Yahoo Sports Staff Updated Mon, November 2, 2026 at 1:37 AM UTC About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this story The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders will close out the Sunday slate in primetime in Week 9, with kickoff set for 8:20 p.m. ET at Northwest Stadium in Maryland. It's an NFC East showdown — but perhaps not quite as competitive a matchup as we'd envisioned earlier this season.
The Eagles sit at 2-5 heading into this "Sunday Night Football" matchup, turning to quarterback Tanner McKee with starter Jalen Hurts out for the season due to blood clots in his lungs. They'll also be without WR1 DeVonta Smith, as he continues to battle a hamstring injury.
The Commanders aren't positioned much better, currently sitting at 1-4-1. After losing star receiver Terry McLaurin for the year with a knee injury, Washington has also lost a key starter on defense, as defensive tackle Daron Payne suffered a season-ending foot injury . Despite those key absences, the Commanders enter Sunday night as six-point home favorites.
Follow along with Yahoo Sports for live updates, highlights and more as the Eagles and Commanders close out the Sunday slate in Week 8, airing on NBC and Peacock .
Tanner McKee was pressured in the backfield there and missed Darius Cooper on third down. So it's a quick three-and-out for the Eagles.
The Commanders will get it back here right away.
The Commanders were hit with back-to-back false starts, including one on Jayden Daniels, and blew their shot at a short third down.
They had to settle for a 55-yard field goal instead, which was sent wide right.
Mukuba is heading into the blue tent for further evaluation, though he was able to walk to the sideline under his own power.
The Eagles nearly pulled off a massive defensive play early in the matchup, as Philadelphia safety Andrew Mukuba leapt to grab a ball from Jayden Daniels out of the air. Unfortunately, the potential interception for the Eagles is erased by an offsides penalty, and Mukuba is still down after being shaken up on the play.
And we're off! Washington receives the ball first, and McCaffrey sprints for a kickoff return of 44 yards. The Commanders will get great field position on their opening drive.
While warming up before SNF, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels wore a shirt in honor of wide receiver Terry McLaurin. McLaurin is out for the season after suffering a knee injury last week.
Moneyline odds: Commanders -250, Eagles +205
As the Philadelphia Eagles' first loss became their second then third, fourth and now fifth, questions grew.
Sure, injuries have contributed heavily to Philadelphia falling at the hands of the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys.
On offense, in particular, half a dozen starters have missed time, with multiple expected not to return this season.
But a defense that ranked second in points allowed two years ago and fifth last year has fallen to 21st, alongside a bottom-feeding offense.
Searching for answers, the questions in a tough media market were likely to go beyond scheme.
So head coach Nick Sirianni and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio were each asked this week: Do you have concerns about your players' effort?
"I did not see an effort issue on Monday night," Sirianni said Wednesday. "Obviously it was other things, which I'm sure you guys will ask me about. There were other things. But effort in no way, shape [or] form was an issue here.
"Now, do you bat 100% on effort? No, you don't play a perfect football game. … But I didn't [look] at the tape and say, 'Hey, this was an effort issue.'"
Perhaps the Eagles' 38-21 home loss to Dallas had more to do with a talent deficit than an effort concern. But with 10 games left to play, Sirianni and Co. face a tall task keeping motivated a group that knows quarterback Jalen Hurts isn't coming back from his blood clots to steady them, and he's just where the gaps start.
Read more on Sirianni's current positioning with the Eagles amid a poor start to the season.
The Philadelphia Eagles find themselves in an unusual position at the midway point of the 2026 NFL season: trade-deadline sellers . With the team sitting at 2-5 and quarterback Jalen Hurts out for possibly the entire season, the Eagles are reportedly entertaining offers for players.
One player, however, who reportedly won't be traded is running back Saquon Barkley. The 29-year-old — who still has two years and roughly $35 million left on his contract — is expected to stick around, as the Eagles believe they can contend next season once Hurts is back, per ESPN.
The news comes as Barkley is in the midst of a frustrating season. Injuries have already caused him to miss some games and see extremely limited snaps in others. Through five games, he has just 244 rushing yards and one touchdown, a far cry from his production in his first two seasons with the Eagles.
Though Barkley played in just 10 snaps in Week 7 because of hamstring and back issues, he'll suit up for the Eagles against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night.
With less than 90 minutes remaining until the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders kick off on "Sunday Night Football," each team has announced its Week 8 inactives.
Source: Sports
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