Washington Football Team vs Philadelphia Eagles Predictions, Odds & Picks

• Washington must win here to remain in charge of the NFC East and make the playoffs
• The Eagles’ Week 16 loss to the Cowboys officially eliminated them from the postseason
• These two last met in Week 1 when Washington beat Philadelphia, final score 27-17

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Washington vs Eagles Predictions and Picks

QB Jalen Hurts should step up in this critical matchup and take care of Washington, still shaky under center, which will open the way for either the Cowboys or the Giants to win the NFC East.

Our Pick – Eagles +2 (-113)

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How to Watch Washington vs Eagles

The Washington Football Team has a QB problem – veteran Alex Smith is suffering from a calf injury and rookie Dwayne Haskins is no longer on the team – and Washington finds itself in a must-win situation if they would like to remain in charge of the NFC East and make the playoffs, but they seem incapable of getting that done right now, especially if WR Terry McLaurin (ankle) also remains doubtful.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ loss last week to the Dallas Cowboys officially eliminated them from the playoffs, but they can still impact the postseason because if they beat Washington here, they give either the Cowboys or the Giants a chance to win the pitiful NFC East as HC Doug Pederson and QB Carson Wentz’s most likely end their Philadelphia run.

These two NFC East rivals have played each other 171 prior times (including 1 postseason game), with the Philadelphia Eagles winning 79 of those games and the Washington Football Team winning 87 of the games, plus they have tied 5 times.

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Can Washington QB Alex Smith Play Despite His Injury?

The media has reported that Washington QB Alex Smith was able to get some practice in on Thursday despite still suffering a bit from the calf injury that has bothered him for several weeks now.

Smith is 4-1 as the starter, but him being gone for two weeks has led to the team losing its last two outings, when a win would in either matchup would have guaranteed them the division and a spot in the playoffs.

But now the team has released rookie QB Dwayne Haskins for various reasons (immaturity, money, and ineffectiveness for starters) and they are counting on Smith to get the job done in Week 17, and he is now available assuming his injured leg can endure it (otherwise the job will go to the recently signed Taylor Heinicke).

Can the Eagles Spoil Washington’s Postseason Hopes?

That is the question – can Philadelphia beat Washington in 2020?

And the answer was already given once in Week 1 and it was a big NO, with the Eagles losing by ten points in that one after being completely shut out in the second half of the game.

The Eagles bring an offense ranked 22nd and a defense ranked 21st and they have ten key players who are listed as questionable for Week 17, so it will take a huge game to steal a victory here, something that rookie QB Jalen Hurts (below) is capable of making happen.

Washington Key Player: (WR) Terry McLaurin

One of the keys to Washington’s passing attack is 2nd-year wide receiver Terry McLaurin, a 6’ 0” 210 pound former Ohio State speedster who is quickly making a reputation for himself as a legitimate NFL receiver.

This season, McLaurin has already caught 80 balls for 1,078 yards and 3 touchdowns, production that ranks him 12th at his position during the 2020 season, and an improvement over his rookie numbers, which were already impressive.

The problem – McLaurin has suffered a high ankle sprain and does not look likely to play on Sunday night, but he remains questionable and therefore a game-time decision, but without him, Washington’s Week 17 job just got tougher.

Eagles Key Player: (QB) Jalen Hurts

With rookie QB Jalen Hurts starting under center, the Eagles are 1-2 and look capable of winning games, though his obvious inexperience showed up in Week 16 when Hurts tossed two interceptions in the team’s critical loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Eagles are eliminated, so the pressure is officially off Hurts, and now he can play the type of game that got him drafted 53rd overall last season, which is being a constant threat to run while being able to get the ball to his playmakers like DeSean Jackson (ankle, questionable) and Alshon Jefferey.

This is a banged-up Eagles squad, but a win in the last week to eliminate Washington’s playoff hopes could be enough to motivate those still healthy enough to play to find a Week 17 victory amidst all that doubt coming their way.