Instant reaction: Eagles go down fighting in 27-22 loss to Redskins
11 December 2016 Eagles News
The Eagles have now dropped five straight games to the Washington Redskins. After previously losing three straight in terrible fashion, today’s loss was very different. The Eagles fought through injuries and battled until the very end.
Here are some of the things I noted in the game today.
Carson Wentz is our franchise quarterback
Wentz is a competitor. He is a player who leads by example. Honestly, today was probably his best game in the NFL. Wentz finished the day 32 of 46 for 314 yards and one touchdown and one interception. Wentz was making plays out of nothing all day. His footwork was on point, he was accurate, and he competed. Wentz did some amazing things.
The Eagles need to build around him now. The Eagles still did not give Wentz a running game to work with. Without a run game, the Eagles put all the pressure on Wentz. When the Eagles do not rush for 100 yards, they are 0-6. Today they rushed for 95 yards as a team. Which brings me to make next point.
Offensive line woes continue to kill the Eagles
Before the game even started, starting right guard Brandon Brooks was ruled out with an illness. That left the offensive line in even more shambles. To start the game, the Eagles were working with a 35-year old aging left tackle, a backup left guard, a shaky center, a backup right guard, and the normal starting left guard, at right tackle.
When Matt Tobin entered the game for the injured Allen Barbre, the Eagles had officially used four different right tackles this season. Tackle is not a position you want to keep messing around with…. thanks, Lane Johnson.
This offensive line really did not do the Eagles any favors today. They were able to break off a few big runs, but their lack of consistency hurt the team. Also, if Wentz was not so agile, this offensive line would have been even a bigger issue. Wentz was sacked four times on the day. On more than one occasion, Wentz broke free from the immediate pressure to avoid a sack. Wentz cannot endure too much more pressure. This group needs to be strengthened.
The team did not quit
After playing a game with what seemed like little to no passion. The Eagles were heavily criticized by not only the fans but their head coach. How would they bounce back?
Today, the Eagles bounced back very well. All the players played with their hearts. Players even stepped up and played up to their contracts. It was nice to see this team compete and go down with a fight. Especially after last weeks loss.
Today showed the Eagles and the fans that it is going to be a process. We saw a team full of players who want to play for this city and Doug Pederson. It showed us where the talent needs to be added. It is up to the Eagles to add that talent.