Philadelphia Eagles

Rivalry Review and Preview: Eagles - Redskins

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The anticipation for the first divisional game of the season is always the highest.

Last week, on this very website, a certain contributor (who shall remain nameless) predicted that returning to Detroit would be a happy homecoming for Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Needless to say, that prediction didn’t exactly come to fruition. Hey, nobody’s perfect. One can blame the loss on a lot of things: the defense, the fumble, the officiating. The fact of the matter is the game is over, and it’s time to look ahead.

This weekend begins what should be a very telling stretch of games. None of them are a sure thing by any means. It begins with a trip to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Redskins. This is also the first divisional game for the Eagles (the only team in the NFC East yet to play one). Surely, fans will be extra riled up going into this one, so having said that, we thought it would be fun to take a look at the rivalry, and how we got here.

The Eagles and the Redskins have been playing each other every year since 1934. The Redskins currently hold the all time series lead at 84-74-6. They also lay claim to victory in the only playoff game in which these two teams met. That took place in 1990 and ended up being Buddy Ryan’s last game as head coach of the Eagles.

While the rivalry may not be the most heated in the division, that isn’t to say it hasn’t had its fair share of interesting games and quirky factoids.

It’s generally frowned upon to trade within the division, especially when quarterbacks are involved. But two of the most famous trades between these two division rivals did just that. After the 2009 season, the Eagles sent the all time passing leader in franchise history Donovan McNabb to the Redskins in exchange for three draft picks; two were eventually shipped to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Eagles used the pick they kept on safety Nate Allen. McNabb would eventually be benched, and Washington would go with Rex Grossman making that trade a wash.

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Prior to that in 1964, Washington pulled a fast one that would make any politician proud. The Redskins traded quarterback Norm Snead and cornerback Claude Crabb to the Eagles for quarterback Sonny Jurgensen and cornerback Jimmy Carr. Carr was a starter on the Eagles 1960 championship team and Jurgensen would eventually wind up in the NFL Hall of Fame. If you’ve never heard of Crabb or Snead, don’t worry. You’re not alone. Older Eagles fans typically pretend not to know him. Advantage ‘Skins in that one.

On the field, there have been plenty of memorable games for the fans of both teams. Eagles fans can look at Miracle at RFK in 1989 when linebacker Al Harris recovered a Gerald Riggs fumble. Harris, then, had the ball ripped out by teammate Wes Hopkins who returned said fumble to the Redskins five yard line. That set up the winning touchdown pass from Randall Cunningham to Keith Jackson.

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There was also “The Body Bag Game” in 1990 where the Eagles would injure eight Redskins, resulting in future Eagles kick returner Brian Mitchell entering the game to play quarterback. There’s also the Monday Night Massacre in 2010 where the Eagles just dominated literally every aspect of the game en route to a 59-28 shellacking in front of the entire world.

Redskins fans, however, can find solace in looking at a slew of last minute wins that would break the hearts of Eagles fans everywhere. Some of the most notable were piloted by Jason Campbell, Brad Johnson and most recently, Kirk Cousins. Then there’s the Redskins’ three Super Bowl titles. We won’t dwell on that too much for fear of crippling depression.

The Eagles, fresh off a loss to the Detroit Lions, have been brought back down to earth. This Sunday, they’ll be without their best offensive lineman, Lane Johnson as the NFL finally decided to schedule and deny his appeal. The “Skinship Enterprise” led by “Captain Kirk” are in the midst of a three game winning streak but may be without star tight end Jordan Reed. Divisional games are always tough to call, especially with younger teams. The battle will probably be won and lost up front, and that will be where eyes are as the Eagles need to protect rookie sensation Carson Wentz. Pressure will need to be placed on Cousins if they’re going to beat the red hot Redskins. Excitement will be high as another chapter is added to this storied rivalry.

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