Nobody pencilled this in as a mess. When the NFL handed Commanders vs Eagles the Sunday night slot for November 1, it was selling a rematch of the 2024 NFC Championship Game and two teams expected to fight for the NFC East. Instead Philadelphia arrives at Northwest Stadium with four straight losses and no Jalen Hurts, and Washington arrives off a bye with a 1-3-1 start it would rather forget. Kickoff is 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC (1:20 a.m. Monday in the UK).
It might be a better game for it. Both teams are desperate, and this rivalry has rarely needed much help.
Ninety-two years of bad blood
The first meeting was on October 21, 1934, when the Boston Redskins beat Philadelphia 6-0. Since then the two have played more than 180 times, and the all-time series is almost dead level, with Washington just in front. Very few rivalries this old are this close.
The games people still bring up in bars along I-95:
| Game | Date | Result | Why it lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| The "Body Bag Game" | Nov. 12, 1990 | Eagles 28, Washington 14 | Nine Washington players left the game hurt |
| NFC Wild Card | Jan. 5, 1991 | Washington 20, Eagles 6 | Washington got its revenge eight weeks later |
| "Monday Night Massacre" | Nov. 15, 2010 | Eagles 59, Washington 28 | Michael Vick ran riot; Philly set a franchise record with 592 yards |
| NFC Championship | Jan. 26, 2025 | Eagles 55, Commanders 23 | Most points ever scored in a conference title game |
| 2026 Week 1 | Sept. 13, 2026 | Eagles 24, Commanders 22 | Washington's late two-point try was stopped |
That 1990 pairing is the best summary of what this rivalry is. Buddy Ryan's Eagles beat Washington up on a Monday night, and Joe Gibbs' team came back to Philadelphia in the playoffs and won anyway.
The recent run has been just as jumpy. Since the start of 2024 the teams have met six times: the Eagles won 26-18 and the Commanders 36-33 in 2024, then came that 55-23 rout in the title game, then a split in 2025 (Washington 24-17 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia 29-18 in Landover), and finally the two-point opener in September. Nobody has won more than two in a row in that stretch.
Washington Commanders
Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia without its quarterback
The Eagles started 2-0, beating Washington and then winning in Tennessee for the first time in franchise history. Then it went wrong: 27-7 at Chicago, 24-20 to the Rams, 19-17 to Jacksonville in London and 25-14 at home to Carolina. Four straight losses for the first time since 2020.
The bigger blow came off the field. Hurts was cleated in the calf against the Rams on October 4, a blood clot was found before the London game, and he went on injured reserve on October 17. Two days later the team and his agent said doctors had found clots in his lungs too. NFL Network and ESPN reported he is expected to miss the rest of the season. The club says his prognosis is very good and it expects a full recovery, which is the part that matters most.
So it's Tanner McKee's offense now. McKee had only two career starts before this run, with rookie Cole Payton behind him and Joe Milton, signed off Dallas' practice squad, as the third man. Saquon Barkley missed the Jacksonville and Carolina games with a hamstring problem, and A.J. Brown was traded to New England in June. That leaves DeVonta Smith, rookie first-rounder Makai Lemon and whoever is healthy in the backfield.
Sean Mannion is calling plays as the Eagles' fifth offensive coordinator in five seasons. If there's a reason for hope, it's on the other side of the ball, where Vic Fangio still has Jalen Carter (freshly extended at $152 million) and Jonathan Greenard, acquired from Minnesota in the spring. Philadelphia also has Dallas at home on Monday night, October 26, before this trip, so it will be on a short week.
Washington's strange start
Dan Quinn's season has been odd rather than bad. The Commanders opened 0-2 for the first time since 2019, and Jayden Daniels dislocated his elbow in the final minute of the first half at Dallas in Week 2. Marcus Mariota stepped in, Washington beat Seattle 33-31, then got thumped 30-13 by the Colts in London.
Daniels came back against the Giants and was terrific with his legs: 199 passing yards, 103 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The game still ended 27-27 after overtime, with Washington driving and never getting another snap. He took that one personally. "We tied, but it was a fail in my eyes, and I know I'm better than that," he said.
There's a new look to the staff, too. Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr. were fired after last season, so David Blough runs the offense and Daronte Jones the defense. First-round linebacker Sonny Styles and edge rusher Odafe Oweh are the new faces on defense, and Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs give Daniels two proven receivers.
Washington visited unbeaten San Francisco on Monday night, October 19, and then had its bye in Week 7. Two weeks of rest against an opponent playing six days after a Monday night game is a real edge at this point of the season.
Commanders vs Eagles: our pick
I keep coming back to the quarterback gap. Daniels at home, rested, with his legs back under him, against a backup on a short week. Fangio will try to make Daniels win from the pocket, and Carter can wreck a game by himself, so I don't expect a blowout. Two of the Eagles' four losses were also decided by four points or fewer.
Still, Washington has the healthier roster and the better quarterback, and has had the extra week to plan. I'll take the Commanders by around a field goal in a low-scoring, ill-tempered game, which is how this rivalry usually likes it. If Philadelphia wins, the NFC East race is suddenly wide open again, and Washington's season gets hard to save.
How to watch on Sunday night
Washington CommandersPhiladelphia EaglesNBC has the game as part of its Sunday Night Football package, and it streams on Peacock in the US. The NFL lists the full prime-time slate on its Sunday Night Football schedule. Remember that the clocks go back that morning, so 8:20 p.m. ET is 01:20 GMT for viewers in Britain.
If you can't get NBC, DAMITV carries the Commanders vs Eagles stream free in HD, and you don't need an account. You'll find it on our NFL streams page, and Philadelphia fans can bookmark the Eagles live stream hub for the rest of this awkward season. Spanish-speaking viewers can follow along on NFL en vivo.
Earlier that afternoon Kansas City visits Denver; our Broncos vs Chiefs preview covers that one.
