Right now the world is a different place. Shops are closed, people are staying at home and sporting events are postponed.
For you, the die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fan, it is a rough time.
The NFL recently made NFL Game Pass free to the public until May 31st. You see this as an opportunity, a way to make things feel semi-normal again. You sign up for complimentary access and come to find you have access to the last 11 seasons of the NFL. You sigh, realizing that the Eagles 44-6 beat down of the Cowboys in 2008 is not offered, but you digress.
With the amount of time on your hands, you will still find hours of Eagles games to pass the time.
Carson Wentz’s Debut // Week 1 (2016): Browns vs Eagles
One of the main things you feel during your time lounging around on your couch is boredom. You try to escape it in many ways. Video games, Netflix, puzzles, napping, you’ve tried everything, but nothing seems to work. For a few hours, you simply want to enjoy something and not have the urge to fall asleep during it.
You flip on the week one matchup in 2016 that saw Carson Wentz dawn midnight green for the first time as a way to look back on the start of the new era of Eagles football.
As Carson Wentz takes the team down the field on his first drive, you see what made him the number two pick. You see a player such as Zach Ertz makes plays and you know that soon he would go above and beyond to become one of the best tight ends in the game.
You also see the cornerbacks of that time in Leodis McKelvin and Nolan Carroll get burnt by a Browns receiving core that consists of Terrelle Pryor and Corey Coleman. Two guys that you have to look up to see if they still are in the league.
The Miracle at the Meadowlands Pt. III // Week 15 (2010) Eagles at Giants
For anyone to be home day in and day out is tough. You miss the friends that make you laugh and make you have a good time. You also flip on the news and see the statistics in regard to death and disease. You search the internet but can find nothing related to the idea of hope, the thought of persevering even when times are tough.
To get that feeling you turn to a moment in your long tenure as an Eagles fan that epitomizes having hope, even when the score shows otherwise. The Miracle at the Meadowlands.
You watch as Eli Manning and Mario Manningham carve up the Eagles secondary and the Eagles offense does nothing to respond. With just over eight minutes to go in the game, Kevin Boss hauls in a touchdown that looks to be the dagger, but you know it is not.
As the Eagles offense responds with a Brent Celek touchdown, Michael Vick touchdown and a Jeremy Maclin touchdown to tie the game the energy builds. You know what is going to happen next and when Matt Dodge does end up lining up to punt the ball to Desean Jackson it all culminates.
As Jackson runs down the sideline, you catch the moment of Tom Coughlin tossing his playbook in disgust. That image always makes you laugh and that whole game never gets old.
Week 13 (2015): Eagles at Patriots
In your hours of spare time, you have come to find that some things just do not make sense. The world does not make sense, people do not make sense, but most importantly the 2015 Eagles did not make sense. To you, the benefit of watching the game comes solely out of the fact that the Eagles beat the Patriots and Tom Brady in Foxborough.
The site of Sam Bradford under center and Demarco Murray running out of the shotgun still makes you twitch as if those images are the thought of nightmares.
Just seeing the name Kiko Alonso still makes you angry knowing that he was the player your team received in trade for LeSean McCoy, the best running back in Eagles history.
The camera pans to Chip Kelly and all you can think about is how much talent that man wasted over his three-year tenure. Regardless, you keep politely reminding yourself the Eagles won this game. Watching Tom Brady throw a pick-six still makes you happy.
The fact that this team led by Chip Kelly beat a 10-1 Patriots squad will never make sense to you. Especially considering three weeks later, Kelly and company could not beat a bad Redskins team at the Linc with the division on the line.
Sometimes some things are just better to be left unanswered.
Super Bowl LII // Eagles vs Patriots
Unlike the last Patriots game you watched that made little to no sense to you, this game makes all the sense in the world. You own the super bowl video and remember watching the replay of the game while you waited for the parade through the city to start.
You still remember the moments as if they happened yesterday. Watching Alshon Jeffery jump over Eric Rowe for a touchdown, Corey Clement playing out of his mind, Zach Ertz extending across the goal line to take the lead, the Philly Special and Brandon Graham making the one play you always dreamed about.
As you sit on your couch, you feel the same feelings you got a little over two years ago. You still get the goosebumps when a big play happens. You reflect on being an absolute nervous wreck during the whole game. You remember finding the commercials to be annoying instead of funny and the halftime show a waste of time instead of entertaining.
When the final play comes and you watch as the Patriots fall short of a comeback, you know the feeling this game brought to you and will always bring to you, pure joy. In a time now where things are gloomy and it is hard at times to be happy, this game serves as a reminder to you as an Eagles fan.
You went through all the tough times as an Eagles fan and when things finally turned the corner, it was a truly special day.
That same sort of thought applies during this challenging time the world is in today.
Featured Image: Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports
