Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson vs. Casey Rabach, Pete Kendall and Randy Thomas with be the battle that decides how much success the Birds have stopping the run.
Can Bunkley and Patterson continue to beat double team blocks and prevent Skins offensive linemen from releasing on the Birds linebackers? If the Eagles defensive tackles can dominate, Jim Johnson will be able to jump in two deep safeties coverages.
Antwaan Randle-El vs. Eagles corners in one-on-one match ups – Randle El racked up 162 pass catching yards against the Miami Dolphins. His speed is not breath taking but his quickness and playmaking ability is exceptional. The Birds have to do a good job of tackling Randle-El in open field. If they can’t handle him one-on-one, it’s going to force the Birds to alternate the double team coverage and leave Santana Moss singled up.
Chris Cooley vs. Chris Gocong – This will be a tremendous test for 2nd year Eagles Sam linebacker Chris Gocong. Cooley is very adept using quickness and savvy to get open. Gocong has to avoid letting the Skins tight even from lulling him to sleep. The key will be getting a jam on Cooley before he releases into his routes. If he can get a jam it will allow the Eagles pass rush to force Campbell to look elsewhere.
Jim Johnson vs. Jason Campbell – The Eagles defensive coordinator will try to keep Campbell off balance by blitzing him early and getting some hits on him. If the Birds keep the Washington ground game in check, Johnson will be able to expose the inexperience of Campbell. The Eagles need pressure up the middle to make Campbell move and stop him from getting a rhythm.
