Eagles vs. Redskins: What's the Game Plan for Philadelphia?

The Philadelphia Eagles will face the Washington Redskins, weather permitting, at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, in an attempt to win their second game of the season.

The Eagles are fresh off their first victory of the season last week over the New York Jets. At the same time, Washington returns home after a loss to its fellow NFC East foes, the New York Giants, last Thursday.

Both teams enter the game 1-2 and, despite slow starts, are still in prime position to make a run for the division title, as they, along with the Giants, are tied with one win, and the Dallas Cowboys sit atop the East with only two wins.

The Eagles will be without inside linebacker Kiko Alonso for a few more weeks, but there is still hope for the return of Mychal Kendricks and DeMarco Murray. Philadelphia also lost a few starters to injury this week, as Andrew Gardner and Cody Parkey are both out for the season.

The reliability of new kicker Caleb Sturgis is still in question, so the Eagles will need to take care of business offensively against Washington.

Offensive Game Plan

The Eagles relied on their running attack last week to jump-start their offense, but this week, Philadelphia will need to attack Washington's secondary.

The Redskins secondary has been hit hard with injuries, as DeAngelo Hall will be out three to four weeks with an injury to his big right toe. Washington's Chris Culliver is also not fully healthy with a sore quadriceps muscle and knee, according to Brian McNally of CBS DC.

With injuries to both starting cornerbacks, Sam Bradford has a prime opportunity to jump-start his season and prove his worth. The Eagles quarterback comes into the game following a very pedestrian game last week where he completed 50 percent of his passes for only 118 yards. Bradford has also turned the ball over five times through three games with four interceptions and one lost fumble.

However, the Oklahoma product will be facing a Redskins defense that has struggled to force turnovers this season. Washington is tied with Jacksonville for the least amount of turnovers this season with only one through three games. The Redskins come into the game without a single interception and will be playing with backup cornerbacks throughout the game.

The lack of takeaways from Washington's defense allows opposing quarterbacks to challenge the defense without fear. Sunday will be as good a time as any for Bradford to show he can move the ball deep down the field.

The Giants exploited the Redskins secondary last week by using quick throws to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers. Going against backup cornerbacks, Jordan Matthews should be able to find space to operate. The Vanderbilt product also possesses the ability to turn a short reception into a big gain running after the catch.

This is a staple of the Philadelphia offense, so look for Chip Kelly to use shorter routes early to open deep throws down the field by Bradford later in the game.

So far this season, Matthews has emerged as Bradford's favorite target in the passing game. Through three games, the second-year wide receiver has racked up 22 catches for 231 yards and a touchdown. Matthews is the only Eagles receiver with a touchdown so far this offseason.

Against a struggling secondary, look for Bradford and Matthews to use their early chemistry to produce a dynamic passing performance.

Defensive Game Plan

Injuries continue to plague the Redskins not only on the defensive side of the ball, but also on offense. Head coach Jay Gruden announced Friday that DeSean Jackson will miss the game due to a hamstring injury he suffered during Week 1, according to Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post.

Philadelphia's secondary can limit its focus without the deep threat of Jackson on the field Sunday. Kirk Cousins has thrown three touchdown passes through the first three games of the season to different receivers. Without a true top receiver, Washington's starting tight end stepped up to make plays.

Heading into Sunday, the Eagles need to focus on limiting Jordan Reed's impact on the game. The tight end leads Washington in receptions (19) and receiving yards (241). Reed is clearly a primary option for Cousins, as he's been targeted 26 times through three weeks, only one behind Pierre Garcon's 27 targets.

Philadelphia's ability to match up with Reed is hurt by the injury situation at inside linebacker. The Eagles have listed starting inside linebacker Kendricks as questionable for Sunday despite being a full participant in practice this week.

Even if Kendricks is given the green light to play, he will not be fully healthy, and rookie linebacker Jordan Hicks has earned his playing time. Hicks came in halfway through the game against the Cowboys and made an instant impact with his strip sack of Tony Romo, which also forced the quarterback out of the game.

Besides making big plays, Hicks showed against Dallas that he has the knowledge to see how a play is developing and the athletic ability to hustle all over the field and make plays.

The University of Texas product followed that up with a team-leading performance in his first career start. Hicks led the team with 10 tackles against the Jets last weekend. The 23-year-old also recovered a fumble in the first half and intercepted a deflected pass in the second half.

With DeMeco Ryans' skill set focusing on stopping the running game, Hicks will be responsible for limiting Reed's impact Sunday.

Key Player and Matchup

The offense grabs headlines for its struggles, and the defense creates talk due to its improved play so far this season, but Sunday's game against the Redskins may actually come down to special teams play.

With so many changing names on the roster sheet, the one constant performer this season is 32-year-old Darren Sproles. The veteran tailback changed the game last week against the Jets with his speed, strength and ability to make people miss.

The 5'6" running back featured heavily on the offensive side of the ball with 11 carries for 17 yards and four catches for 19 yards. Sproles also added a one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but his biggest impact will come in the return game.

Early in the second quarter, Sproles returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown. The runback was his sixth career punt-return touchdown and his third while in Philadelphia. Sproles' return sparked a 21-point quarter for the Eagles.

While the Eagles benefited from special teams play last week, the Redskins lost in the opening week of the season due to a punt-return touchdown from Jarvis Landry of the Miami Dolphins. 

With rain and wind in the forecast for Sunday, all it takes is one slip from the coverage team for Sproles to capitalize and turn the game in Philadelphia's favor.

Prediction: Eagles 20, Redskins 14

Philadelphia and Washington are both searching for their first divisional win of the season as they enter FedEx Field on Sunday. Despite slow starts, both teams are only one game behind the division-leading Cowboys, so a win could swing either team's projections into a positive path.

The Eagles come into Sunday fresh off their first victory of the season, as they defeated the Jets at MetLife Stadium last week. On the road for the second straight week, the Eagles will need their defense to hold strong once again. 

While the defense has steadied the ship, the offense has looked out of sync the first few weeks as all the new personnel learns to play with each other. However, this could be the week everything clicks offensively for the Eagles.

The Eagles finally got their running game rolling against the Jets. Ryan Mathews and Sproles carried the load successfully last week, but Kelly may be able to integrate Murray more into the offense this week as well as he returns from a hamstring injury.

Bradford and the passing attack will only benefit from the threat of a three-headed monster in the backfield. Working against Washington's injury-depleted secondary, Kelly will attack the corners early and often Sunday.

Look for Bradford to throw for over 300 yards against the Redskins this Sunday, which would be only his second 300-yard game of the season. The Oklahoma product may finally start to take some chances deep as well this week since Washington is yet to intercept a pass this season.

Philadelphia will carry over its form from its victory over the Jets. Although the Eagles got out to a slow start, Kelly can build his game plan on strong play on the defensive side of the ball and a dangerous running attack.

The Eagles' overall talent and momentum will carry them past the inconsistent Washington Redskins.