The stakes for the Washington Commanders current football team and staff couldn’t be higher than against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8 following a significant report by ESPN’s Adam Schefter Saturday evening.
The Commanders come into the contest with a 3-4 record. Their start to the season has been disappointing for head coach Ron Rivera, who came into the season on the hot seat. The Commanders looked like a potential playoff team following their heartbreaking three-point loss to the Eagles in overtime of Week 4.
That game dropped the Eagles to 2-2, and they were expected to have a quick turnaround win against the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football in Week 5. After all, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was on the hot seat himself for that game.
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The Bears blew out the Commanders 40-20 and have gone 1-1 since. They lost last week to the 2-5 New York Giants with quarterback Tyrod Taylor playing for an injured Daniel Jones.
Upper management has been vocal on social media about their disappointment with how the team has lost several games this year. The Commanders announced a staffing change for their analytics department this week with the hiring of Eugene Shen. That move appeared to hint that Rivera’s regime is on a short leash to keep their jobs.
The Washington Commanders could be trading after Week 8
Several players on the Commanders have been linked to the trade market in the offseason and this season. But the Commanders, with Rivera on the hot seat with a roster that should be competing for a Wild Card spot, chose to keep their star talent in Washington to start the season.
That could change right before the trade deadline on Tuesday.
According to a report by Schefter, the Commanders are set to execute trades and start rebuilding if the team loses to the Eagles on Sunday:
The Washington Commanders‘ decision on whether to proceed with trading players or pushing for the playoffs is expected to be influenced by Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, sources told ESPN.
A win against the NFC East-leading Eagles would supercharge the Commanders’ season and leave them 4-4, with a chance to fight for a playoff spot.
But a loss against their division rivals would drop the Commanders’ record to 3-5, including 0-3 against NFC East opponents, and leave them as potentially looking to unload players as soon as Monday morning.
Schefter believes the Commanders will trade Montez Sweat or Chase Young.
A loss would also mean Rivera’s time as the head coach of the Commanders is soon to be over. He’s been the head coach of the Commanders since the 2020 season.
The Commanders should come out motivated to save their season against the Eagles on Sunday. But a win won’t be easy to earn against the Commanders’ divisional rival, as the Eagles own the NFC’s best record coming into the game.
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