It’s been a rollercoaster season for Chip Kelly and the curtain could well close on it in two days time. From the highs of upsetting the Patriots to the lows of being destroyed by the Lions, this is undoubtedly the most important game of his career.
This is technically already a playoff game for the Eagles, if they win..they then have to defeat the Giants in the final game of the season (which we predicted would be the scenario during one of our pre-season podcasts) and if they lose, it’s all over and the Redskins are somehow divisional champions.
Chip Kelly has constantly been in the spotlight this season..ever since his roster revamp in the off-season, many have had their eyes and ears pinned on his each and every move. Before the season the Eagles were perhaps wrongly touted as Superbowl favourites and now could see Chip Kelly’s first losing season.
So why is this the most important game of Chip’s career? Quite frankly, he’s dug himself a very deep hole and is verging on scrambling out of it. If Kelly can make the playoffs despite such a disjointed season it will be spare him of media scrutiny for another season at least..but it’s like the equivalent of a cheating husband saving his wife’s life….he’s out of the doghouse..for now..there are still some big issues that need addressing.
If the Eagles lose however, at the Linc, on Boxing day to round out an agonisingly frustrating season then it really isn’t going to sit down to well with the Eagles die hards. The repercussions whilst perhaps not too dangerous job will surely be large enough to cause a few cracks in an already fragile glass.
This is the first season in which Chip Kelly has had full control over everything..who comes in, who goes out. It was a large risk to give Kelly the keys to the GM spot and controversial transaction after controversial transaction didn’t really instil too much hope. But a recent emergence of Bradford, a change of wind for the receivers and a shorthanded Defense who are clinging on by the skin of their teeth might just be enough to see the Eagles into the playoffs.
If the Eagles can somehow defeat the Redskins, overcoming a hot-handed Kirk Cousins, the speedy DeSean Jackson and the consistent cluster of receivers whilst missing their two most dominant corners then it surely is a mark in the “things Chip Kelly did right” column.
This Off-season is going to be a very important one for the Philadelphia Eagles..and it all starts with this game. If the Eagles can take the fight through to the final game of the season and mount a playoff charge then the Chip Kelly naysayers will crawl back into their caves for another season…but if they don’t and we see another Bucs situation unfold..it could spell disaster for Chip Kelly.
It’s not just do or die for the Eagles, it’s do or die for Chip Kelly.
