchups for today's game.
What Washington needs to do to win: The Commanders must maintain the improved level of defense they achieved in these playoffs, trying to keep the ball out of Barkley's hands as much as possible with a methodical time-sapping run game. Washington forced 17 turnovers in the regular season, but produced five last week against the Lions and five against the Bucks in the wild card round. Those turnovers led to three touchdowns.
Just like the defense, if Washington can muster the same production from running backs Brian Robinson JR and Austin Ekeler as they did against Detroit, they will be hard to stop. The pair combined for 128 rushing yards. That was just 17 yards total in the previous three games. In the face of elite coverage from the kills of Quinyon Mitchell and Darius, steering the script from requiring explosive pass plays is essential.
What Philadelphia needs to do to win: Mea culpa. The Eagles don't have to give the ball away. In the wild card, Jalen Hurts provided the lowest chance of a passing attempt resulting in a positive result for a winning playoff team over the past 10 seasons. Last week, Hurts gained 65 net passing yards. This is the lowest of any team in postseason games won or lost over the past decade. Unfortunately for Washington, the numbers matter a bit because Barkley is driving the Eagles' offense. If every running back ball can go the length of the field, unless Hart turns it over between handoffs, Philadelphia has a strong advantage.
Snow and ice played a role in the lack of air yards last week. It will be Washington's weak run defense that can hold them back Sunday. The Detroit runner racked up 201 yards and three touchdowns against the command last week, and the Eagles will expect Barkley to do something similar this weekend.
Commander key players: Jaden Daniels, quarterback. The rookie is the reason Washington went from last in the NFC East in 2023 to on the verge of a Super Bowl. He has shown the ability to raise the level of his teammates when it really matters. Take Dyami Brown, which has fewer spots. The receiver averaged 19 yards per game in the regular season. Since then, in the two playoff wins, he has 187 yards and receives more targets than Terry McLaurin. The Eagles will be nervous about Daniels throwing too much attention McLaurin's way now that they recognize Brown's potential.
Key players for the Eagles: Jalen Carter, defensive tackle. After leading a brutal onslaught with Matthew Stafford last week, the pass rush will be eager to show Daniels isn't as immune to pressure as he appears. What could tip the scales is an injury to Washington right guard Sam Cosmi. Replacement offensive tackle Trent Scott needs help stopping the destructive Carter.
You can read the full article here:
