The 2022-23 Philadelphia Eagles are already going to the playoffs. Starting the season 13-1 led many to think about how special the current group could be.
Eagles have struggled in recent weeks
It’s all gone to the wayside in recent weeks after a pair of losses that have been tough to stomach. Jalen Hurts has been sat on the sidelines helpless as the seams have started to burst. It would be easy to hit the panic button, but is it a little too soon to do so?
There have been several collapses in NFL history that have been remembered for years due to the way they have transpired. The 2008 Cowboys, 2000 Jets, and several other teams struggled late in the season and ultimately lost a playoff spot because of it.
Philadelphia has dropped two straight football games when they could have clinched both the first seed and the NFC East. Both losses have come in a frustrating fashion. It’s the 20-10 loss to the Saints though that arguably raised the most red flags.
Nick Sirianni’s squad struggled to get off the field on defense, and their offense was shut down against one of the worst run defenses in football this season on Sunday. Because of their upset loss at home, the Eagles will need to beat the New York Giants on Sunday (again at home) to clinch the NFC East and the conference’s top seed.
The Giants shouldn’t be overlooked
It will be easier said than done. The Giants have won two of their last three games and have already clinched a playoff spot. While head coach Brian Daboll has not confirmed if he’ll sit the starters, many Giants reporters have announced that it seems likely Big Blue’s starters will see game action in Philadelphia on Sunday.
If that’s the case and the Eagles have to face the Giants’ starters, they’ll need to find a way to win at home in a contest that is anything but an end-of-year rest as we’ve become accustomed to seeing. If Philadelphia falls to New York, that would not only mean they lost out on the one seed, but they would also sacrifice the division in favor of the rival Cowboys.
The Eagles find themselves in a must-win spot
In short, Sunday has become a must-win game. Philly needs to win to stave off a collapse that would see them go from the conference’s top seed to the fifth-seeded wild card spot playing the team that eliminated them just last season.
And there is really no one to blame but themselves if they can’t get it done on Sunday.
AP Photo/Bryan Woolston
