Brian Baldinger joins The Sports Junkies to break down the Washington Commanders huge matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Baldy what's up, bud? Good morning guys. Sorry about that. I was uh, I don't know
00:05I was making a shake and I was uh looking at the ocean and I lost all track of time. So I apologize
00:11It's all good. No worries at all. Um, so we've been talking about this commander's eagles game for basically all week
00:18Okay, the the first game was kind of a tale of two halves because I'm not sure if you remember
00:24But washington had a seven three lead the half there was a bunch of punts
00:27Neither team looked great offensively in the first half
00:29And then barclay goes nuts in the second half and they explode and kind of pull away in the fourth quarter, right?
00:36Yeah, let me can you guys know anything about literature?
00:39Very little not as much as you okay. Well, see there's a point in the literature. It's called the denouement
00:46Yeah, it's at the point of the story where the ending gets revealed the climax, right?
00:52So to your point, it was a 12 10 game with 8 46 to go in the fourth quarter
00:58And the commanders had a fourth and two remember this play. Yeah, and jayden fumbled kind of bobbled a snap from bionish and
01:06Zach vaughn blew him up
01:07And so the eagles got good field because they were going into at least kick a field goal
01:11They were in field goal range that you know when I was watching the game, I thought okay
01:14Maybe if they get field goal, it's 13 12 the eagles got to come from behind and then from that moment on
01:20Saquon went nuts. He scored, you know, two touchdowns and you know became a blowout game
01:24But you know for three and a half quarters, it was very very tight
01:30It was right
01:31So what does that bode for this game because that was one of the first games when jayden was kind of dealing with his rib
01:36Injury, yep. Um, and so he clearly wasn't a hundred percent. We've seen him play better here the last few weeks
01:42Now we add a guy like latimore who I don't know if he's necessarily going to help against barkley a lot
01:48Um, but it certainly makes him more formidable defensively should limit aj brown a little
01:53Uh, even though he didn't kill us in the last game. He's killed us before. I don't know
01:57I'm just i'm getting a little more optimistic even though we laid an egg last week
02:02Yeah, yeah, but let me feed into the optimism. Yeah, because in that game
02:06Terry mcclaren caught one pass for 10 yards. Yeah, right. So yeah, he's he's
02:12Legitimately their home run hitter. It has been he's a deep passing game. He's got the 11 touchdowns
02:17um a career high
02:19Uh when the ball does go down the field it tends to go to him at least targeted to him. And so, uh, this
02:26This, uh quinion mitchell
02:28Uh, the right looking right corner from the eagles. I mean he's been outstanding now
02:32He really doesn't get tested a lot though. Like I you know, he doesn't have any interceptions
02:36He doesn't get targeted much, but he's been very good when he does but I mean, that's a matchup
02:41I mean mcclaren has killed the eagles in the past in many games like he has torched them
02:46And so last year they scored 31 points in each game against eagles now the eagles defense was bad
02:52The commander's defense was bad a year ago, and you know, the eagles defense has improved dramatically
02:57So you got to block up the front jaylen carter is an outstanding player. Milton williams has really come on
03:04They've got some guys that this nolan smith and second year player from georgia
03:08Is really really come on it's going to be a handful for andrew wiley
03:11So, I mean if they could block them up and take some shots to mcclaren I can see this thing, you know becoming pretty close
03:18Insider calls are brought to you by hellman's real mayonnaise
03:21You can purchase hellman's at your local walmart kroger or grocery store to add extra deliciousness and creamy flavor to your game
03:28They dishes this football season
03:30Um, all right, so saturday doubleheader texans chiefs my home's probably, you know, not going to go i'm sure for kansas city
03:36Um, but both those teams have already clinched they're in
03:39Chiefs still trying to hold on to that number one overall seed steelers ravens though the 430 game
03:45Um steelers already beat the ravens. This is for the division for the steelers
03:48They got some injuries they're dealing with with pickens and t.j. Watt your thoughts on this one in baltimore
03:54Well, I was there for that first game
03:57a couple weeks ago, uh in pittsburgh and pittsburgh
04:00You know, they have to take the ball away. Their offense is is very limited, especially without pickens
04:06They were awful last week and I thought they'd be awful against the eagles, but it was never really competitive game
04:13uh, just because pittsburgh's offense is
04:16You know, I mean they try to run the ball as much as they can
04:19They're not very good at it. Uh
04:21They have some moments of success and then russell wilson without pickens. It was just a check down game
04:26The eagles just tackled the check down. I I like the ravens in this game
04:30I I think their offense has a lot more explosion to it. He's got lamar
04:34They take their shots down the field baitman was huge last week
04:37Um, I just think with the the steelers without pickens their offense doesn't have a whole lot of juice to it
04:44And I think they can overcome
04:46The loss of tj a little bit if he can't go her big has been really good
04:51High smith is good. Preston smith is fine. I think as long as they're
04:55Taking the ball away like they did against lamar and the ravens a couple weeks ago
04:59I think they could have a chance to win it but
05:02You know ravens know they got to protect the ball against his team
05:04Where do you stand on the uh mvp debate because i'm actually kind of shocked that so many people are leaning josh allen
05:10Not that he's not amazing, but I thought like lamar's year has been like incredible
05:15Why wouldn't he be the leader in the clubhouse at this point?
