The Washington Commanders (4-12) and Philadelphia Eagles (11-5) will square off in Week 18 of the NFL season on Sunday afternoon. Kickoff from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is set for 4:25 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on CBS.
The Eagles are 3.5-point favorites over the Commanders on the spread (Eagles -3.5), with the over/under set at 38.5 total points. Philadelphia is a -180 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Washington is +150 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Commanders vs Eagles predictions and NFL picks for Sunday, January 4.
Commanders vs Eagles Prediction, Picks
- Commanders vs Eagles pick: Commanders +3.5 (-120)
My Eagles vs. Commanders best bet is on Washington to cover the spread at +3.5. However, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
Commanders vs Eagles Odds for NFL Week 18
| Commanders Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -120 | 38.5 -110o / -110u | +150 |
| Eagles Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 +100 | 38.5 -110o / -110u | -180 |
Washington Commanders vs Philadelphia Eagles Preview
Commanders Betting Preview
You just never want to look down your depth chart and see Josh Johnson followed by Jeff Driskel, but that's the reality facing the 4-12 Commanders.
The season's long been over, but there's certainly some good that can still come from the finish. Sure, there's the moral victory of preventing a division rival from securing the second seed in the NFC, but there's even more to like about this developing ground game.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt had a few bright spots early in his rookie year, but none was greater than his 105-yard showing against the Cowboys last week, which came on just 11 carries.
He scored twice, and he's now amassed four touchdowns in the last four weeks while averaging 5.9 yards per carry. The man he's backed up, Chris Rodriguez, Jr., has also scored twice in the last three weeks and now holds a firm 4.5 yard-per-carry average this year.
Sure, Washington sits just 21st in rushing DVOA, but this will be useful when Jayden Daniels returns next year and it can put a real team on the field.
It also may afford them an opportunity against the Eagles this weekend, given Philly's been definitively worse against the run than the pass.
Eagles Betting Preview
Thanks to a soft part of the schedule, Philly's offense has finally swung into gear.
It put up 31 points in a blowout win over the Raiders in Week 15 before hanging 29 on the Commanders in a Week 16 win, and while it was a struggle last week against the Buffalo Bills, that's to be expected.
You'd have to say that with Buffalo's weakness against the run, a run-heavy Eagles offense should have had slightly more success, but looking back on the last time these two sides met, it did put up a firm 6.1 yards on 34 carries.
We can expect the same here with Washington ranked in the bottom four of DVOA against both the run and the pass; Philly should have its preference of how to attack the defense and we know that preference lies in the run game.
Now, there are plenty of players who may play this game and a few we can already confirm based on the injury report — which makes sense given this isn't a make-or-break game for the Eagles.
Jalen Carter, Nakobe Dean and Jaelan Phillips are all out up front, and an injury to safety Marcus Epps will add to the drama defensively.
Dallas Goedert and Lane Johnson are also going to miss this game, which may put the Eagles' chances of running all over the Commanders in jeopardy.
The biggest of all, of course, is that Jalen Hurts appears unlikely to play — and if that's the case, then we may see some starters at receiver, along with Saquon Barkley, sit out.
We don't have a full list of inactives, of course, and Nick Sirianni has admitted he can't rest everyone. Still, this should be a diet version of the Eagles.
Commanders vs Eagles Betting Predictions, Analysis
This line is tight for a reason. The Eagles have certainly improved somewhat lately, but they've got the NFC East locked up already and will only be playing to jump up from the third to the second seed.
The injuries in particular are also inconvenient as they'll hamper the offense's ability to run — something that's probably not great news when you consider how lousy it moved the ball last week.
Mix in backup quarterback Tanner McKee getting the start, and I don't know if you can really feel all that poorly about Washington's inconsistent defense.
On the flip side, I do think this Commanders ground game is to be believed, and with Philly missing so many names up front, you'd have to think even with Johnson under center, Washington can move the ball.
Commanders vs Eagles Best Bet
- Commanders +3.5 (-120)
Commanders vs Eagles Betting Trends
For the latest on NFL injuries, be sure to check out our NFL Injury Report page.
