Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia Eagles Matchup Preview (12/21/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia Eagles Matchup Preview (12/21/21)

Entering Week 15 of the 2021 NFL regular season, the Washington Football Team and the Philadelphia Eagles are tied for second place in the NFC East division. The matchup will take place on Sunday, December 19th at noon at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to decide who will be the runner-up in the NFC East. Both teams have a 6-7 record walking into their first matchup of the season. Both teams are only playing division rivals for the rest of the season, so a win this week could set them apart from each other. The Eagles have not had great success at home with a 1-4 record, while Washington maintains a 3-3 on the road record. The two teams will need to play their best game to push their way into a single team second place.

Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia Eagles Betting Odds

This first matchup between the Washington Football Team and the Philadelphia Eagles is projected to be a close one. Both teams are ranked midtier in their offensive standing, but Washington has a slightly higher performance rating. However, the Eagles have a more successful defense. The strength of both offenses and defenses will be offset by one another, potentially leading to a close game. ESPN’s matchup predictor believes the Philadelphia Eagles will come out with the win with 62.5% confidence. DraftKings also favors the Eagles with a -4.5 spread and -220 moneyline. They give the Washington Football Team a spread of +4.5 and a moneyline of +180. The over/under has been placed at 44.5 points. The Washington Football Team is 5-8 against the spread and 1-3 against the spread in their last four road games. They have a pattern of being significantly under when on the road. The Philadelphia Eagles are 7-6 against the spread, with 7/9 of their last games having the under hit. The evidence given suggests the under bet is the best way to go. However, I hesitate to feel overly confident in the wager due to the fact both teams will have to have high intensity throughout the game to challenge each other over the win. This game has a great opportunity to be an exciting matchup with big plays and may come down to the wire.

My Prediction: Eagles Win 23-21

TV Schedule

Date: 12/21/21
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Location: Lincoln Financial Field – Philadelphia, PA
TV Coverage: FOX

Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia Eagles Live Stream

Where can you watch Washington vs. Eagles online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Washington vs. Eagles Free Online Now.

Washington Football Team Analysis

The Washington Football Team exited Week 14 with a loss from NFC East front runner, the Dallas Cowboys. They took a loss of 27-20, which was much closer than expected. Sadly, their starting quarterback, Taylor Heinicke, injured his knee while being sacked near the beginning of the 4th quarter. Fortunately, Heinicke had his MRI on Monday and is expected to make a return on Sunday’s matchup. Heinicke has thrown for 2,931 yards and 19 touchdowns so far this season. He averages 225.5 yards per game and has led his team to shocking upsets throughout the year. I would be a bit wary of Heinicke’s flexibility in play due to potential soreness in his knee and may have some trouble escaping the pocket if the Eagles defensive line can breakthrough. Thankfully, the Eagles are in the bottom five defenses in the league with sacks, so Heinicke may feel more comfortable taking his time to make throws downfield. 

The team’s top wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, is questionable going into this weekend. McLaurin was diagnosed with a concussion last Sunday against the Cowboys and has not cleared protocol yet. There is speculation for McLaurin’s return, but his health and safety are the priority. If McLaurin remains out for the matchup, Washington will be missing a crucial part of their offense. Terry makes up 41% of all air targets on the team and 25% of targets overall. Heinicke trusts the ball in the air when it’s heading in McLaurin’s direction, even against top defenses. If he is unwell to return, DeAndre Carter, Adam Humphries, and Curtis Samuel will be looked to as the new main targets. 

Antonio Gibson leads the team in rushing yards and may be looked to for additional targets if McLaurin remains absent. Gibson has 836 rushing yards this season, along with five touchdowns. He averages 64.3 yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry, proving him to be an aggressive threat to many defenses. The Eagles have a top 15 rush defense, so Gibson may run into some issues finding holes in the line. The Washington offense will have to have calculated blocks to ensure Gibson has the space he needs to gain the necessary yardage.

Washington Football Team Depth Chart

QB: Taylor Heinicke
RB1: Antonio Gibson
RB2: JD McKissic
WR1: Terry McLaurin
WR2: Curtis Samuel
TE1: Ricky Seals-Jones

Philadelphia Eagles Analysis

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off an explosive win against the New York Jets. They took home their sixth victory with a score of 33-14. They were able to pull off their win without their starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Hurts suffered from an ankle injury in Week 13 against the New York Giants. The injury only left him on the sideline for one game, and he is expected to return for Sunday’s matchup. It is said the young quarterback is still experiencing some soreness, but hopefully, he can perform his best against the NFC East rivals. Hurts has thrown for 2,435 yards and 13 touchdown passes this season. He averages 202 yards per game and has thrown eight interceptions, three of which came from his last performance against the Giants. Hopefully, the time to rest has given Hurts an opportunity to grow, learn, and relax to improve his performance entering this weekend. 

In the fourth quarter against the New York Jets, Miles Sanders had reinjured his ankle and finds himself placed on the questionable list once again. He initially sustained the ankle injury in Week 8 against the Raiders and was placed on the injured reserve list. After his return, Sanders seemed unstoppable. Before he was removed from the Jets game, he had already racked up 120 rushing yards. This added his season total to 578 yards and his average to 57.8 rushing yards per game. Even if Sanders returns healthily, he will have to push hard for yardage he can usually rack up easily. Washington has a top 5 rush defense that could destroy Sanders’ momentum and leave him stuck in the backfield. He will have to be creative and powerful in his movements to make an impression.

The 2021 Heisman Winner Devonta Smith has made a huge impact on the Philadelphia team in his rookie year. He leads the team in receiving yards with 701 yards on the season. Smith has struggled in his past two games with only reaching 22 yards. This could be attributed to the absence of his QB1, Hurts, and connections could have been missed with the backup Gardner Minshew. Washington has a very poor pass defense, giving Smith ample opportunity to shine this weekend. His speed gives him a significant advantage against defenses, and if he can create space, he can take the ball downfield.

Philadelphia Eagles Depth Chart

QB: Jalen Hurts
RB1: Miles Sanders
RB2: Boston Scott
WR1: DeVonta Smith
WR2: Quez Watkins
WR3: Jalen Reagor
TE1: Dallas Goedert
TE2: Jack Stoll

Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia Eagles Daily Fantasy Picks

This matchup may be shaky in terms of their quarterbacks. Both are recovering from injuries and may not be able to have their best performances. Washington especially might struggle with their pass game if Terry McLaurin remains absent from the lineup. This makes me wary of starting Taylor Heinicke and may result in the team handing the ball off to Antonio Gibson instead of taking the ball to the air. Gibson averages 13.4 fantasy points per game, making him a safe bet for any fantasy team. 

With Jalen Hurts’ return, I suspect Devonta Smith will return to his expected performance. The rookie only averages 11.1 fantasy points per week but has continued to show improvement as he gains confidence in the league. The Eagles will be thirsty for this win after taking a loss to the Giants, and Devonta can give them that edge to secure a victory.