As has become customary, the Philadelphia Eagles have lost another football game in 2020. Shocker. This time, it was to the NFC’s second-seed, the Green Bay Packers. The 30-16 defeat marks the fourth straight for Philadelphia, making Doug Pederson’s hot seat even hotter. It was just another sloppy Eagles’ football game, yet somehow, it became the most interesting of the season.
Rookie QB Jalen Hurts, drafted in the second round this year, got his first significant action. Yes, the man so many have been screaming to replace Wentz finally had his number called. Ahead, we’ll discuss how that turned out and what occurred in this week 13 matchup.
Rodgers and the Packers Dominate the Eagles for Most of the Game
As should’ve been realized already, the Green Bay Packers are one of the best teams in football. Future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers and co. make for one of the league’s most effective offenses. On top of that, their defense is good enough to win football games. The Eagles ran into this challenge in their typical fashion, going down early and never truly being able to mount a comeback. Yes, as it turns out, the 2020 Eagles are still the 2020 Eagles, even with all of the clamoring for change.
However, one player of note, and for a good reason, was Jalen Reagor. The rookie still didn’t blossom into the pass-catcher many hoped he would be, but we finally got a glimpse of his explosiveness. Putting on his best Desean Jackson impression, Reagor muffed a fourth-quarter punt before scooping it up and taking it to the house. This type of play is something Eagles’ fans have been begging for, and at last, they got it.
On another note, Darius Slay had another poor showing. This is particularly newsworthy because, until week 12, Slay was one of the Eagles most consistent players. However, two poor weeks back-to-back have made some fans concerned. Now let’s not kid ourselves, D.K. Metcalf and Davante Adams are two of the league’s best, so it’s not shocking that Slay struggled as he did. However, as a perennial Pro Bowl corner, more was expected out of him.
However, When All Hope Looked Lost, An Eagles Rookie Appeared…
And his name is Jalen Hurts. Yes, after months of fans complaining online about Wentz’s play, the people finally got what they’ve been waiting for. The rookie walked out on the field with many wondering what was to come, and in the end… he was surprisingly effective. Hurts came out looking confident and decisive, hitting on a few throws and scrambling when needed. It was by no means a perfect performance, but it was something the rookie can build off of. He even capped off his day with a beautiful deep ball to the other rookie Jalen, this one named Reagor.
Hurts nearly lead an Eagles’ comeback in his first time leading an NFL offense. However, this has opened up some quarterback controversy in Philadelphia. What will happen with Wentz? Is Hurts going to start for the rest of the season? What about Wentz’s massive contract? For now, all we can focus on is the remainder of the season. However, this will be an interesting story arc to pay attention to going into the 2021 season.
What’s to Come for the Birds?
Today answered a lot of questions. For one, it appears that, just maybe, Hurts may be the solution to Philly’s offensive woes. He significantly outperformed Wentz and gave the Eagles’ offense a spark it hasn’t had all of 2020. Today also showed that, just maybe, Wentz’s time remaining in Philly may be a lot shorter than most hope. The quarterback has proven repeatedly that he does not fit the Pederson game plan. The organization has also failed their “franchise” quarterback, not surrounding him with anyone worth an NFL contract or coaching him to his strengths.
Right now, it’s probably time to start looking towards the draft. The Giants are red hot with the Football Team not far behind, and with the birds remaining schedule, playoff hopes look bleak. Wentz may be done for 2020, and the coaching staff may be getting a significant makeover come this offseason. Sunday’s game showed a lot, yet we got no answers. With that, Sunday felt like just another failed week for the Eagles. It’s been a rough 13 weeks, Eagles’ fans. Now let us try to hang on for these last four.
