Are the Eagles Really Going to Do This Again?
Flashback to 2018. Carson goes down with an injury and Nick Foles takes over for the 6-7 team and leads the Eagles to three straight wins and a playoff birth.
Now in 2020, Jalen Hurts takes over for a struggling Carson Wentz and leads the team to a huge win over one of the best teams in the NFL, giving the team a much-needed spark. Sitting at 4-8-1 you would say there is basically no chance, but with the pathetic NFC East, there is hope.
Just like 2018, when Foles came in the Eagles playoff chances were slim and the same applies this year. Now in 2020 with Hurts under center, are the Eagles bound to make another late playoff push?
There is no guarantee, in fact, it is highly unlikely the Eagles make the playoffs, but you never know.
Photo: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
For some reason, this team rallies around the backup QB more than Wentz for reasons I will never understand. The Eagles played their best game of the season all around this past Sunday and for the first time in over a month, Eagles fans were able to celebrate a victory. Hurts wasn’t perfect, but he showed a lot of promise in his first NFL start against probably the best defense in the NFL. The last six quarters of football have been this team’s best football all season, so can they keep it going?
Now of course when something good happens, there is always something else to just ruin the fun.
The Eagles will be without Rodney McLeod, Jack Driscoll, and Avonte Maddox for the foreseeable future. Losing Rodney was a huge blow to this defense, and the release of Will Parks makes it look even worse. If the Eagles plan on making any run, they are going to need a lot of help from some unknown guys. K’Von Wallace, Matt Pryor, and Jalen Mills are going to need to play some of the best football of their lives for the rest of the season. Injuries just hit this team at the worst times, so the Eagles will need some help if they plan on trying to play in January.
The final three games of the season are at the Cardinals, at the Cowboys, and home against the Washington Football Team.
There is a chance this season could come down to week 17, but the Eagles can’t start overlooking their next two opponents.
The Cardinals are struggling, and they are dying for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive. Kyler Murray is playing extremely well this season, and the Eagles have had their fair share of struggles against dual-threat QBs this season. With the Eagles banged-up secondary, DeAndre Hopkins has to be ecstatic to play this Sunday (and so should his fantasy owners). Darius Slay is banged up and Maddox and Rodney are already out. If the Eagles have any shot at this game Sunday they need to at least contain that Murray-Hopkins combination. The last time the Eagles played the Cowboys both teams looked horrible. The Cowboys didn’t have Andy Dalton, but the Eagles were also playing a struggling Carson Wentz. The Eagles can’t get too confident even if it is the Cowboys.
Now, onto the biggest storyline for the rest of the season: Jalen Hurts.
The Eagles need Jalen to continue to play smart, clean football over the next three weeks. Hurts did everything right Sunday besides the fumble. He got the ball out quick, he stayed in the pocket when needed, and took off when he felt the pressure. The legs on Jalen Hurts are going to be a big bonus to this team, it just adds another element to worry about. With more snaps played, more film will be out, but the Eagles need Jalen Hurts to continue to play smart.
Personally, I feel like there is no shot at a playoff birth, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it. The Washington Football Team is coming off two very well played games and that defense looks ferocious. Washington looks like the team to beat, but anything can happen. The saying goes “any given Sunday”, can the Eagles live by that saying? Could you imagine if this team managed to get into the playoffs? People would start climbing street signs for that sole reason. This feels like a flashback to 2018, but the Eagles have a lot of work to do. If Jalen Hurts can lead the Eagles to another victory against the desperate Arizona Cardinals and the Football Team loses this weekend, then the Eagles are right back in it.
Are the playoffs the best for the future of this franchise?
Probably not, but boy oh boy would it make for some controversy in Philadelphia.
Featured Image: Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
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