Eagles’ losing streak stretches to four games, team loses key components
The Eagles lost for a fifth straight time to the Redskins by a score of 27-22.
The Philadelphia Eagles were on the move with seconds remaining in their game against the Washington Redskins. Redskins outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan erased any hope of an Eagles victory by sacking and forcing a fumble on Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. Philadelphia’s now 5-8 on the season.
The challenges:
Though the Eagles lost again at home, a few things need to be understood. They were playing with a depleted offensive unit. Starting right tackle Lane Johnson is still serving a 10 game suspension and won’t return until week 16. His replacement, Halapoulivaati Vaitai aka “Big V” is out with a knee injury. Allen Barbre was expected to fill in, but left the game with a hamstring injury. That left the Eagles with Matt Tobin.
Right guard Brandon Brooks was out due to an undisclosed illness. His replacement was rookie guard Isaac Seumalo. Guard Stefen Wisniewski was asked to fill in as well in the Eagles’ patchwork line.
With only two starters on the offensive line, Jason Peters and Jason Kelce, the offense played well despite some inconsistent line play. Dorial Green-Beckham was out with an abdomen injury. That left Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Bryce Treggs, and Paul Turner as the Eagles’ only options at the wide receiver position.
By games end, the Eagles were down to one running back, Ryan Mathews. Wendell Smallwood left the game with a right knee injury, and Darren Sproles exited the game after a huge blow to the head from Redskins safety Deshazor Everett. Everett was also responsible for a cheap shot on tight end Brent Celek. That would take him out of the game as well. Everett should be facing two hefty fines come weeks end.
Long snapper Jon Dorenbos left the game with a wrist injury, leaving Celek and then Trey Burton to fill in. Losing each of these players, especially the ones who play along the offensive line makes it even more amazing that the team lost by five points is commendable. The Eagles, on both sides of the ball, fought hard.
The bright side:
One of the brightest spots was, again, Carson Wentz. This young man is continuing to prove he has “it”. Wentz finished the game completing 69.6% of his passes, throwing 314 yards, completing 32 of 46 pass attempts. He added one touchdown to his resume, but he also had one interception and a fumble. Still, he looked good and played well for a guy playing behind backups and third-stringers. We won’t even mention his mediocre offensive weapons. Once Wentz gets an offensive line that plays with some consistency, better weapons on the outside and a running game, the sky is the limit for him and this Eagles offense.
Next: 5 Takeaways from the Eagles’ week 14 loss to the Redskins
Tight end Zach Ertz can’t be left out. For weeks, his play has been questioned, but on Sunday, he finished the game with 10 catches and 112 yards. Ertz hadn’t been fighting for extra yards and had fallen down many times after first contact. On Sunday, he fought for every yard. He played with purpose and like he had something to prove. If he continues to play with this fire, he can easily be a top tight end in this league.