Robert Griffin III struggled in the season opener against Philadelphia. But he’s healthier now.
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The Eagles haven’t played consistently well this season, but they are still right in the hunt for the NFC East crown.
If they are going to best the Cowboys for the division title, this week’s matchup with the rival Redskins is an important one.
Philadelphia is on a two-game winning streak, but they’ve yet to win a home game this season. In fact, they haven’t won in over a calendar year.
Three things to watch for …
1. Passing fancy
Nick Foles has feasted on suspect secondaries in recent weeks, to the tune of 634 yards and 10 touchdowns with no interceptions. Now the second-year phenom (too soon?) is poised to take on the Redskins, a team allowing 275 yards per game (seventh-worst in the NFL) and 19 touchdowns (fourth-worst in the NFL) through the air. Even Foles would take himself in a fantasy league this week.
2. No nostalgia here
Head coach Chip Kelly’s debut on Monday Night Football sent shockwaves around the NFL. Let’s not expect a repeat performance of that epic opener. While Washington is far from good, the Redskins’ offense is much improved, thanks to the health of Robert Griffin III. The quarterback was limping around in Week 1, basically eliminating the read-option from the playbook, but that’s not true anymore. RG3 is starting to look like the old RG3.
“Offensively, I think they’re in the top five or 10 in the league in rushing and passing and total offense,” said Kelly.
3. Spy games
Speaking of RG3, it will be up to Mychal Kendricks to keep him in check. The speedy linebacker did a nice job containing Terrelle Pryor two weeks ago. Yes, he finished with 94 yards, but most of that came in garbage time. He’ll have his work cut out for him this week, especially since he’s coming off a knee injury. Kelly indicated Kendricks should be ready to go Sunday. If not, former sixth-round pick Emmanuel Acho would draw the assignment. That’s a 23-second drop-off going by 40-yard dash times.
