A pair of NFC East rivals kick off their 2020 campaign on the gridiron in the nation’s capital. The Philadelphia Eagles are on the road as they make the trip to face the Washington Football Team Sunday afternoon. Philadelphia finished last season 9-7 and won the NFC East to qualify for the postseason. The Eagles’ trek to the playoffs was short-lived as they were dumped 17-9 by Seattle at home in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs. Washington struggled with injuries and inconsistency from their young players as they finished 2019 in the basement of the NFC East with a 3-13 record. The Redskins lead the all-time regular season series between the teams 85-80-6 but the Eagles have taken the last six meetings. That included a sweep last season as Philadelphia won 32-27 at home on September 8, 2019 and then 37-27 on the road on December 15, 2019.
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Philadelphia Eagles Looking to Defend NFC East Crown
Philadelphia managed to win the NFC East last season in a down year for the division but they have some stiff competition this year, at least on paper. The Eagles have some pieces to replace as they let Nelson Agholor leave in free agency, creating a void in the receiving corps. Jordan Howard was dealt to Miami, freeing up carries in the ground game. Philadelphia also released Malcolm Jenkins, creating a hole in their secondary. The Eagles did bring in Nickell Robey-Coleman to help at the cornerback position and made a deal with Detroit to pick up Darius Slay. Philadelphia is banking on that duo, along with Avonte Maddox, can help shore up what has been a problem spot in recent years.
The Eagles were 11th in the league last season by averaging 239.6 yards per contest through the air. When it came to the ground game, Philadelphia stood 11th in rushing offense as they ran for an average of 121.2 yards per game. Philadelphia stood 12th in the league in scoring offense as they put up an average of 24.1 points per game. The Eagles finished the year 15th in the league in scoring defense as they allowed an average of 22.1 points per contest. Carson Wentz is back under center as he completed 388 of 607 passes for 4,039 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was sacked 37 times, losing 230 yards in the process, and added 243 yards plus a score on the ground. Wentz has to hope a revamped offensive line, minus two starters, can hold up. Miles Sanders is the lead back after running the ball 179 times for 818 yards plus three scores while adding 50 receptions for 509 yards and three scores. Boston Scott (61 carries, 245 yards, five TD, 24 receptions, 204 yards) is in the mix as well. Tight ends Zach Ertz (88 receptions, 916 yards, six TD) and Dallas Goedert (58 grabs, 607 yards, five TD) provide a 1-2 punch in the passing game. The Eagles hope to get more from DeSean Jackson (nine grabs, 159 yards, two TD) and Alshon Jeffery (43 catches, 490 yards, four TD) at the receiver spots. Jake Elliott is back at kicker after converting 39 of 42 extra point attempts and 26 of 31 field goal attempts with a long of 61.