By Grant Paulsen
The Redskins enter tonight's game with the Eagles occupying the sixth and final playoff spot in the NFC. It doesn't quite feel like it, does it?
That is what an injury to your starting quarterback, consecutive losses and having been leapfrogged in your division does to a fanbase's paradigm.
Washington has a great chance to deliver a damaging blow to defending-champion Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field tonight. With a win, the Redskins pull back even with the Cowboys atop the suddenly-improving NFC East. A loss would mean that Washington has allowed a division foe to catch them in consecutive weeks.
Here are my slants for Monday Night Football.
Redskin to Watch: Josh Doctson
Doctson caught six balls for 66 yards last time out, good for the highest catch total of his three-year career. Colt McCoy clearly targets him more often than Alex Smith did, especially on the downfield, contested tosses that Smith frequently avoided. Doctson has a chance to thrive tonight, largely because of how injury-riddled the Eagles' secondary is. Philadelphia will be missing at least two of their top cornerbacks, and McCoy is going to try to pick on the replacements they will ask to cover Washington's pedestrian wide receivers.
Eagle to Watch: Fletcher Cox
Cox, a $100 million defender, is one of the best defensive linemen in football. He has taken over games against the Redskins in the past, and tonight could present him with an opportunity to make a plethora of game-altering plays again. Washington's interior line is made up by a pair of backup guards, neither of whom should be asked to handle Cox in isolation. I'd be stunned if Cox does not add to his sack total (four) tonight. What I worry most about is Cox getting into the backfield quickly enough to force a fumble, or a hurried pass that results in an interception.
Stat of the Week: If Jordan Reed goes for 75 yards tonight, he will have done so in back-to-back games for the first time since 2016. McCoy has locked in on the tight end over the last game-and-a-half, which helped Reed get back into the end zone for the first time sine Week 1.
Prediction: Eagles 27, Redskins 23
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