The Eagles' franchise-best winning streak was snapped on Sunday as the Birds fell 36-33 on the road to Washington. During this holiday season, here are some thoughts I currently have on the team ahead of Week 17...
Don't get hung up on this Eagles loss
It's a thought process common throughout the football landscape, but specifically during Nick Saban's time at Alabama, his teams had a 24-hour rule following games. Either celebrate a win or "flush" a loss and get back into the swing of things before the next matchup. Well more than 24 hours later, the Eagles themselves should be flushing away this loss in Landover and I'd urge the fan base to feel that way as well.
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Frustration is understandable. Losing after having double-digit second-half leads is never a fun proposition. Jayden Daniels went superhero mode and carved up the Eagles' defense on that last drive after it had been the best unit in the sport for most of the NFL season.
The obvious immediate caveat to this loss is that Eagles missed Jalen Hurts for most of the game with a concussion. It remains to be seen the severity of this issue and how long Hurts will be sidelined, but he is currently in the concussion protocol. If he's able to recover and be out on the field in the middle of January as the No. 2-seedeed Eagles host the the final Wild Card team in the NFC, however, no one will be fretting this one-off loss that still has the Birds in the driver's seat for the the division.
Speaking of the playoffs...
Will the Eagles face the Commanders in the postseason?
If the playoffs began next week (they don't), the Eagles would face... the No. 7-seeded Commanders. The Eagles should relish the opportunity for a third meeting with Washington this season. This one will come back at Lincoln Financial Field, naturally. The Eagles would have three weeks to rest up and hopefully get their quarterback back out there healthy and ready to play.
In their celebration following the game, Washington acted as if that game was their Super Bowl, slaying the dragon in front of them that was in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. Maybe it was! Daniels has been excellent for Washington this year, but history isn't too kind to QBs in playoff debuts, particularly rookies. The Eagles, of course, need to firmly lock up the division first over the next two weeks, but I'd bank on a large contingent of the Delaware Valley eating up a chance to put a smackdown on this Commanders squad at home.
An Eagles Kelly Green uniform history lesson
The Eagles will wear their beloved Kelly Green alternate uniforms on Sunday against the Cowboys in a game that has now been flexed to 1:00 PM. The Eagles' final season with the full-time, primary Kelly Green look was the 1995 campaign. Their final game in the now-throwback set? It was a 30-11 Divisional Round Playoff loss to, coincidentally, the Cowboys on the road. The Eagles were down 30-3 at one point in the fourth quarter. Not great. I can't imagine the internet handling that one well.
The Eagles would switch to midnight green ahead of the 1996 season.
Will Jalen Carter ever pick off a quarterback spike?
On Sunday, Jalen Carter attempted to pick off Jayden Daniels while the Commanders quarterback was spiking the ball:
That's not the first time Carter has attempted it. Notably, he tried to do so against Kansas City last season:
It'll make for a high-IQ, all-time highlight if he can eventually do it.
Eagles fans really hate Greg Olsen
The FOX announcing booth at the Linc on Sunday will be the same as the one they had this past week against Washington:
I haven't seen a social media uproar of a Philly sports broadcast since the outrage over Joe Buck and Tim McCarver during the 2009 World Series.
I'm all in favor of people just irrationally hating things in the sports world, it's what makes the whole experience so thrilling.
Olsen may have taken the blowback personally given that he felt the need to defend his in-game takes:
I'd expect Olsen to hear it from any Eagles fans he encounters this upcoming Sunday.
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