Eliminated Commanders look to play spoiler, prove themselves against Eagles

The last time the Washington Commanders played the Philadelphia Eagles, the two division rivals vied for a Super Bowl appearance in the NFC championship game. The stakes will be lower when they meet on Saturday — the Commanders are playing for pride.

Washington (4-10) was eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago amid a disastrous campaign. Coach Dan Quinn has already shut down quarterback Jayden Daniels for the remainder of the season after he left his last three starts with injuries. The Commanders snapped an eight-game losing skid last week with a 29-21 win over the lowly New York Giants.

But these Commanders aren’t ready to roll over and allow the 9-5 Eagles to clinch back-to-back NFC East titles.

“When you have a chance to win football games, that’s what we do at the end of the day,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. “We put all this work in and have all these meetings and practices to win the game. So, we’re going to go out there and compete our butts off.”

A scheduling quirk this season means that the Commanders will wrap up their disappointing campaign with four consecutive games against divisional opponents. The stretch began against the Giants and continues Saturday against the Eagles before a Christmas matchup with the Dallas Cowboys and the season finale in Philadelphia.

Quinn has described the stretch as a “tournament.”

The postseason may be out of reach, but ending the season with four straight victories and a 5-1 divisional record would provide plenty of reason for pride. In that vein, the players haven’t checked out quite yet.

“They play for one another; it’s not for one person. That’s an important thing to remember. Like when we’re talking about an entire team sport and there’s so many things for us to play for and play really hard,” Quinn said. “We’re right here in the division and we play, you know, these 17 [games] are all we’re guaranteed.”

A win on Saturday would guarantee Philadelphia at least one postseason game. They’ll clinch a playoff berth with a win or a Dallas loss in any of the final three games.

But the defending Super Bowl champions have looked far from dominant this year. Their offensive attack, which was powered by star receiver A.J. Brown and running back Saquon Barkley, has cooled off. Philadelphia is averaging 18.7 points per game over the last six weeks, relying on a stout defense to remain competitive.

“They can roll in five, six guys deep that all play at a really high level and can rush the pass or can stop the run,” Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said. “So, you got to be creative in how you attack them. We’ll have our hands full, no doubt.”

It’s a challenge that several Commanders said they’re eager to take on. Washington’s depth chart was ravaged by injuries this season, preventing the team from reaching the potential it held at the start of the season.

The final stretch gives the remaining players a chance to prove themselves.

“We have plenty to play for,” said McLaurin, who missed seven games with a quad injury. “You want to finish strong, even though we’re not making the playoffs. You want to finish the season with a sense of pride, like, we didn’t lay down, even though the season didn’t go the way we wanted it to.”

McLaurin has already established himself as a star in this league. The final three games become even more interesting for the Commanders, who are trying to earn their spots in the franchise’s future.

Tight end Ben Sinnott and linebacker Jordan Magee, a pair of 2024 draftees, are expected to see increased playing time in the final stretch.

Tackle Brandon Coleman, a 2024 third-round pick, will start Saturday in place of the injured Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil. Coleman lost his starting role on the offensive line to guard Chris Paul early in the season.

“He said, ’OK, I’m going to go to work and get to it,’” Quinn said of Coleman. “So, it’s not always smooth, but I thought that showed a lot about his resilience to say, ’OK, yeah, these are not the circumstances that I want, but I’m going to go battle for it.’”