The Eagles (2-5) travel to face the Washington Commanders (1-4-1) in an NFC East battle. Here are some matchups to watch: Tanner McKee vs. shaky Commanders pass defense With Jalen Hurts out for the rest of the season, Tanner McKee will make his third consecutive start. The offense looked a little better on Monday night against the Cowboys and put up 21 points. They even scored on their first drive after halftime. McKee completed 23 of 35 passes for 211 yards with a touchdown and an interception against the Cowboys. He made some good throws but missed some he needs to make. The Commanders have the 28th-ranked pass defense in the NFL this season giving up 254.0 yards per game. Their starting cornerbacks had been Amik Robertson, Rasul Douglas and Mike Sainristil, but Trey Amos returned from a fractured fibula before the bye week and that basically sent Sainristil to the bench. Saintristil has given up six touchdowns this season.  Here’s a look at how their cornerbacks have fared this season: Robertson: 39 targets, 24 catches, 302 yards, 1 TD, 94.2 passer rating Douglas: 34 targets, 20 catches, 240 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 78.1 passer rating Sainristil: 20 targets, 15 catches, 181 yards, 6 TDs, 141.9 passer rating  In his return before the bye week, Amos was on a pitch count. He played just 36 snaps against the 49ers but will probably get full-time work in this game. That should help Washington. Unfortunately for the Eagles, it looks like they won’t have DeVonta Smith (hamstring) or Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) in this game. They will have to rely on Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper, Hollywood Brown and Elijah Mitchell again. Elijah Mitchell, Jaydon Blue? vs. Commanders run game Saquon Barkley (hamstring/back) has been a non-participant the first two days this week, which puts his availability for Sunday night’s game in doubt. Barkley was clearly hobbled against the Cowboys but still performed well in limited duty. Without him? Well, Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley and now Dameon Pierce are all on IR and Carson Steele was released with an injury designation earlier this season. They’re down to just Jaydon Blue (on the 53) and Elijah Mitchell (on the practice squad). It has been wild to see how decimated this one position has been all season. The Commanders this season have the No. 14-ranked run defense in the NFL and have allowed just 4.0 yards per carry. The most yards they have given up on the ground came in Week 1 against the Eagles, who rushed for 136. Jordan Mailata vs. Odafe Oweh  The Eagles have the second-fewest sacks in the NFL this season with 8 through seven games. But the Commanders aren’t much better. They have 11 in six games. Their top pass rusher is Odafe Oweh, who leads the team with 3 sacks and 19 pressures. He mostly lines up on the right side of the line, setting up a matchup against Jordan Mailata. In a disappointing 2026 season, Mailata is one of the few Eagles who has consistently lived up to expectations. On the other side of the line, rookie Markel Bell will have a matchup against K’Lavon Chaisson, who is second on the Commanders in sacks with 2 1/2 and pressures with 16. Bell has now started four games and has seemingly been settling in at right tackle after the abrupt retirement of Lane Johnson. Eagles corners vs. Commanders WRs (minus Terry McLaurin) The Commanders will have to play the rest of the season without Terry McLaurin, who tore his patellar tendon against the 49ers before the bye week. That’s obviously a huge loss for the Commanders. Without McLaurin, the Commanders’ top receivers are now Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams and Treylon Burks. They also have TE Chig Okonkwo back from a hamstring injury. Diggs is clearly their WR1 going forward but he’s a 32-year-old veteran in his 12th NFL season. In five games this year, Diggs has 24 catches for 214 yards and 4 touchdowns. In that 23-17 loss to the 49ers before the bye week, Jayden Daniels completed 29 of 40 passes for 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns. He got the ball to eight different receivers in that game, which might be the blueprint going forward. But it’s also worth noting that  Eagles run defense vs. Rachaad White and Jayden Daniels It’s not just McLaurin. The Commanders are also without Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who is on IR with a groin injury. Their top running back is now former Buccaneer Rachaad White. In five games this year, White had 145 rushing yards on 36 carries and he also has 83 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns on 14 catches. In Week 7 against the Cowboys, the Eagles were gashed on the ground, giving up 204 yards. They gave up five runs of 10+ yards to the Cowboys. In this game, the Eagles also have to be aware of Daniels’ ability to run on and off schedule. In four games this season, Daniels has 213 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 attempts. He’s averaging 53.3 yards per game, which is a career-high. Even when the Eagles’ defense was good, they had  Eagles edge rushers vs. Brandon Coleman, Josh Conerly The Commanders took a big blow before the season even began when Laremy Tunsil suffered a torn triceps in August. Tunsil is an excellent player and maybe the best overall player on that Commanders team. Without him, Washington has been starting Brandon Coleman at left tackle and second-year player Josh Conerly at right tackle. Here’s a look at their stats, per PFF: Coleman: 22 pressures, 5 QB hits, 4 sacks Conerly: 19 pressures, 1 QB hit The Eagles might have more firepower this week if Nolan Smith is able to return from his concussion. Smith, Jalyx Hunt (knee/ankle) and Jonathan Greenard (ankle) were all limited to start the week. If they can get a bit healthier, they should have a chance to impact the game. ...read more read less