Today’s game was the perfect summation of everything we’ve come to both love and loathe about this year’s Philadelphia Eagles. From a seemingly never-ending barrage of injuries to a heroic comeback attempt under impossible circumstances, the Eagles fell short of the mark on Sunday, tripping at the final hurdle against the AFC North powerhouse Baltimore Ravens. Here’s everything you need to know:
Injuries
Where do we even start? Zach Ertz, Miles Sanders, Jack Driscoll, K’Von Wallace. I think that just about sums it up. It’s absolutely shambolic that the Eagles continue to be ravaged by injuries to such a devastating degree year after year.
The little things mattered for the Eagles…
It’s very easy to look back in anger and wonder why Doug Pederson went for a 2-point conversion after the team’s first touchdown. The score was 17-6, the Eagles were still someway off making a comeback and even the touchdown itself involved a fumble and a J.J Arcega-Whiteside fluke. The attempt failed.
Elsewhere, John Hightower dropped maybe the easiest pass he’ll ever be thrown in his career – one he simply had to make early in the game. He wasn’t the only one to suffer from the dropsies. Miles Sanders let a touchdown slip through his fingers in the endzone after failing to track a perfectly thrown ball correctly.
Jake Elliott missed a field goal from a very makable distance, just to add some fuel to the fire.
On defense, Nate Gerry blew assignments, and Lamar Jackson tallied 108 rushing yards on the day, highlighting what we already knew: The Eagles linebacking corps has been craving investment for months.
Despite all of this, the Eagles only lost by 2 points. The fact that any of these misfires, errors, and regrets are even in the ‘shoulda, coulda, woulda’ conversation, is thanks to the efforts of one man: Carson Wentz.
…Because of Carson Wentz
Wentz wasn’t perfect, but he was a lot better than we’d seen in recent weeks. There were some plays he’d like back, but the fact that he was playing behind an offensive line that consisted of:
3rd string LT
2nd string LG
4th string RG
3rd string RT
which gave up 16 QB hits and 6 sacks, and still put the entire team on his back and rallied them to a 4th quarter performance that very few QB’s could, is staggering. There was no Zach Ertz, no O-line experience, no top-tier receivers. Jason Croom, a practice squad TE, was responsible for one of his two touchdowns on the day.
Wentz danced, ducked, and delivered when needed the most. Refusing to say die despite being 3 possessions down and being bashed on what felt like every single play, the face of the franchise willed his team to what was nearly a comeback for the ages. A 4th and 9 beauty to Travis Fulgham to keep the game alive? He made it look easy.
Wentz helped put up 22 fourth quarter points on arguably the best defense in the league. With no help. At all.
If there’s anything we can take from this game it’s that Carson Wentz has once again silenced the doubters. And Air Horns should be banned from every stadium in the universe.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
