Tale of the tape: the Eagles and Commanders meet with last place on the line

The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders close Week 8 on NBC and Peacock tonight at Northwest Stadium, and the stakes are blunt. The loser falls to last place in the NFC East with the Nov. 10 trade deadline coming, per the AP preview on ESPN. NBC's coverage starts at 7 p.m. ET, and ESPN lists kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET.

Philadelphia has lost five straight and comes in at 2-5. Hurts is likely out for the rest of the season with blood clots, so McKee makes his third start. Washington is 1-4-1 and coming off its bye, with close losses to the 49ers and Eagles and a tie with the Giants.

Tale of the tape

1. Record. Eagles 2-5, 1-2 on the road. Commanders 1-4-1, 1-1-1 at home.
2. Form. The Eagles have lost to Chicago, the Rams, Jacksonville, Carolina and Dallas in a row, the last one 38-21. Washington lost 23-17 at San Francisco before the bye.
3. Quarterback. McKee has completed 61.3% of his passes for 426 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in two starts. Jayden Daniels missed two and a half games with an elbow injury and still leads the league at 8.5 yards per carry.
4. Ball security. The Eagles are tied for 30th with three takeaways. Washington has two giveaways, fewest in the league.
5. Kicking. Jake Elliott is 5 for 5 on field goals and 16 for 16 on extra points.
6. History. Washington leads the series 91-88-5, but Philadelphia is 9-5 against it this decade and won the first meeting 24-22 on Sept. 13.

Who is missing

The Eagles ruled out Smith with a hamstring injury, and Saquon Barkley has no designation. Philadelphia also elevated running back Elijah Mitchell from the practice squad.

Washington put McLaurin on injured reserve with a torn patellar tendon and lost Payne, its standout defensive tackle, to a season-ending Jones fracture in Friday's practice. Treylon Burks is questionable with a foot injury but is expected to play.

Why it matters

The Giants lead the division and visit Philadelphia next week, so an Eagles loss would put them four games under .500 with a hard week ahead. Washington has a primetime problem too. It went 0-5 last season in games starting after 8 p.m. ET, and its last regular-season night win came on Dec. 29, 2024, against Atlanta.

Watch the Commanders' run game against Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. The Eagles rank 21st against the run, and Washington needs yards on the ground without McLaurin to lean on. Rookie Antonio Williams, who caught four passes for 64 yards and a touchdown against Philadelphia in Week 1, should see more targets.