Commanders @ Eagles: Week 11 Thursday Night Football Preview

8:15pm EST / Prime Video

The Reserves Picks

WAS: Jesse, Ian

PHI: Charlie, Adam, Dillon, Zach 

Not only do the Commanders enter Thursday Night Football on a short week of practice and rest, they do so on the heels of one of the most controversial games of the year thus far. On what could have been the game-winning drive, TE Zach Ertz was marked debatably short on a fourth-down conversion attempt that would have put the team near field goal range. Washington then had a chance to stop the Steelers on their own fourth-down attempt with around a minute left, but jumped offsides which ultimately allowed Pittsburgh to drain the rest of the clock. Instead of coming into Week 11 at 8-2 and on top of the NFC East, they now find themselves one game behind their opponent, the Eagles. 

Week 11’s version of Thursday Night Football looks like it will build upon the Week 10 thriller between the Bengals and Ravens. Up until this point, the Commanders and Eagles have boasted two of the most prolific offenses in the league with dangerous weapons at nearly every position. There’s no debate about that. The key to this game lies with each defense, a battle in which the Eagles, who allow the second-fewest yards (274.1) and fifth-fewest points (17.9) per game, seem to have the advantage. If the Commanders are to keep this game close, they will need to figure out how to wrangle in the Eagles’ relentless rushing attack featuring RB Saquon Barkley and QB Jalen Hurts, an area they have struggled with so far. Nevertheless, we seem to be in store for a second-straight week of Thursday Night fireworks. - Adam Houston