LANDOVER, Md. − All eyes were on the quarterbacks when the Eagles and Commanders took the field Sunday, and for good reason.
It was the first time the Eagles were facing their former franchise quarterback in Carson Wentz, and they were doing it with the quarterback who replaced Wentz in the starting lineup for the final four games of the 2020 season in Jalen Hurts.
For Wentz, it was his first time facing his former team after the Eagles traded him to Indianapolis in March 2021. Before the game, Wentz exchanged hugs with some of the Eagles like Jordan Mailata, Fletcher Cox, Jason Kelce and general manager Howie Roseman.
It didn’t go well for Wentz as the Eagles took a 24-0 lead at halftime.
It went much better for Jalen Hurts, who completed 18 of 27 passes for 279 yards and 3 TDs in the first half alone. That included a final 2-yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith on 4th-and-goal as time expired.
Smith had 7 receptions for 156 yards in the first half. His previous career high for a game was 122 yards.
As for Wentz, he had half as many completions (3) as times sacked (6). He was 3-for-10 for 24 yards.
Wentz was under pressure right from the start. The Eagles forced 2 fumbles on sacks, one of which they recovered at Washington’s 24. The Eagles sacked Wentz four times in the first quarter, the most first-quarter sacks for the Eagles since 1994.
Hurts also got off to a slow start as he was just 1-for-5 for 5 yards through the first two series. But then he hit Smith on a 45-yard pass down the sideline, setting up a field goal. On the next series, the Eagles took over at Washington’s 24 after Wentz was sacked by Brandon Graham and fumbled the ball away.
Hurts then hit Dallas Goedert for a 23-yard TD. The Eagles made it 17-0 on Hurts’ 9-yard TD to A.J. Brown, set up by a 31-yard completion to Smith on 3rd-and-5 from Washington’s 42.
The Eagles had one last chance, getting the ball back with 1:57 left in the half. With about 40 seconds left, Hurts went deep to Smith, who came down with the ball at Washington’s 1. With no timeouts left, the Eagles tried a QB sneak on 3rd-and-goal from the 1. When that was stopped, the Eagles had to go on fourth down because they couldn’t get their field-goal unit in on time.
Hurts threw to Smith in the back corner, and Smith outleaped a defender for the ball.
Eagles having a sack party
After Wentz gave several Eagles pregame hugs, the Eagles returned the gesture, in the form of sacks.
The Eagles sacked Wentz three times in Washington’s first two possessions, including sacks on consecutive plays on the second possession.
Cox and Josh Sweat split the first sack, on 3rd-and-5, that forced a punt. On the next possession, Cox and Javon Hargrave sacked Wentz on the first two plays, forcing a 3rd-and-23. Wentz handed off after that and Washington punted again.
The Eagles got their fourth sack on Washington’s next series as Haason Reddick and Graham split it. On that play, Wentz held the ball for several seconds before the Eagles got him.
The sacks continued throughout the first half.
A better matchup than QBs
The quarterback matchup was not the only intriguing matchup.
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Both teams have a dynamic wide receiver drafted in 2019, just one round apart. A.J. Brown was taken in the second round, No. 51 overall, by the Tennessee Titans. Washington took Terry McLaurin in the third round, 76th overall.
As a quick aside, the Eagles also took a wide receiver in the second round that year, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. But he didn’t work out. Arcega-Whiteside is on Seattle’s practice squad after the Eagles traded him over the summer.
Brown and McLaurin have panned out, and they have been rewarded for it. The Eagles traded for Brown last April and signed him to a four-year contract extension worth as much as $100 million. The Commanders signed McLaurin to a three-year extension worth as much as $68 million.
Through three-plus years, their stats are pretty similar. Brown has 200 catches for 3,219 yards and 24 touchdowns; McLaurin has 228 catches for 3,223 yards and 17 TDs. Brown has gotten off to the better start this season with 15 catches for 224 yards while McLaurin has 6 catches for 133 yards.
Still, the Eagles are well aware of McLaurin. He was singled out by Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie at the owners’ meetings in March when he mentioned how the Eagles were deciding between Arcega-Whiteside and Parris Campbell, who also didn’t pan out, with their second-round pick.
Lurie did not mention Seattle’s DK Metcalf, however, when he said, “Kudos to Washington, they got the player who’s had a great career in Terry McLaurin.”
McLaurin has feasted on the Eagles, too, with 31 catches for 468 yards and 3 TDs in 6 games. He had 125 yards receiving against the Eagles in his very first NFL game, and 130 later that rookie season.
But McLaurin hasn’t done nearly as well in the two years since. That coincides with cornerback Darius Slay’s arrival. Slay has not allowed McLaurin more than 61 yards receiving in the four games they have played against each other.
For Slay, McLaurin will be his second straight marquee matchup after facing the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson last Monday night. Slay held Jefferson, who set an NFL record with 3,016 receiving yards in his first two seasons, to just 48 yards on 6 receptions.
Slay had 2 interceptions and 5 passes defensed. It was the first time an Eagles cornerback accomplished that feat since Lito Sheppard in 2006.
It’s safe to say that Slay’s strategy against McLaurin will be similar to what he did against Jefferson.
“I know he’s an explosive guy, one of the best in the game,” Slay said about Jefferson. “So my object was, ‘Hey, Slay, you’re one of the best, too. Eliminate all the explosive plays, make him earn every play.’
“That’s what I did.”
Slay will need help against Washington from fellow corners James Bradberry and Avonte Maddox. That’s because the Commanders have two other receivers off to fast starts in Curtis Samuel (133 yards receiving) and rookie Jahan Dotson (98 yards) from Penn State. Plus, Logan Thomas is a reliable tight end.
As for Brown, he’ll be a tough task for either cornerback William Jackson or Kendall Fuller. And as Hurts showed against the Vikings, if the opponent focuses on stopping Brown, he can turn to DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins and tight end Dallas Goedert.
That’s why I’m predicting a 31-16 Eagles’ victory. The Eagles just have too many weapons.
Eagles, Commanders inactives
The Eagles announced their inactives before the game Sunday, and it consists of bottom-of-the-roster players in QB Ian Book, S Reed Blankenship, RB Trey Sermon, DE Janarius Robinson and G Josh Sills.
TE Grant Calcaterra is on the game-day roster for the first time. And G Landon Dickerson, who was listed as questionable with a foot injury, is also on the game-day roster, and thus expected to start.
For the Commanders, starting CB William Jackson was ruled inactive for the game. He plays opposite Kendall Fuller. Rookie Christian Holmes is listed as Jackson’s backup. Expect the Eagles to test him right away.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
