Game Recap: Eagles Fall to Washington
It was a tale of two halves in the first matchup between the Eagles and Washington Football Team. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, the ending wasn’t in their favor. Here’s what we learned:
1. Carson Wentz…
In the first half, Carson Wentz looked like the best quarterback in the league. All the hype surrounding this new Eagles offense was real, and the Eagles were set to win by 40. But once the 2:00 warning of the first half passed, everything flipped on its head. Carson Wentz couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, and the offensive line couldn’t block a fly.
Obviously some of the blame falls on the big guys up front, but for some reason, Carson Wentz seemingly forgot how to play football during that commercial break. His accuracy dwindled and he just couldn’t figure out when to throw it away. Obviously his ability to extend plays is part of what makes him so good, but by his fifth year, he should know when to just chuck the ball into the dirt and look forward to another down. His inability to make that decision cost the Eagles several times, including one drive where he turned a shorter FG attempt into a 53-yarder (which was missed).
Wentz also struggled to protect the ball, tossing two interceptions and fumbling twice. Fumbles have been a huge problem for him to this point in his career and it’s a shame that he hasn’t cleaned that up yet. Some of these mistakes could be attributed to the lack of a rapport between Wentz and his young receivers, but there is no excuse for not protecting the ball when pressured. To put it plainly, Carson MUST be better for the Eagles to go anywhere.
2. That Offensive Line…
The Eagles knew they were going to be short-handed on the offensive line coming into the game, but nobody expected an eight-sack onslaught. Washington had several players with multiple sacks, including rookie Chase Young who had 1.5 in his NFL debut. Jason Peters was abysmal even after receiving a pay bump. Lane Johnson was out and his backup Jack Driscoll got hurt during the game. The only encouraging sign was that a battered line had this bad of a game against arguably the best defensive line in football. Not every team is going to come in with five first-rounders across their line.
It wasn’t just pass-blocking that was terrible. The Eagles, who were also short-handed at running back, couldn’t open a hole all day. The team’s leading rusher was Boston Scott who finished with 35 yards on barely 4.0 YPC. The absence of Miles Sanders stings, but he likely wouldn’t have done much behind this unit.
3. Injuries
I feel like I’ve used this heading in every single Eagles recap over the past two seasons. This team cannot catch a break on the injury front. Already missing Lane Johnson, Miles Sanders, Javon Hargrave, Derek Barnett, and Alshon Jeffery, the Eagles lost Vinny Curry and Craig James to “significant injuries” during the game. Brandon Graham, Jack Driscoll, Boston Scott, and possibly DeSean Jackson also were dinged up at some point in the contest. In 2017, 2018, and even 2019 it just felt like bad luck, but at this point, something is just off. Clearly the revamped training staff hasn’t done a thing. I’ve never seen so many hamstring injuries on one injury report. Something has to be done.
4. Tight Ends
Zach Ertz chose the worst possible week to go public about his contract fiasco. In his first game since a shouting match with Howie Roseman, Ertz caught just 3 of 7 targets for 18 yards and a score. He was thoroughly outplayed by his backup Dallas Goedert who some actually think is better than him. That was true for at least this week; Goedert finished with 8 grabs for 101 yards and a score of his own. The usually reliable Ertz also dropped a crucial fourth-down pass that essentially sealed the deal for Washington. Just a bad week in general for the longtime Eagle.
5. Final Thoughts
Aaron Donald historically hasn’t seen much success against the Eagles, but history doesn’t account for how bad the Eagles OL is looking right now. If something doesn’t change, next week’s game against the Rams could get ugly in a hurry. Also, Jalen Ramsey and the Rams DBs are worlds better than who the Redskins employ, so it won’t be easy pickings for Carson Wentz.
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