Struggling Eagle Blew a Golden...
Struggling Eagle Blew a Golden Opportunity Against Green Bay The only thing keeping the Eagles in the playoff hunt is the mediocrity of the NFC. The Eagles had a real chance to make a statement against a stumbling Green Bay Packers team that had lost four in a row entering Lincoln Financial Field on Monday night.
Green Bay, with quarterback Aaron Rodgers slicing up the Eagles, kept its own playoff hopes alive with Monday's 27-13 win. Now the Eagles are 5-6, but since nobody is running away with things they are still mathematically in the hunt .
Washington owns the final wild card spot with a 6-4-1 record. There are three 6-5 teams and the Eagles and Packers are the 5-6 squads.
But while mathematically alive, it's hard to think of the Eagles as a playoff contender.
They were facing a Packers team had allowed an average of 38.2 points in its last four losses. The Eagles were able to generate just 292 total yards.
Carson Wentz has been put in a difficult situation although he is gaining valuable experience that the Eagles feel will bode well for the future for their rookie quarterback.
As for the present, at times Wentz was running for his life and ended up being sacked four times by the Packers. Went also overthrew a pass to tight end Zach Ertz that was an easy interception for Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix.
The Eagles benched struggling receiver Nelson Agholor and then top receiver Jordan Matthews went out in the second half for good with an ankle injury.
Let's not suggest that things might have been different had Agholor been in there. He only had 27 receptions for 264 yards and one TD in 10 games and to suggest that he could have been a difference maker is not realistic.
The Eagles have a below average receiving corps and without Matthews, they took a major hit.
While the defense struggled, at least they had one excuse - Rodgers, who flashed his Hall of Fame form, completing 30 of 39 for 313 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. HIs passer rating was 116.7, compared to Wentz's 75.5.
There is talk about the Eagles having to run the table to be in playoff contention. That is not realistic talk. What the Eagles were talking about and rightfully so, was trying to win next week's game at Cincinnati against the struggling 3-7-1 Bengals.
After that, the Eagles face four teams with winning records - Washington (6-4-1), at Baltimore (6-5), before finishing with home games against the New York Giants (8-3) and Dallas Cowboys (10-1).
So instead of talking playoffs, the Eagles should strive for more consistency. At this point it's tough envisioning a winning record. Yet the NFL is full of twists and turns and the Eagles can only hope their fortunes turn upward, the way they were when the team started out 3-0 and had so much optimism in a season that right now has taken a serious downtown.
Photo Credit: dean bertoncelj / Shutterstock.com
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Author: Marc Narducci
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