Eagles vs. Redskins: 3 things you need to know
NFL football on a Saturday? NFL football on a Saturday!
In a rare Saturday afternoon affair, the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves with an outside chance to make the playoffs, while the Washington Redskins are playing out the stretch with a quarterback who may or may not be the future of the franchise, depending on who you ask.
Here are three things you need to know:
A must win game for the Eagles
Following a lopsided Week 13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, it looked as though the Eagles would ultimately control their own playoff destiny.
A pair of back-to-back home losses later, the Eagles now find themselves on the outside looking in, and at 9-5, are projected to finish as the seventh seed in the NFC.
At this point, every game is a must-win for the Eagles. Which can only be seen as good news when you consider they play the Redskins and New York Giants - two teams that sport a combined record of 8-20 - in the final two weeks of the season.
Unfortunately, a pair of wins over a pair of sub-.500 teams wouldn't assure their place in the postseason. The Eagles still need plenty of help before they can play any extra football this season.
The continuing RG3/Jay Gruden saga
With Colt McCoy officially heading to IR with a neck injury, the keys to the kingdom have been temporarily returned to Robert Griffin III.
Griffin has alternated between "face of the franchise" and "injury-prone bust" this season, and head coach Jay Gruden hasn't made things easy for him.
Gruden has repeatedly said the former second-overall pick was coddled by the franchise in the past, and publicly hurled not-so-veiled shots at the struggling quarterback (though Gruden claims the media twists his words when it comes to RG3).
Griffin holds a 2-2 record against the Eagles over his career, completing 77-of-123 passes for 991 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Both victories came during his successful rookie campaign in 2012.
A tale of two offenses (and defenses)
The Chip Kelly-led Eagles offense is one of the most potent in the league, averaging a shade under 30 points per game.
The Redskins, on the other hand, average a mere 18.4 points per game, and have failed to put more than 20 points on the board in nine of their past 11.
Things get even trickier for the Redskins when you consider the Eagles' dominant pass-rush that ranks second in the NFL with 47 sacks. The Redskins, on the other hand, have proven to possess a Swiss cheese-level offensive line, allowing the second most sacks in the league (53).
Connor Barwin has feasted on opposing quarterbacks all season, sending them on unscheduled trips to the turf 14.5 times in 14 games.
This skill disparity between the Eagles' pass-rush and Redskins offensive line could spell disaster for the team from Washington (or delight if you're an Eagles fan).