On Pattison Picks: Will Eagles take command of their divisional destiny?

Here we are at the long-awaited 2024 NFC Championship Game rematch! Will Jayden Daniels, Zach Ertz and the Commanders get revenge for the 55-23 loss they suffered at the hands of the Eagles?!?!?!

...well, uh, Jayden Daniels is out. Zach Ertz is out. The Commanders as a whole are out (of the playoffs). So, other than the potential of the Eagles repeating as NFC East champions, the rematch actually feels decidedly 'blah.'

The Eagles are sizable 6.5-point favorites to beat the Commanders, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Here's what our staffers think will happen.

Anthony SanFilippo (6-8)

Score: Eagles 23 - Commanders 10

Game MVP: NFL schedule makers

Had the Eagles had to play the Commanders right off the hop this season, coming off of last season's finish it would have been a much more difficult matchup. Jayden Daniels would have been healthy. The Commanders would have still believed they were a contender.

But the schedule makers probably felt the NFC East would come down to these two teams, so making them play twice in the final three weeks would have the greatest impact on the NFC East race. Shame Washington didn't get the memo. Instead, the Eagles get another team they should walk over.

Now, the Commies aren't as abysmal as the Raiders last week, so I can see this one hanging around the point spread for a good chunk of the game – just enough to make you think that if something goes sideways, the Eagles could blow it, much like that game against the Arizona Cardinals in Dec. 2023. 

But, there's enough going for the current Eagles with the subtle changes in their offense and bolstering the running game, that a mid-fourth quarter touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to, let's say dDeVonta Smith this time, gives the Eagles a comfortable, 13-point victory and allows them to be the first team to repeat as NFC East Champs in 21 years.

Grace Del Pizzo (7-7)

Score: Eagles 35 - Commanders 14

Game MVP: DeVonta Smith

Marcus Mariota does not quite strike fear into my heart.

The Eagles were practically handed two gift-wrapped wins when the Commanders shut down Jayden Daniels for the remainder of the season. Weeks 16 and 18 against a depleted Commanders team should be a walk in the park. 

The one thing that concerns me about Week 16 is that the Buffalo Bills are the Birds' Week 17 opponent. It's also yet another short week for the Eagles, and they've struggled with those this season. The trap game conundrum is well documented, well known, and well studied. Yet teams still fall victim to it.

As long as Nick Sirianni and company avoid the dreaded trap game, I forecast a decisive victory. DeVonta Smith will have his biggest game in weeks, and – I apologize in advance if this makes you feel old – the NFC East will have a repeat champion for the first time since I was two years old.

Tim Kelly (8-6)

Score: Eagles 27 - Commanders 12

Game MVP: Saquon Barkley

What makes you love the NFL is how quickly things can change year to year.

Well, the flip side of that is that a year after the Eagles and Commanders met in the NFC Championship Game, a pair of matchups between the two teams in the last three weeks of the regular season look like duds.

Jayden Daniels is out, so it will be Marcus Mariota under center for Washington. At 4-10, the Commanders have nothing to play for, and would probably be better off losing out as they jockey for draft position.

Am I still skeptical of Kevin Patullo's offense? You bet. But while the Commanders aren't as bad as the Raiders, last week showed that talent is enough to win out in games like this.

With that, I think Saquon Barkley has a big game, and Vic Fangio's D stifles a decimated Washington offense to make the Eagles the first back-to-back NFC East Champs in a generation.