Why the Eagles Fumbled Through Their Season
February 5, 2021
The Philadelphia Eagles have had a record-breaking season — but not a record they, or anyone in their relatively huge fanbase, should be proud of.
In the midst of a pandemic, professionals and analysis alike questioned the entire fate of this football season. But ever since their kickoff loss to the Washington Redskins, there has been little hope to make a comeback and clinch the top slot for the NFC East Division, arguably one of the worst in the entire NFL. Not only did they fail to make the Wild Card and Playoff games, but they placed last in the division.
If you’re a devout Eagles fan like me, then this season likely hurt you both physically and mentally. From a high interception rate to the controversial choice to recently play reserve QB Nate Sudfeld, here are the worst mistakes the team made this season.
Week 17 – Against the Washington Redskins
Dropping a snapped ball! In the fourth quarter, while the Eagles were down 17-14, head coach Doug Pederson subbed third-string QB Sudfeld, which was honestly one of the worst decisions he could have made. Keeping Jalen Hurts in would have been a much better idea.
If not deemed suitable for these circumstances, then you always have your first-string legendary QB Carson Wentz ! Sure, his performance has been a little off this season — thanks a lot COVID19 — but he just might have been what we needed to pull a win out of the regular season’s final game.
Week 1 – Once again, the Redskins
Week one certainly set the Eagles’ season out on the wrong foot. Suffering eight sacks and two interceptions, Wentz was able to lead them to a 17 point lead, but the Redskins soon caught up, taking a win of 27-17.
These super unfortunate statistics can only be attributed to the skilled defensive line of Washington and sheer bad luck. This devastating loss could have been greatly prevented by taking extra caution during preseason practices and making sure to pay extra attention to their defensive line, the heart of any team.
Week 6 – Against the Baltimore Ravens
After losing to the Baltimore powerhouse team by a mere two points (30-28), the Eagles began to question whether or not this season would succeed as it did from 2016-2018. A 37- and 74- yard run should have been a fantastic opportunity to go all the way after taking an early lead of 14-, but wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside fumbled just 5 yards short of the end zone, leading to a recovery, was seemingly not enough of a save to beat their opponents. Just like many other games they’ve played, these could have been prevented by sheer attention to detail. Better luck next time!
Three games, but countless mistakes! Those were the top games where Eagles fans and football junkies alike went “Seriously?!”.
Hopefully next season will bring along enthusiastic cheers — live crowd or not — and take the legendary Philadelphia Eagles all the way to the Superbowl! Déjà vu? Yeah, me too.