If the Eagles are the Real Deal, They'll Handle an Ahead-of-Schedule Commies Team with One Decent Win
Eagles vs. Commies on Thursday night football. 7-2 vs. 7-3 with first place in the NFC East on the line:
Both Eagles and #Commanders fans should probably avoid the “who have you beat” topic
Eagles have beaten teams that are combined 22-45 w/1 win over a team with a winning record (Week 1)
Washington has beaten teams that are combined 23-45 w/1 win over a team with a winning record
— Mark Phillips (@GoingCommander) November 11, 2024
Ok, fair enough. Everyone knows the Eagles’ five-game winning streak includes a bunch of dreck. The only 2024 win against a team above .500 is the Green Bay Packers, which was way back in September down in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The six other wins are against the Bengals, Saints, Giants, Dak-less Cowboys, Browns, and Jag-wires. The best team of that group is Cincinnati, playing a tougher schedule in a tougher division.
But you look at the Commanders’ schedule and see what? A win against the 6-4 Cardinals? That’s their only victory over a team with a winning record. Their other wins are against the Giants twice, Bears, Panthers, Bengals, and Browns. And when you look at it more closely, they needed a Hail Mary to beat Chicago at home, won their two games against New York by a total of eight points, and got past the Bengals by single-digits in Cincy. If you look at the common opponents, the Eagles did better against the Bengals and Giants while the Commanders did better against the Browns.
Both teams could use a statement win, one of those marquee type of victories. Is it wrong to think that someone is getting fraud checked here? If the Commanders lose, they’re 7-4 with that Cardinals win. And if the Eagles lose, you know what people are gonna say. They’re gonna say the winning streak was meaningless because the Birds beat up on a bunch of nobodies. “No one likes us, but we always care,” so Thursday night is really a prime opportunity for the Eagles to take the narrative away from fans and media and write their own story. Few will criticize if you move to 8-2 and claim control of the division, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t do it. They’re playing at home and the offense is clicking. The defense is locked in. The Commanders have given up 50 points in their last two games, and it hasn’t exactly been lights out for a unit allowing the 5th-most rushing yards per game, stabilized by an above-average passing defense. They’re ahead of schedule, one of those plucky teams with a young QB overachieving this year and exceeding expectations. All of those teams fall back to Earth at some point, and Thursday night is a good starting point. If the Eagles are the real deal, they’ll go out and handle this team in 72 hours.