Both teams tossed their October scripts in the shredder and are seeking a November reboot Sunday night when the Washington Commanders host the Philadelphia Eagles.
Five quarterbacks collected zero wins in a combined seven games last month for the NFC East rivals, who now find themselves buried in the division. Philadelphia (2-5) sits in third place, ahead of only Washington (1-4-1).
Jayden Daniels, Marcus Mariota and rookie Athan Kaliakmanis took snaps as the Commanders went 0-2-1 in October, while Tanner McKee took the reins from an ailing Jalen Hurts as the Eagles staggered through an 0-4 month.
The Commanders have not won a game since Sept. 27. The Eagles, who beat Washington behind Hurts’ three touchdown passes in the season opener, have not cracked the win column since Sept. 20.
“It’s going to be an absolute battle. I think it’s two angry teams willing to fight for the last snap and significant matchups in all three phases,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday. “For us, what I’m really digging in and pushing on is I’m looking for winning football for all four quarters. We know the plan. We know what needs to be done.”
There is at least one more thing both teams have in common besides awful Octobers. Injuries to the starting QBs — Daniels’ left elbow and Hurts’ blood clots — have largely overshadowed the struggles of both defenses.
Philadelphia is tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the fewest takeaways (three) and is the only team that hasn’t recovered an opponent’s fumble. Only Miami (six) has fewer sacks than the Eagles (eight), and the Dolphins have played one fewer game.
Only the Arizona Cardinals (29.7) are giving up more points per game than Washington (28.7). The Commanders also have the NFL’s second-worst red-zone defense, allowing touchdowns on 18 of their opponents’ 22 trips inside the 20.
The Eagles are on a short week, coming off a 38-21 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night in which they led 21-20 late in the third quarter. They are trying to avoid their first six-game losing streak since an eight-game skid in 2012.
Against the Cowboys, Philadelphia gave up 416 total yards — 204 on the ground — and did not record a sack or a tackle for loss.
“I did not see an effort issue on Monday night,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday. “Obviously, it was other things. … But effort in no way, shape or form was an issue there.
“Now, do you bat 100% on effort? No, you don’t play a perfect football game. So anytime there is an effort standout in a positive way, we show it to the team, we show what the standard is. And anytime there is one that we feel there was a loaf, we point that out and show that to the team. But … I didn’t look at the tape and say, ‘Hey, this was an effort issue and this is why this play happened or that play happened.'”
Six Eagles did not practice on Wednesday, including star running back Saquon Barkley (hamstring/back) and top wide receivers DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle). Six others practiced on a limited basis.
The Commanders are rested after a bye week and looking for their first win in the division. They were stuffed on a late two-point try in the 24-22 loss at Philadelphia in Week 1, lost 37-20 at Dallas in Week 2, then ran out of time in a 27-27 overtime tie with the division-leading New York Giants in Week 5.
Tight end John Bates (shoulder) and defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (knee) missed Washington’s Wednesday practice.