Eagles-Washington TV preview: NFC playoff scenarios and a John Madden moment
The Eagles can clinch the playoffs Sunday, but Philadelphia could still make the postseason if they lose to Washington
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The Eagles will face the Washington Football Team for the second time in 12 days on Sunday, this time with their eyes firmly focused on a potential playoff berth.
The Birds enter the game in control of their playoff destiny, and will punch their ticket to the postseason with wins Sunday and in Week 18 against the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles could also clinch a playoff spot on Sunday with a win against Washington combined with:
A Minnesota Vikings loss against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday Night Football on NBC.
A New Orleans Saints loss at home against the Carolina Panthers at 4:25 p.m. OR a San Francisco 49ers win or tie at home against the Houston Texans at 4:05 p.m. (which will air in Philadelphia on CBS3).
Why should Birds fans be rooting for the 49ers to win? It comes down to the potential of a three-way tie for the final two NFC wildcard spots. The 49ers defeated the Eagles earlier this season, so a two-way tie would go to San Francisco. But a three-way tie would turn to the teams’ conference records, which would go the Eagles’ way.
» READ MORE: Eagles could still end up with the top wild-card spot in the NFC. Here’s how.
Even if the Eagles end up losing to Washington (the Birds have swept the series four times in the past 10 seasons), Philadelphia could still make it into the playoffs as a 9-8 team, though the odds drop to 35%, according to the New York Times.
The scenarios get complicated this far out, but if the 49ers, Saints, and Vikings all win on Sunday, two things would need to happen in Week 18 for the Eagles to still make it to the postseason:
The Eagles would have to defeat the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field, with Dallas potentially playing for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
The Chicago Bears would have to beat the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Here’s the overall NFC playoff picture heading into Week 18:
Here’s everything you need to know to watch and stream Eagles-Washington on Sunday:
Eagles (8-7) at Washington (6-9): NFL Week 17
When: Sunday, Jan. 2
Where: FedExField, Landover, Md.
Time: 1 p.m. kickoff
TV: Fox29 (Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth, Shannon Spake)
Radio: 94.1 WIP (Merrill Reese, Mike Quick, Howard Eskin)
Spanish radio: La Mega, 105.7 FM (Rickie Ricardo, Oscar Budejen)
Streaming: Fox Sports Go app (required authentication), fuboTV (free 7-day trial), YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, DirecTV Stream, Sling TV (all require a subscription)
Mobile: Eagles app, NFL Mobile app, Yahoo Sports app (free on smartphones and tablets within the Philadelphia market)
Referee: Clete Blakeman
Odds: Eagles -3.5, over/under 46.5 points
A moment of silence for John Madden
Prior to kickoff, FedExField and every other NFL stadium will observe a moment of silence for Hall of Fame broadcaster and coach John Madden, who died on Tuesday at age 85.
Madden was arguably the most influential announcer in professional sports, calling NFL games for all four major networks during his 30 years as a broadcaster. Madden educated an entire generation of fans on the ins and outs of the game with an entertaining mix of football knowledge and side stories involving everything from Turduckens to the cockpit of the Goodyear Blimp.
“Madden’s genius was how he taught football. Those booms, that unbuttoned aura of regular guy-dom — all of that was an invitation,” wrote The Ringer’s Bryan Curtis. “It made Madden’s classroom feel like a safe place, where you’d get a little smarter and the professor would never act like he was smarter than you.”
Over the course of his long career, Madden called dozens of Eagles games, which included a fair amount of Philadelphia-Washington matchups. One memorable Madden call was during the 1987 season opener, when former Eagles Hall of Famer Reggie White sacked Washington quarterback Doug Williams, stole the football, and ran it 75 yards for a touchdown.
“The Redskins are going in for a score and the Eagles score!” Madden said. “I don’t know what Buddy Ryan was talking about when he said he has to dominate. Maybe he’s talking about this ... . White just came in and took the ball away from him!”
Fun fact: Madden was initially drafted by the Eagles in the later rounds of the 1958 NFL draft, but a knee injury during training camp prevented him from ever taking the field as a player.
» READ MORE: John Madden made a 1995 Eagles-Cowboys game unforgettable when he blasted Barry Switzer. But was he right?
Five interesting notes about Eagles-Washington
The Eagles have won three consecutive games by 10 or more points for the first time since a five-game streak in 2017. Philadelphia is 15-8 in December and January regular-season games dating to 2017.
The Eagles have run for at least 125 yards in nine consecutive games for the third time in franchise history and the first since 1949. The Birds need 160 rushing yards to set a single-season franchise record, but Washington’s defense is currently ranked No. 8 in the NFL against the run.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 296 yards and a TD and ran for two TDs in the Birds’ Week 15 win against Washington. Hurts could have a big game Sunday against the Football Team’s defense, which is the third-worst in the league against the pass.
