Niners Nation
This has the makings of a fun TNF game.
Thursday Night Football games have a reputation for not being particularly great. The NFL has tried in recent years to rectify that with the addition of flex scheduling, but the short rest usually results in both teams looking sluggish more often than not. No one will be sluggish in this game: the Washington Comanders are traveling to face the Philadelphia Eagles, and the winner takes first place in the NFC East. Both teams are tied with seven wins and undefeated in the division. That all changes tonight. Well, unless there’s a tie. There’s also the issue of keeping pace with the NFC at large for playoff seeding purposes. The Detroit Lions lead the conference at eight wins.
The Eagles have looked much better in 2024 than they did in 2023. In 2023, they didn’t look bad until the San Francisco 49ers dominated them. After that, the Eagles were a shell of themselves, getting bounced in the first round of the playoffs. They just came off a massive 34-6 thumping of the Dallas Cowboys and looked much more like the Eagles you’d expect. It also helps they don’t play the 49ers in the regular season.
The Commanders have been a sleeper thanks to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. He continues to impress. And a lot of this is due to help with tight end Zach Ertz, AKA that other storyline. Ertz made a name for himself on the Eagles, and now he’s in a division rival. The one thing Washington hasn’t been so hot at is run defense. It's something Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will probably be happy to take advantage of.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the Eagles favored by 3.5 points. Despite Washington’s run defense issues, I’m swinging toward taking the Commanders and the points. I think the Eagles manage to win this, but rather close under that point threshold. The over-under is set at 49.5, and that under seems mighty juicy. I think the Eagles will stick to the ground in this one, as it is a Commanders’ weakness. Something says that strategy could lead to fewer points scored when it’s all over with. A 24-21 score seems logical in this game, especially with it being Thursday night.
This should be a fun game with everything at stake for both teams. The Eagles, Commanders, and the Minnesota Vikings each have seven wins apiece and sit behind first-place Detroit. If anyone is entertaining the pipe dream of 49ers playoff seeding, tonight means a loss for one of those teams. So we at least have that.
