The Philadelphia Eagles will be looking to take one more step toward a potential playoff berth when they visit the NFC East rival Washington Redskins on Sunday.
The Eagles rallied from a 14-point, second-half deficit for a 23-17 overtime victory over the visiting New York Giants on Monday and improved to 6-7, tying the Dallas Cowboys for first place in the division. Quarterback Carson Wentz tossed a pair of 2-yard touchdown passes to Zach Ertz, first for the tying score with 1:53 left in regulation, then the winning score in overtime.
The Eagles and Cowboys each have three games remaining.
After moving above .500 at 5-4, the Eagles dropped three consecutive games before ousting the Giants despite a litany of injuries.
The Eagles will be without wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (foot) and likely without right tackle Lane Johnson (ankle) on Sunday. In addition, the status is unclear for running back Jordan Howard (shoulder) and wide receiver Nelson Agholor (knee). Howard was limited on Wednesday, while Agholor sat out.
Still, the Eagles are somehow alive for a third consecutive playoff berth.
“I could really see the guys kind of turn a corner from the standpoint of coming together as a football team, especially this time of the year,” Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said. “We’re into the last month of the season. And we know what’s in front us. We know what’s at stake, the guys do. It was a good week.”
The banged-up Eagles were down to one healthy receiver — converted quarterback and former practice squad player Greg Ward — by overtime on Monday. But they found a way to save their season thanks in large part to Wentz.
“So we came in 17-3 at halftime, then we figured out how to dig ourselves out of the hole,” Wentz said. “But I mean that’s the biggest thing we can take away is no matter how behind the eight-ball we get, we always have a chance to win, so we do what we need to do.”
The Redskins will be searching for their fourth win, and a split against the Eagles this season. Last week, the Redskins played a hard-fought game on the road, but ultimately fell 20-15 to the Green Bay Packers.
On Sunday, Washington will be short-handed without running back Derrius Guice, who has been placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan left the game against Green Bay with a calf injury, and he missed practice Wednesday.
Like Wentz, Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been playing with a fractured offense. Haskins performed admirably against the Packers, going 16 of 27 for 170 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked four times and also played through a mid-game ankle injury.
“I thought he played hard and tough and there’s no reason he was cleared. We just noticed that he was gimping around, but he was fine,” Redskins interim head coach Bill Callahan said. “He battled tough. To his credit, I give him a lot of credit for hanging in there and playing tough when he was banged up.”
Haskins practiced in full on Wednesday despite the injury, putting him on track to make his sixth career start.
“I feel way more comfortable, but it’s a long road ahead for me,” Haskins said.
The Redskins have lost five straight games to the Eagles dating to the 2017 season. That includes a 32-27 Eagles home win in Week 1, a game Washington once led 17-0.