Speaking of Hurts, the Pro Bowl alternate is second in the NFL with 100 explosive plays, defined as passing plays of 16-plus yards and rushing plays of 10-plus yards.
Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert had seven catches for a career-high 135 yards in the last meeting.
» READ MORE: Eagles beat reporters predict the Washington game in Week 17
Other games airing in Philadelphia on Sunday
Texans (4-11) at 49ers (8-7): 4:05 p.m., CBS3 (Greg Gumbel, Adam Archuleta, AJ Ross)
Cardinals (10-5) at Cowboys (11-4): 4:25 p.m., FOX29 (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews)
Vikings (7-8) at Packers (12-3): 8:20 p.m., NBC10 (Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Kathryn Tappen)
Eagles reading list prior to kickoff
Eagles’ linebacker Shaun Bradley will miss Sunday’s game after suffering a shoulder injury in a car accident Saturday morning.
Jalen Hurts hasn’t run as much since ankle injury, but that should change against Washington.
Pro Bowl or not, Lane Johnson is becoming the best version of himself.
Washington defensive end Antonio Gibson is likely out Sunday after being added to the COVID list, while Eagles running back Jordan Howard is listed as questionable.
It’s about time Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards got some love for offering more than what shows up on paper.
Pregame shows and other media coverage
As with every Eagles game, staff writers Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, and Josh Tolentino will be covering the action live on Twitter, which you can follow live on GameDay Central. Notes and observations about the game will be at Inquirer.com/Eagles. Don’t forget to subscribe to The Inquirer Sports Daily Newsletter.
Smith and Tolentino will host GameDay Central live prior to kickoff on Inquirer.com.
Pregame shows elsewhere
NBC Sports Philadelphia airs Birds Huddle (Taryn Hatcher, Brad Feinberg, Barrett Brooks, John Clark) at 11:30 a.m., followed by Eagles Pregame Live (Michael Barkann, Seth Joyner, Ray Didinger, Barrett Brooks) at noon. Eagles Postgame Live will air following the game.
Fox29 airs Fox29 Gameday (Breland Moore, Garry Cobb, Dave Spadaro, Bill Anderson) at 10 a.m., followed by Fox NFL Kickoff (Charissa Thompson, Tony Gonzalez, Dave Wannstedt, Colin Cowherd, Michael Vick, Charles Woodson) at 11 a.m. Fox NFL Sunday (Terry Bradshaw, Curt Menefee, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson) airs at noon.
CBS3 airs Odds On (Derrick Gunn, Rob Ellis) at 8:30 a.m., followed by Sunday Kickoff (Don Bell, Pat Gallen) at 11:30 a.m., and The NFL Today (James Brown, Phil Simms, Bill Cowher, Boomer Esiason, Nate Burleson) airs at noon.
NBC10′s Eagles Gameday Kickoff (Danny Pommells, Ross Tucker, Mike Quick) airs at 9:30 a.m., followed by Eagles Game Plan (John Clark, Ike Reese, Mike Quick) at 10 a.m.
ESPN’s NFL Countdown (Sam Ponder, Randy Moss, Tedy Bruschi, Matt Hasselbeck, Rex Ryan) airs at 10 a.m.
NFL Network’s pregame show NFL GameDay Morning (Rich Eisen, Steve Mariucci, Kurt Warner, Michael Irvin) starts at 9 a.m.
Eagles 2021 NFL schedule
Week 1, Sept. 12: Eagles 32, Falcons 6
Week 2, Sept. 19: 49ers 17, Eagles 11
Week 3, Sept 27: Cowboys 41, Eagles 21
Week 4, Oct. 3: Chiefs 42, Eagles 30
Week 5, Oct. 10: Eagles 21, Panthers 18
Week 6, Oct. 14: Buccaneers 28, Eagles 22
Week 7, Oct. 24: Raiders 33, Eagles 22
Week 8, Oct. 31: Eagles 44, Lions 6
Week 9, Nov. 7: Chargers 27, Eagles 24
Week 10, Nov. 14: Eagles 30, Broncos 13
Week 11, Nov. 21: Eagles 40, Saints 29
Week 12, Nov. 28: Giants 13, Eagles 7
Week 13, Dec. 5: Eagles 33, Jets 18
Week 14: Bye week
Week 15, Dec. 21: Eagles 27, Washington 17
Week 16, Dec. 26: Eagles 34, Giants 10
Week 17, Jan. 2: Eagles at Washington, 1 p.m., Fox
Week 18, Jan. 9: Cowboys at Eagles, 1 p.m., Fox
The Associated Press contributed to this article.