• WR A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles — over 80.5 receiving yards: Since returning from injury in Week 6, the Eagles receiver has snagged 14 receptions of 15-plus yards on his way to a position-leading 90.5 PFF receiving grade.
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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
Washington Commanders @ Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5) [Total: 48.5]
Game Overview
Week 11 kicks off with an NFC East divisional matchup between the Commanders and Eagles.
Philadelphia plays host to a Commanders team coming off a heart-breaking loss to the AFC North-leading Steelers, in a game that slipped through their fingers in the waning moments after interior defender Johnny Newton jumped offsides on a crucial fourth-and-1. That loss also marks the first time since Week 1 that Washington hasn’t covered or pushed the spread.
Offensive production has slowed down a touch for the Commanders in recent weeks compared to the insane efficiency they exhibited in the first half of the season. Over the past three games, the offense has generated a touchdown on 21.9% of their drives — below the league average and a sizable drop from its second-ranked 34.4% rate through the first seven weeks.
That may pose a problem against an Eagles defense that has climbed to the upper echelon of the NFL. Through September, Philadelphia maintained the 20th-ranked unit in overall team defense grade, but the unit has risen to PFF’s highest-graded defense in the NFL (86.1) through 10 weeks.
The Eagles' defense is strong at all levels, possessing a top-eight-graded player at each. Slot cornerback Cooper DeJean stands atop the position with an 85.9 PFF coverage grade. Along the front-seven, linebacker Zack Baun owns the third-highest overall grade (86.4) at the position. And second-year interior defender Jalen Carter holds the second-highest pass-rushing grade (87.7) among interior players.
Interestingly, Philadelphia has yet to cover at home this year (0-3) and holds just a 3-4 record against the spread as the favorite.
After a matchup with a tough Pittsburgh defense last week — one they nearly took down — Jayden Daniels and company will have an opportunity to right those wrongs and prove they can compete against playoff-level defenses on their turf.
WR A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles: Over 80.5 Receiving yards (-110)
Coverage issues prompted Washington to trade for cornerback Marshon Lattimore at the deadline, but the team has yet to see the talented cornerback on the field as he nurses a hamstring injury. The Commanders remain outmatched and under-manned in the secondary without Lattimore in the fold.
While the headlines surrounding the late offsides dominated the news cycle after last week’s loss, it went semi-overlooked that cornerback Benjamin St-Juste surrendered what would be a game-winning 32-yard touchdown to the Steelers' Mike Williams on third-and-9 with less than 2:30 left. A stop there would have potentially sealed the win for Washington.
St-Juste has endured his share of struggles in coverage this year, maintaining just a 49.4 PFF coverage grade to rank 98th out of 108 qualifying cornerbacks. That’s largely due to having surrendered 15 receptions of 15-plus yards, the most in the NFL.
And now he has to contend with guarding one of the most physical deep-ball receivers in the league in A.J. Brown. Since returning from injury in Week 6, the Eagles receiver has snagged 14 receptions of 15-plus yards on his way to a position-leading 90.5 PFF receiving grade.
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