The Commanders gave the Eagles a lot of trouble in their week 4 matchup. In a game, a lot of people thought the Eagles would run away with, they just barely escaped with a win. It took a FG in OT to beat the Commanders, after they blew the 7-point lead on the last play of regulation. At that point it looked like maybe the Commanders’ offense figured something out, and that the Eagles might have a problem on defense.

The opposite has been true in the 3 games since then. Suddenly the Eagles are shutting down fat better offense in the Rams and the Dolphins. And meanwhile, the Commanders’ offense has spun out. And it hit a season-low point last week in a 14-7 loss to the Giants. 6 sacks, under 300 yards, and just 7 points.

Then again, they were coming into that week 4 game on the back of a beatdown by the Bills. And then they bounced back to get up for the Eagles anyway. So even if on paper it feels like this is not an imposing team, we know they are capable of playing hard. It’s the same team who nearly beat the Eagles the last time, just with 3 more losses on their belt.

As of Friday, the Eagles are 7-point home favorites. They are coming off their best win of the season and just added Kevin Byard to the mix. So this should be a win. But week 4 should have been an easy win. And week 6 against the Jets should have been a win. The Commanders have a knack for getting up to play the Eagles. And with it being the last game before the trade deadline, there could be some guys trying to showcase their skills to get traded to a winning team.

Here are 5 Commanders Players Who Could Give the Eagles Trouble on Sunday:

• Terry McLaurin

  Coming into the first Eagles game, McLaurin was having a down year by his standards. But he has eclipsed 80 yards in 3 of his last 4 games, including 86 yards on 8 catches against the Eagles. The offense around him has struggled badly since that OT loss in Philly. But he looks far more like his normal self. Scary Terry is by far the most dangerous man on the field for the Commanders. The Eagles’ secondary has also been better since that game. But the matchup of McLaurin vs whoever is covering him will be one to watch this weekend.

  Washington Commanders on Twitter: "Terry. Just. Caught. That. 📺 #WASvsNYG: CBS pic.twitter.com/kw9239u7Nq / Twitter"

  Terry. Just. Caught. That. 📺 #WASvsNYG: CBS pic.twitter.com/kw9239u7Nq

• Montez Sweat

  If McLaurin is the most dangerous man on the offense, Sweat is probably that guy on their defense. 5.5 sacks over 7 games. He did not get credited with a sack against the Eagles in week 4, but he still made some big plays including 2 tackles for a loss. After a multi-year streak without giving up a sack, Lane Johnson finally let someone get by him last week. And Lane’s task while battling this ankle injury gets no easier this week. Sweat is always a threat. There is also the factor that Montez Sweat could be traded, meaning there is a chance this is his last game with the Commanders.

  JP Finlay on Twitter: "Full video of Chase Young, Montez Sweat reacting to trade deadline rumors. Both said their focus is Philly but gotta be hard to block all the noise pic.twitter.com/Zx0wqL2zNj / Twitter"

  Full video of Chase Young, Montez Sweat reacting to trade deadline rumors. Both said their focus is Philly but gotta be hard to block all the noise pic.twitter.com/Zx0wqL2zNj

• Chase Young

  Chase Young’s time with Washington has been a bit all over the place. Injuries have really put a damper on the early parts of his promising career. His rookie year was great, but he barely saw the field the last two seasons. But he is back this year, and right back to what people expected him to become out of Ohio State. Young already has 5 sacks in 6 games. That includes 2 last week against the Giants. Like Sweat, he is on the trade block and this could be a showcase game for him.

  Washington Commanders on Twitter: "No. 2 on the day for 99📺 #WASvsNYG: CBS pic.twitter.com/ROShTTSkwv / Twitter"

  No. 2 on the day for 99📺 #WASvsNYG: CBS pic.twitter.com/ROShTTSkwv

• Jonathan Allen

  Allen has been a force in the league for a while now. And he had his best game of this season in the first game vs the Eagles. He finished with a sack, 4 tackles, including 2 for a loss. In week 4, The Commanders D Line started to create havoc once Cam Jurgens got hurt, and Sua Opeta went in. And the Eagles have at least one more week with Sua Opeta in there this week. It’s the latest very tough task for the Eagles backup RG.

  One story to watch is how frustrated Jonathan Allen was with his team after last week’s loss. He went on an expletive-filled rant about how tired he is of it being the same thing every year (can you blame him?). Will that make him more motivated this week? Less motivated? Will it lead the Commanders moving him? We will find out on Sunday. But an angry Jonathan Allen is a scary thought.

  Bleacher Report on Twitter: "Jonathan Allen didn't hold back after Washington's loss 😳(h/t: @JPFinlayNBCS) pic.twitter.com/IjxygnXke4 / Twitter"

  Jonathan Allen didn't hold back after Washington's loss 😳(h/t: @JPFinlayNBCS) pic.twitter.com/IjxygnXke4

• Sam Howell

  I do not think Howell is a good QB. He has proven that for most of this season. But he looked good against the Eagles when they played in week 4., and he is still an NFL QB. Almost every QB good enough to make it to the NFL is good enough to hit open guys if your defense is too soft. That is exactly what he was doing in week 4.

  The Eagles have gotten a lot of their secondary issues fixed in the past few weeks. They shut down Tua and Stafford. But after what Howell did the last time, you can’t overlook him this time. That said, if they play like they did against Miami though, they should make Howell miserable.

  Philadelphia Eagles on Twitter: "First career sack 🤝 @SmithNoland2 pic.twitter.com/vAkoc5pYuv / Twitter"

  First career sack 🤝 @SmithNoland2 pic.twitter.com/vAkoc5pYuv

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