Washington gets second chance to win NFC East at Philadelphia
The last time Washington faced Philadelphia, the quarterbacks were Dwayne Haskins and Carson Wentz, and the Eagles were the team with playoff expectations.
“It feels like five years ago,” Washington offensive coordinator Scott Turner said.
Week 1 was 3 1/2 months ago, but everything has changed for the longtime division rivals going into the regular-season final. Haskins has been released; Wentz was benched for Jalen Hurts; Philadelphia is eliminated from playoff contention; and Washington stands on the verge of winning the NFC East — if it can beat the Eagles on the road Sunday night.
“We understand the situation,” running back J.D. McKissic said. “You can just tell guys are laser focused out there (at practice). There’s not much talking and when there is, it’s about football. Guys are just ready to play.”
Who plays at quarterback is still unclear between 36-yearold starter Alex Smith and December practice squad pickup Taylor Heinicke, who was taking online college classes when he got the call. Top receiver Terry McLaurin is also questionable with an ankle injury that kept him out of Washington’s first chance to clinch the division, a 20-13 home loss to Carolina last week.
The challenge remains the same, only against an opponent motivated to play spoiler.
“We’ve got to have a no-hat rule this week,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. “We can’t let opponents put division win hats on at the Linc.”
Washington coach Ron Rivera has envisioned putting on NFC East champions garb since October when he benched Haskins — whom he has since released — to hand the No. 1 QB job to Kyle Allen. After Allen got hurt, the job fell to Smith, who hadn’t started an NFL game since 2018 when he broke his right leg.
Smith is 4-1 since taking over, and if he can play after
missing the past two games with a strained calf in that leg that has a titanium rod in it, it’s a huge advantage for Washington.
“We all depend on each other,” Smith said. “Obviously, the quarterback touching the ball every play carries a lot of responsibility. A lot of people depend on you to go out there and make good decisions and be accurate with the football. That’s not something that I take lightly at all. For me, it’s a great responsibility and a great challenge.”
Washington at 7-9 would be the third division champion with a losing record since realignment in 2002. The same goes for the 7-9 Dallas Cowboys or 6-10 New York Giants, who play Sunday afternoon, with the winner only capturing the NFC East if the Eagles ruin Washington’s night.