Commanders and Eagles head into 'Sunday Night Football' with season-defining matchup on deck

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles are each facing a potentially season-defining game on Sunday night.

The loser of the game will be in last place, with the trade deadline coming up on Nov. 10, and see any chances of competing this season dwindle. The winner will stay in the mix, at least for now, in a weak NFC East.

“There is no secret,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said about turning things around. “It’s going to be about how we get up and how we work. There’s no shortcut to this thing and about finding out what you do well and figuring out who you are and really doubling down on all the things that you believe are to be true. That’d be our ‘tough, detailed and together.’

"There’s plenty of teams in the history of football that you can always go back to and say, ‘Hey, this team started this record and then they turned it on,’ or, ‘This team started with this record, they turned it on and then it equaled really good success for them for the next couple years.’”

The Eagles (2-5) have lost five games in a row and will be without quarterback Jalen Hurts likely for the remainder of the season because of blood clots. Another loss and they'll be four games below .500 with the division-leading Giants coming to Philadelphia next week.

The Commanders (1-4-1), on the other hand, are fresh off a bye week. With close losses to the 49ers and Eagles, and a tie against the Giants, there's confidence that a turnaround isn't as far away as their record makes it seem.

That'll have to begin on Sunday night.

“It’s two angry teams willing to fight to the last snap and significant matchups, all three phases,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said. "For us, what I’m really digging in and pushing on, man — I’m looking for winning football for all four quarters. And we know the plan, what needs to be done. We can’t wait to get rocking.”

Need to know

Philadelphia (2-5) at Washington (1-4-1)

When/where to watch: Sunday 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC.

Latest odds: Commanders by 6.

Against the spread: Eagles 1-6; Commanders 3-3.

Last week: Commanders on bye week, before that lost 23-17 to the 49ers; Eagles lost to the Cowboys 38-21.

Last meeting: Eagles beat the Commanders 24-22 on Sept. 13, 2026, at Philadelphia.

Series record: Commanders lead 91-88-5.

Matchup to watch

Commanders' rushing offense vs. Eagles run defense: While the Eagles rank just 21st in the NFL in rushing defense, Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis still patrol the line of scrimmage. Without Terry McLaurin and leading rusher Jacory Croskey-Merritt, the Commanders will have to establish something on the ground to rely upon for Sunday and for the remainder of the season.

Stats and stuff

— The Eagles last swept the Commanders in their season series in 2023, with wins of 34-31 and 38-31.

— Of the 14 matchups this decade, including the NFC championship game in January 2025, the Eagles are 9-5 against the Commanders.

— The Eagles are tied for 30th in the league with three takeaways. The Commanders are also No. 1 in the league with two giveaways.

— Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee has completed 61.3% of his passes through two starts since replacing Hurts. He has thrown for 426 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

— Eagles kicker Jake Elliott has yet to miss so far through seven games. He has made all five of his field-goal attempts, and is 16-of-16 on extra points.

— The Commanders went 0-5 last season in games that kicked off after 8 p.m. Eastern. Their most recent primetime regular-season victory was a 30-24 win over the Falcons on Dec. 29, 2024.

— Despite having missed 2 1/2 games with an elbow injury, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels is fourth amongst quarterbacks in rushing yards (213). Through 25 attempts, Daniels currently leads the league in rushing yards-per-carry at 8.5.

— Rookie Antonio Williams, who will likely have a bigger role without McLaurin, had his best game against the Eagles in Week 1. He had four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.

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