The Philadelphia Eagles will visit the Washington Commanders for an underwhelming primetime matchup in Week 8. After the Eagles escaped with a two-point victory over the Commanders in Week 1, both teams have managed to win just one game each since then. Here’s my full game preview for Sunday night’s showdown between the Eagles and the Commanders.
Three Storylines To Follow
Sean Mannion’s Second Chance
Eagles first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion has struggled to find his footing in Philadelphia. The offense has been overwhelmed by injuries in 2026 but Mannion’s unit showed promise last week. Now Mannion will have his first opportunity to prepare for the same team for a second time in a single season. While the Eagles won against the Commanders in Week 1, it was an inconsistent performance from an offense that was mostly rescued by Jalen Hurts — who obviously won’t be playing this time around.
Mannion was asked about his first opportunity to game plan for the same team a second time earlier this week. “I think when you have the opportunity to have your own game tape against them, that’s always really valuable,” Mannion said. “You have a sense, for me as the play caller, of how I called the game, how it felt in the moment, how Daronte was calling the game against us. You have those experiences for yourself as opposed to through the tape.” We’ll see if Mannion can capitalize on his second chance against the Commanders with a drastically different looking offense.
Defense Must Bounce Back
Heading into the regular season, Philadelphia’s defense was supposed to be a top-five unit in the NFL, at the very least. Yet fast forward to Week 8 and the defense has been mediocre, at best. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has done several uncharacteristic things, as he continues to try and search for answers in an unexpectedly down season. Yet with Washington’s inconsistent offense up next, Philadelphia’s defense must bounce back on the road.
Unlike the offense, Philadelphia’s defense has mostly been healthy this season. After a rough performance last week, Philadelphia’s defense can’t afford another letdown under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football. The Commanders will also be missing several key starters that played in Week 1, such as wide receiver Terry McLaurin and running back Jacorey Croskey-Merritt. This week feels like another get-right spot for the Eagles, but we’ll see if they have the proper mindset to actually do so.
Road Underdog Mentality
Prior to last week’s game, there was an eye-opening stat shared before the matchup: Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was 0-7 as a home underdog. Obviously, Philadelphia went on to lose to the Dallas Cowboys and drop to 0-8 as home underdogs under Sirianni. Now heading into Sunday night’s matchup, the Eagles are six-point underdogs on the road against the Commanders. Yet it’s worth noting that Sirianni’s team has had far more success as a road underdog.
The Eagles have won five of their last six games as road underdogs, which includes the team’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. While Sirianni’s team has struggled as home underdogs throughout his tenure, they appear to embrace the road underdog mentality. Yet now the Eagles are 2-5 and facing adversity that Sirianni hasn’t experienced since his first season as the team’s head coach in 2021. Commanders cornerback Amik Robertson has already guaranteed a win but we’ll see if Sirianni can get his team to embrace the road underdog mentality once again.
Two Underrated Players To Watch For
Elijah Mitchell
Despite battling both a hamstring injury and a back injury, it seems like Eagles running back Saquon Barkley is going to attempt to play in Week 8. Barkley was in and out of the game last week, which resulted in both Dameon Pierce and Elijah Mitchell receiving touches. Now Pierce has been placed on injured reserve and Mitchell appears next in line to receive touches if Barkley goes down again.
While Jaydon Blue was signed to the 53-man roster and Mitchell remains on the practice squad, my guess is that Mitchell would be the next running back up behind Barkley. He received the call-up over Blue last week and I’d expect that edge to continue moving forward. It’s also worth noting that similar to Pierce, Sirianni has unpromptedly praised Mitchell at times this season.
Antonio Williams
Commanders rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams had a strong NFL debut against the Eagles in Week 1. Williams hauled in all four of his targets for 64 yards and one touchdown in Philadelphia. Yet since then, Williams hasn’t surpassed any of those marks in a single game for the Commanders. The 22-year-old will have a chance to get back on track against the Eagles with a larger workload on Sunday night.
Washington lost top wide receiver Terry McLaurin to a season-ending injury in Week 6 and now Williams is expected to play a bigger role for the Commanders moving forward. He has played 49% of his snaps in the slot and 49.7% of his snaps outside, according to Pro Football Focus. While McLaurin primarily played outside, it’s going to be interesting to see how the Commanders will utilize Williams in Week 8 and beyond.
One Key Matchup To Monitor
Stefon Diggs vs. Cooper DeJean
Commanders veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs is expected to become Washington’s top wide receiver given McLaurin’s absence. The news may be hard for Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean to hear, given that the struggling All-Pro had a tough time against Diggs in Week 1. Diggs hauled in four of five targets for 55 receiving yards and one touchdown against DeJean in the regular season opener, according to Pro Football Focus.
While some, including myself, thought that DeJean’s performance in Week 1 was just an anomaly, it has since proven to be a warning sign. DeJean has already allowed a career-high three receiving touchdowns this season. He has also struggled as a tackler, missing a career-high 12 tackles in seven games. The Commanders will pepper Diggs with targets and DeJean will have to bounce back in a matchup that he struggled with earlier this season.
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Final Score Predictions
Anthony’s Pick: Eagles 21, Commanders 17
The Eagles are coming off an embarrassing loss on Monday night that may have exposed the defense. While Philadelphia’s offense has been the topic of criticism all season long, the defense is finally being called into question. Yet this feels like the perfect spot for Philadelphia’s defense to bounce back and quiet all of the outside noise. Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis will each register a sack, while the offense will do just enough to hold on for a much-needed win.
Josh’s Pick: Eagles 20, Commanders 17
Another week and another game where the Eagles will be without a couple key offensive weapons. However, the Commanders are banged up too. And despite Washington being the heavy favorites, I expect a bounce back game from Vic Fangio’s defense after their embarrassing lack of effort last week. Give me the Birds in an upset with the offense doing just enough. Eagles 20, Commanders 17.