05:18I don't know. I mean one team is
05:21You know 12 and 2 the other team is 8 and 5
05:24Uh, there's a there's a reason why they are eight or nine and five, I guess
05:28There's a reason why they are I mean lamar and some of those losses wasn't great. He wasn't great
05:33Against the steelers in the last game. They have owned lamar
05:36Um throughout the history
05:38He's really struggled against the defense, but I I I don't I can't think of an argument against josh allen right now
05:45Um in some of these biggest games put up 90 points the last two weeks
05:49He's scored 10 touchdowns. He's run for five and thrown for five
05:52There's nobody that's putting up those kind of numbers right now joe burrow, but he's playing on a bad team
05:58Uh, we'll see maybe if they went out and get to 98 maybe, you know, he can certainly beat he's got 36 touchdown passes
06:04Limited interceptions. He's been outstanding
06:07You know, he scored
06:0840 like almost 40 against the ravens twice a loss. That's kind of hard to do sometimes in this league
06:14Your thoughts on cousins, uh finally being replaced for michael panics
06:19Well, I mean people kept telling me that he was in a slump and i'm like that's not a slump. This is a declining player
06:26um
06:27They threw one touchdown pass
06:29In the last month to drake london when he was wide open last week
06:32All of us could have thrown that pass. I I thought the only chance the falcons had of winning that division
06:38Was if they made the change to michael pettige jr. I'm friends with guys in that team
06:42They keep sending me clips of him in practice carving up the defense
06:47Like his arm and athletic ability is what that team needs. They're running the ball. Great. Bijan had an unbelievable game last week
06:54Um, you know, but against the rainers and he's having a great season
06:58Like they've got a good running and they need a quarterback to balance it up and I thought
07:02Like it's not a knock on car cousins. It's never anything personal with me, but he has not been good at all
07:08And so, uh, he can't move anymore
07:11I mean at least he could get out of harm's way a little bit in the past and make a play
07:15The ravens sacked him four times and he had no ability to escape that rush
07:20Um, all right, so before we let you go we're getting back to the eagles and um and commanders the commanders lose
07:28And um atlanta beats the giants which I expect I mean
07:32They're kind of a mystery because we don't know how pennix is going to play but I still think they win
07:36Uh, that means next week when they play each other. It's basically a play-in game for the playoffs
07:41Um your thoughts on that possible matchup and scenario
07:44Well, I mean I think that the the commanders match up really well with atlanta
07:50They're pretty similar with like you said the wild card is what what's panic's going to do
07:55Because nobody's going to have any tape on them. Nobody's going to know really how to defend them
07:59They're going to have one game to go on
08:01I feel like
08:04The commanders have from the beginning of the season has been a better team
08:08I think jade's been more consistent than anything. We've seen atlanta from cousins
08:13And look he's the injury against carolina definitely sent him back a little bit and set the team back
08:18They went on that little bit of a losing streak, but defensively they played better than I thought they would all year long
08:24Correct credit, uh, dan quinn with some of the guys he brought in and what um, you know
08:28What they're doing defensively, but I think watching marshall adamore last week. He really didn't get tested much
08:34Um first time he's been on the field in I don't know six or eight weeks or something
08:38He should be better like he likes a good challenge
08:40I want to see him like I think that'd be a great matchup
08:43If he's all the way back against him and drake london would be good him and aj brown would be good this week
08:48He lives for those one-on-one matchups. Yeah. All right baldy. Appreciate the time man. Have a great weekend
08:54And we'll talk to you next week. Okay
08:56Enjoy the games guys