As we head into the off-season there is plenty of work for this Eagles team and front office. The Eagles had an incredible season, but couldn’t win the last game. It is still challenging to open up. This was the greatest Eagles team in franchise history, and they fell painfully short of the goal. It was an all time Super Bowl, but that doesn’t matter because the Eagles lost. Three plays stand out and should haunt every Eagles fan.
The Hurts Fumble
The most painful part of this play is that it happened to Jalen. Hurts played arguably his best game as an Eagle and outplayed the best quarterback in the league (he should have been MVP), but this was still a heartbreaking play for many reasons.
For one, the score was 14-7 before the fumble. All season the Eagles had marched down the field and extended their leads, instead after this play it was tied at 14. The Eagles still took a ten point lead into half-time, but without this fumble who knows how much more it could have been. The Eagles had a huge chance to take control of this game and the fumble kept Kansas City around.
The Quez Watkins Drop
Although the Hurts fumble is the biggest mistake of the game, this play lingers in my mind more than any. This was the play to extend the lead heading into the fourth quarter. Hurts placed a perfect ball to Watkins with a man right in his face. Instead of running through the ball and catching it or high pointing the ball, Quez took an awkward stride and didn’t make the play. This play swung all the momentum to Kansas City and ultimately may be the reason they lost.
The Flag
The most obvious play of the game that will live in every Eagles fan’s head. Not even because of the call but because of what the call meant – Jalen Hurts would not get to touch the ball again. It would have been a three point KC lead with a minute plus on the clock, not to mention two timeouts. Instead, the Chiefs were able to run out the clock and kick a winning field goal with hardly any time left.
This call sent a disbelief through the Super Bowl parties across Philadelphia. Even the entire sporting world was shocked that it was called. It technically was a holding penalty, but there was no standard set in this game for that foul to be called. Even when officials are poor, all players ask for consistency. This was the most inconsistent call I have ever seen in a situation like this, and it ended a Super Bowl. Now it will forever be “what if Jalen Hurts got the ball back?”.
This loss will hurt forever. You don’t lose a Super Bowl and move on. It was a golden opportunity squandered by a few bad plays and an underprepared coaching staff. This team will be back. Jalen Hurts will lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory, it is only a matter of time. But for now, Hurts does not have a ring and the loss will sting until he gets one.
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