Jan 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn during the fourth quarter of a NFC wild card playoff against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

NFL insider says Commanders braced for beating vs Eagles in wild claim

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 12:00 PM ET

The Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles' NFC East rivalry is starting to hit heights we haven't seen in some time.

Both teams are now preparing for another gauntlet of a season in 2025. The Eagles are the defending Super Bowl champions and will be looking to go back-to-back, while the Commanders are eager to step into their place as NFC champions with the potential of bringing home the Lombardi trophy.

Each team will have to make a run through the regular season while playing each other twice in pivotal matchups that could help determine the NFC East crown.

In 2024, the Commanders split their regular season series with the Eagles but unfortunately were run off the field in their third meeting, the NFC Championship game. Many thought the game would be closer than the 55-23 final score, but recently it has surfaced that the Commanders anticipated being manhandled, according to sports personality Mike Florio.

Mike Florio claims that on the day of the NFC Championship, someone close to him who knows Washington personnel said that “the Commanders know they’re getting their a**** kicked today and they’re just kinda bracing for it”

Do you believe this? pic.twitter.com/mKeLuV2STk
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) May 31, 2025

It is hard to believe that any team would walk into a matchup of this caliber expecting to get their doors blown off. Yet alone a team that was an underdog from the onset of the season.

Throughout the season, the Commanders proved they weren't afraid to step up against the NFL's top competition, and that resulted in a strong regular season and deep playoff run. Add in the fact that the Commanders bested the Eagles once already, so they likely had some momentum from knowing that they could do it again.

We will never know if this was true, but it seems far-fetched. Either way, the rivalry between these two NFL franchises will only continue to grow as they have both put themselves in a position to be great in the foreseeable future.