By Ryan Shute, Sports Talk Philly staff writer
The 165th overall meeting between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins will take place at FedExField on Sunday afternoon at 1p.m.
Washington leads the series with a record of 75-83-6.
This Sunday will mark the 20th matchup of this classic NFC East rivalry at the venue that was originally named Jack Kent Cooke Stadium from 1997-1999, that has since been re-named FedExField.
The Eagles hold the overall FedExField series lead with an 11-8 record. However, FedExField is starting to develop a reputation of being a house of horror for the Birds.
Looking back at the last five trips to FedExField, the Eagles have dropped three of those games. Despite what appears to be a lack of success by means of wins and losses, a majority of the games have been highly competitive and seem to always have something of significance take place.
Close Calls
Four of the five games have been decided by seven points or less.
Running Off Wins
The Eagles two wins have come when they had a runner break the century mark. LeSean McCoy had the honor of being the running back to do this in both wins, as he ran for 126 yards in the 20-13 Week 6 victory in 2011 and rushed for 184 yards in the 2013 season opener on Monday Night Football.
The Eagles won 33-27, giving Chip Kelly the win in his NFL debut.
31 Plays
Speaking of Chip’s debut, the Eagles ran an obscene amount of plays in a very quick fashion early on in the game, which appeared to be the offensive system that Kelly would implement in the NFL to “revolutionize” pro football. I am not sure a "revolution" has taken place, but I am sure the Eagles ran 31 plays in the first quarter and would go on to run 78 total plays on the night.
Damage by DeSean
Wide receiver DeSean Jackson was released by the Birds after the conclusion of the 2013 season and signed with the rival Redskins to play his 2014 season.
In a Week 16 battle that year, the Eagles needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Jackson assisted his new team by playing the role of spoiler as he went off for 126 yards receiving. The 27-24 loss would put an end to the Eagles postseason aspirations.
One Turnover Too Many
Turnovers can make and break a football game in a split second. Washington has found themselves slightly winning the turnover battle, which may be an indication as to why they are 3-2 during this strecth.
The teams have combined for 21 turnovers, as the Eagles have turned the ball over 11 times to the Redskins 10.
Plethora of Passers
The two squads have combined for nine players to have at least one passing attempt in this timeframe. Carson Wentz is projected to be the 10th player overall and the sixth Eagle to do so.
The five Eagles who have attempted a pass are Michael Vick (2011 & 2013), Vince Young (2011), Nick Foles (2012), Mark Sanchez (2014), and Sam Bradford (2015), while the four Redskins passers include the likes of Rex Grossman (2011), John Beck (2011), Robert Griffin III (2012-2014), and Kirk Cousins (2015).