It was bound to happen eventually. In each of the Eagles’ past two seasons, they managed to sneak by the Atlanta Falcons in low-scoring games, beating Atlanta 15-10 in the 2017 NFC Divisional Round and then 18-12 in last year’s season opener. Both games were played at Lincoln Financial Field, and both games were won in the final seconds after Atlanta drove deep into Eagles territory and were unable to convert a fourth down.
This time around, the script was flipped: the Eagles found themselves down late, driving with less than a minute to go in the game. On 4th and 8 at the Falcons 16 yard line, Carson Wentz found Zach Ertz, who came up short after being unable to shake Atlanta cornerback Isaiah Oliver. This came minutes after Wentz orchestrated a go-ahead drive featuring some ridiculous passes and a QB sneak for the lead, which was quickly relinquished when Atlanta ran a perfectly-executed screen pass to Julio Jones to take the lead. The Eagles nearly retook the lead when Wentz found Nelson Agholor wide-open on the subsequent drive, but Nelly dropped the perfectly-thrown pass.
Did it suck that the Eagles lost? Yes, very much so. Should they have won the game? Yes, very much so. Is this the end of the world or even the Eagles’ season? No, not at all. Last night saw the Eagles have maybe the worst injury luck I’ve ever seen in a football game. Here’s a list of Eagles players that either didn’t play or missed plays because of injury last night:
- Carson Wentz (ribs, concussion protocol)
- Alshon Jeffery (calf)
- DeSean Jackson (groin)
- Jason Kelce (concussion protocol)
- Dallas Goedert (calf)
- Timmy Jernigan (foot)
- Nelson Agholor (concussion protocol)
- Corey Clement (shoulder)
- Jason Peters (unknown)
- Sidney Jones (concussion protocol)
Not every game is going to extract a toll that high. Many of those players returned to the game, and while I’m no doctor, I’m willing to guess that not everyone who was forced to sit out last night will be missing significant time.
The Eagles are far from a flawless team. The offense has a penchant for slow starts, the defensive line is thin, and the secondary is streaky at best. However, not every game is going to end with Wentz being limited to Agholor, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, and Mack Hollins as his only wide receiver options. The Eagles aren’t going to face off against offensive weapons like Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Devonta Freeman, and Mohamed Sanu every week. We’re fine.
The Eagles take on an average-at-best Lions team next week. Hopefully, it will be an opportunity to work out some kinks without injuring 10 key players.
ReJoyce 