Hogs Haven
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The Commanders wide receiver typically tangles with Philadelphia cornerback Darius Slay, but a matchup with rookie Quinyon Mitchell could be in store Thursday.
If there’s any truism about Washington’s NFL team — amid coaching changes, personnel changes, scheme changes and even name changes — it’s that it always seems to get up for the Philadelphia Eagles.
In the 2020 regular season finale, quarterback Alex Smith, with just one fully functioning leg, guided the Washington Football Team to a division-clinching win at Lincoln Financial Field. Two years later, on “Monday Night Football,” the Commanders handed the host Eagles their first loss after an 8-0 start. And last season, even though the Commanders got swept, they took the Eagles to overtime on the road, then lost by one score at home after Sam Howell set career highs with 397 passing yards and four touchdowns.
“Man, don’t even get me started,” Eagles cornerback Darius Slay said after the teams’ Week 8 meeting last season. “… They for real be having their best games against us every time.”
That includes wide receiver Terry McLaurin, whose semiannual matchups with Slay have been must-see over the past four seasons.
Since entering the NFL in 2019, McLaurin leads all players in catches (164) and receiving yards (2,150) against NFC East opponents. He posted 125 and 130 yards in his first two career games against the Eagles. This year, with rookie Jayden Daniels at quarterback, McLaurin is on pace for a career high in receiving yards, and his six touchdown catches are his most since he had seven as a rookie.
But this year — starting with Thursday night’s matchup in South Philadelphia, where the NFC East lead will be up for grabs — that duel could look different.
The Eagles, with coordinator Vic Fangio now in charge on defense, drafted cornerback Quinyon Mitchell in the first round and plugged him in as a starter. Mitchell primarily has lined up at right cornerback; that would put him opposite McLaurin, who has played more than 93 percent of his snaps at wide receiver on the left side.
Mitchell’s speed — he ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine — and pro-ready skill set made him an intriguing option in the draft, and his quick grasp of Fangio’s scheme helped him win the starting job.
Why the Steelers won: The Steelers defense did a great job of holding Jayden Daniels in check. Daniels was pressured on 29.7% of his dropbacks and completed just 1-of-8 passes under pressure for 28 yards, notching a 64.6 passing grade. What’s more is that the Steelers kept Daniels in the...
