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ALONE atop the NFC East! Feels good to be home, again. Last week we “struggled” to a double-digit win, over a team that was 2-0 and leading their division. This week we get to play host to a Commanders team that has allowed 19 sacks in three games, with a QB who has never played in Philadelphia before. That sound you hear? Those are knives sharpening.

A win here pushes us to 4 – 0, and eliminates the potential tie-breaker that Dallas holds, as the only team currently in the division, that has a division win. It’s early, but it’s good to take care of positioning as soon as you can.

A loss would hold us at 3 wins, and put us behind the Commanders with identical records and them winning the head-to-head. Worse, if Dallas also wins, we’d be behind both teams in third place. So a win here will solve everything.

Who’s Out, As Of – 9/29/23

Washington: OUT – / DNP – RB Chris Rodriguez (Illness)

Philadelphia: OUT – / DNP – S Justin Evans (Neck), S Sydney Brown (Hamstring), WR Devonta Smith (Illness)

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Commanders.

1) Unleash Reddick: In three games we have just 6 sacks. That’s 2 per week. The Commanders have allowed 19 sacks in three games (6.3 per game), so we should feast. That however, is dependent on whether or not we can OLB Haason Reddick going. In three games, he has 1 (as in uno) tackle.

Not being able to get him going against the Commanders, can’t happen. The Eagles have him lining up at DE and taking on RT’s with a taped thumb. We’re getting pressure but just 6 sacks and we’ve cause just 2 interceptions. Get Reddick outside the offensive tackle, and let him hunt.

2) Finish in the Red Zone: Coming away with a Field Goal beats coming away empty handed, but touchdowns are the mission. This Commander defense has allowed 30+ points in back to back games (Broncos, Bills). This is a defense to get healthy against, folks. The red zone will loosen up, when we don’t reference our QB’s legs, on every play.

This week, the red zone seems like an excellent place to rediscover TE Dallas Goedert off of play-action. Or RB D’Andre Swift on a Middle Screen. A little less running from QB Jalen Hurts, would go a long way towards keeping him healthy and us unpredictable.

3) Get ‘Em Down: Part of why we lost to this opponent last year, we our inability to execute basic tackling technique. We just couldn’t get their RB’s on the ground, and they just kept churning out 3 yard run, after 3 yard run, after 3 yard run. It hurt to watch.

This game needs to feature solid tackling, and none of that stuff.

4) Make Penny Make Sense: If RB Rashaad Penny is on the active list for this game, feed him 5 or more carries in the second half. The Commanders have a really good defensive line. Especially the interior, which they built the right way (from the inside out). The thing is, they’re big guys who go all out, playing a lot of downs.

After a half of chasing Swift, and RB Kenneth Gainwell, then cooling off during half-time, give the Commanders interior a banger to contend with. Kind of like working the body, to tire out the legs. So soften up that interior, so that Hurts has a pocket to stand in, when he needs to.

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If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…

The Commanders aren’t our real opponent this week. The Eagles are. How much rust have we not worked off? How lightly are we taking this opponent? Those are the things we have to worry about. If we have good answers to those questions, then this week is in the bag.

Yes, yes. Any given Sunday and blah blah blah. Look, this is a division game, at home, and we’re the better team, top to bottom. Unless something goes horribly wrong, this is a “W”. False modesty is as dishonest as bragging about something you don’t have. I will not draw a false equivalence between these two teams/organizations.

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WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.