* The Eagles won an exciting game Sunday afternoon against the Rams, 43-35, a game which clinched the NFC East, a game which put the Birds in the no. 1 seed again after Minnesota lost, a game which propelled Philly to an 11-2 record. Yet, despite all of that positive achievement, the aftermath felt like a funeral.
QB Carson Wentz hurt his knee and will have an MRI today, but initial reports indicated a torn ACL in his left knee. If true, he will require surgery and will be done for the rest of the season.
Back-up quarterback Nick Foles came in an won the game in the fourth quarter. Foles is an experienced guy. He's no Wentz- who is?_ and you can't expect to replace an MVP-type player. But if Foles manages the game, and Coach Pederson runs the ball more, and the defense steps up and the offense limits turnovers, the Eagles still have a shot to go far.
When Wentz went down, I felt as I did back in the early 90s when QB Randall Cunningham tore up his knee during the Reggie White era when the Birds were primed for a Super Bowl run.
Right now, Wentz helped to set-up the Eagles in their current position. They basically have 3 home games to finish the season. There may be more Philadelphia fans in New York this Sunday when they play again then Giants fans. Then comes games at the Linc against Oakland and Dallas. Win those games, cement a playoff bye and home field advantage thru-out, and suddenly the NFC road to the Super Bowl travels through Philly.
The Eagles will have at least one home game. We have to hope we get the Nick Foles of 2013, when he threw 27 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions, rather then the Foles later, who sucked in St. Louis and Kansas City.Opponents may look a tit as, OK, no big deal, if we have to play in Philadelphia in the playoffs, so what? We're playing against a back-up quarterback. No big deal.
Hopefully teams do have that attitude and take the Birds lightly. So, I'm not giving up. This squad has been a team of destiny all season. All the breaks have gone their way, including the Vikings loss yesterday. We didn't get this far, at 11-2, to surrender now. The Eagles need to keep with the "next man up" philosophy and fight hard, the players rallying behind foles, with the fans behind them, and grab that blue-collar, underdog mentality again and continue to surprise football fans everywhere.
* Regarding the game itself.... turnovers again proved to be key, as the Rams scored early after a deflected interception and a healthy dose of running back Todd Gurley. Turnovers proved to again be the key when Defensive End Chris Long caused a Jerod Goff fumble in the fourth quarter That set up a game-winning Jake Elliot field goal.
I was surprised the Rams went away from Gurley after that, as the Eagles run defense, which had been so strong this year, broke down all day against one of the best running backs in the league. The defense gave up 35 points and a ton of yards to LA, but the Eagles had the ball more, and the defense came up big when it counted at the end. The Rams had the ball late, with a chance to drive down the field for a game-winning field goal, but instead went three-and-out and had to punt.
* Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp is a big agile guy, a receiver the Eagles were reportedly interested in drafting last spring. In fact, Kupp and Wentz worked out together in the off-season. but the Rams snatched up Kupp in the fourth round and the Birds didn't get a chance to draft him.
* Penalties once again were key, and the Rams made several really stupid penalties to extend Eagle drives. Personal foul penalties are a lack of discipline, especially in a young team, and the Rams kept drives alive for the Birds.
* I did question Pederson's decision to go for a TD on the drive where Wentz got hurt. It was fourth-and-goal from the Rams three-yard-line. A field goal would've mad ethe score 28-27. Instead, Pederson went for it without hesitation, and Wentz ( on a torn ACL) threw a TD pass to Jeffery, who made an incredible catch. It all worked out, and I like Pederson being aggressive, but he must also coach smart.
The game turned out to be a shoot-out, the first game between the No. 1 & 2 offense in the league since the 1970s,so every point made a difference.
* RB Jay Ajayi ran wild yesterday, and the team will need to rely on a combo of Ajayi, Blount and Clement even more. Ajayi is averaging 8 yards a carry since he joined the Birds. Stay aggressive,. Hopefully TE Zach Ertz is back next week. Foles will get a few games before the playoffs to adjust and play with the No. 1 offense. Ajayi should be a big part of the drive to the Super Bowl.
* The offensive line needs to get better and fast. Running the ball more would help the less-mobile Foles stay upright. Hopefully they rally, with the rest of the team, and come together and play solidly, knowing that if Foles goes down, the team really is screwed.
To be honest, when the Birds signed Foles in the off-season as a back-up, we all said, well, that''s cool, but if Wentz goes down, it won't matter anyway who is the back-up.
* Adversity. All season long, critics have said, the Eagles haven't played anyone. They have it easy, an easy schedule, and haven't really faced adversity. Well, between the back-and-forth game, and the Wentz injury, the Eagles sure faced adversity, and will continue to face adversity, But again, if the team embraces its underdog status, this story-book year could become even more magical in the end.
This adversity should only serve to toughen the Birds for the street-fight ahead that is called the playoffs. Having every game at the Linc, in front of our fans, would help. Games like yesterday against the Rams, and even last Sunday at Seattle, should prove to be invaluable down the road.
* So, what does it all mean? Sure, I'm a fan, but I'm also a realist. The team can't lose a guy like Wentz and not feel the effects. Maybe in the short-term, things will be OK, as the Eagles face the horrible Giants next week. The next three weeks will hopefully bring the team even closer. Let's find out what this 2017 Eagles team is made of- both players and coaches-as they prepare for the playoffs.
You really can't say, Wentz is young, wait til next year. Who knows if the Eagles will be in this position next year. Look at the Cowboys, going from 13-3 to 7-6 so far this year. It's great that Wentz is young, hopefully will come back healthy ( no one has said yet, if Wentz needs surgery, how long it will take for Wentz to return. Will he be healthy for opening day in 2018?), and the future looks bright.
But don't give up on this 11-2 season. Not yet. Give Foles a chance. Give the entire team a chance. Pray that the MRI today gives us unexpected good news. Enjoy the run, as before, and stay positive
. I admit, it will be tough to do. A victory in Los Angeles should've been a happy, jubilant thing. I'm like most Eagle fans, unsure how to react. So, we need to support each other. And I imagine that first playoff game, it may be cold and snowy, with 66,000 frenzied fans, all pulling together, with an underdog, fighting mentality, and remain strong and positive that the magic will continue.
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