The Philadelphia Eagles, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, meet the Washington Commanders, led by quarterback Jayden Daniels in Week 16 of the NFL season on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 (12/22/24) at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.
How to watch: Fans can watch the game for free via a trial of DirecTV Stream or fuboTV. You can also watch via a subscription to Sling TV, which is offering half off your first month.
— DirecTV Stream is offering $30 off on Entertainment with Sports Pack featuring NFL RedZone, Big Ten Network and more.
— fuboTV plans start at $79.99 per month.
— Sling TV is offering plans for as low as $20 for your first month
Here’s what you need to know:
What: NFL Week 16
Who: Eagles vs. Commanders
When: Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024 (12/22/24)
Where: Northwest Stadium
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Live stream: fuboTV (free trial) DirecTVStream (free trial), Sling TV
***
Here’s a preview capsule via the Associated Press:
Philadelphia (12-2) at Washington (9-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m., EST, Fox
BetMGM NFL odds: Eagles by 3 1/2
Against the spread: Eagles 9-5; Commanders 8-6
Series record: Washington leads 89-85-5.
Last meeting: Eagles beat Commanders 26-18 on Nov. 14.
Last week: Eagles beat Steelers 27-13; Commanders beat Saints 20-19.
Eagles offense: overall (6), rush (1), pass (28), scoring (T-9)
Eagles defense: overall (1), rush (7), pass (1), scoring (T-1)
Commanders offense: overall (5), rush (3), pass (16), scoring (6)
Commanders defense: overall (11), rush (25), pass (4), scoring (16)
Turnover differential: Eagles plus-3; Commanders plus-5
Eagles player to watch
WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith made a combined 19 catches for 219 yards and two touchdowns against Pittsburgh after plenty of off-field drama about who QB Jalen Hurts was throwing the ball to and how often. One will be defended by four-time Pro Bowl CB Marshon Lattimore, who was targeted zero times in coverage on 31 passing attempts in his Commanders debut at New Orleans. The other will face Benjamin St-Juste or rookie Mike Sainristil, which is no easy task, either.
Commanders player to watch
QB Jayden Daniels has completed nearly 82% of his passes over the past two games, up from 61% in his previous five coming back from a rib injury. The rookie was also sacked eight times by the Saints, and he took some responsibility for that. Daniels is a threat to run, too, and was Washington’s leading rusher against the Saints with 66 yards on 11 carries.
Key matchup
Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. vs. Eagles rushing defense. Philadelphia limited Pittsburgh’s Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren to a total of 26 yards on 10 carries, and Robinson is coming off averaging just 3.1 yards a carry at New Orleans. Robinson getting going opens up the offense for Daniels to mix and match, and the Eagles can force opponents to be one-dimensional by shutting down the run almost entirely.
Key injuries
Eagles: RB Saquon Barkley shook off a hit to his right knee and a hard landing on his right shoulder against Pittsburgh. … DE Bryce Huff is eligible to come off injured reserve after missing the past four games following surgery on his left wrist. … S Sydney Brown was concussed against the Steelers.
Commanders: TE Zach Ertz and S Jeremy Chinn are progressing through concussion protocol after each left the Saints game. … C Tyler Biadasz is expected to play after being a late scratch last week because of illness.
Series notes
Philadelphia is already playoff-bound and can clinch the NFC East title and one of the conference’s top two seeds with a victory. The Eagles are on a franchise-record 10-game winning streak and last lost Sept. 29 at Tampa Bay. … Washington can clinch a playoff spot with a win, an Atlanta loss or tie and either a loss or tie by Seattle or the Los Angeles Rams. The Commanders can also get in with a tie and several other results around the NFL going their way. … The Eagles have won their past three games at Washington.
Stats and stuff
Hurts with 14 rushing touchdowns are one away from tying the record for the most by a QB in a season. He and Buffalo’s Josh Allen each had 15 last season. Hurts said he is playing with broken finger on his left, nonthrowing hand. … Barkley leads the league with 1,688 yards rushing and 1,964 from scrimmage. He had 146 yards on the ground and 52 receiving against the Commanders last month. … Brown and Washington WR Terry McLaurin are the only two players with five-plus games of 100 or more yards receiving this season. … Smith’s 11 catches against Pittsburgh are a career high. … The Eagles have allowed no more than 20 points on defense in 10 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the league. … LB Zack Baun ranks third among all players with a career-high 133 tackles. … LB Josh Sweat leads the team with eight sacks. … S Reed Blankenship had 10 tackles and intercepted Daniels in Week 11. … Daniels is the fourth rookie with 3,000-plus yards passing and 500-plus rushing. With 44 more rushing, he would join Robert Griffin III and Cam Newton as the only rookies with 700 yards. … McLaurin led the Commanders with 73 yards and had two TD receptions at New Orleans. He’s 31 yards receiving away from reaching 1,000 for a fifth consecutive season. … LB Bobby Wagner has eclipsed 100 tackles in each of his 13 professional seasons. He is one of just four players to have five or more in all 14 games this season. … LB Frankie Luvu had 10 tackles and sacked Hurts twice in the teams’ game last month. … Sainristil had his second career interception last week. He’s tied for the most passes defensed by a rookie with 11.
Fantasy tip
Robinson should not only get plenty of carries, but more specifically more chances near the goal line after being kept out of the end zone by the Saints. Coach Dan Quinn wants to be more efficient running the ball in the red zone, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has not hesitated to keep his unit as balanced as possible all season.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report)
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
