Did you get any sleep last night? We hope so. Here's some free advice if you're serious about being a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan. Try not to stress.
Now, we know that's impossible. If you're going to truly immerse yourself in the Eagles fan experience, anxiety and frustration are part of the deal.
Things could be worse. You could have been born a Panthers fan. Let that sink in.
Still, after barely surviving one of the NFL's worst teams, we have a lot on our minds (and a few takeaways after a narrow escape).
Cooper DeJean is human, but don't fret. He'll be okay.
Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell have been so good that it's safe to say that Philly made the correct decisions by drafting them. They are rookies though. At some point, they'll be forced into learning curves, and we all must be patient when it happens. Coop's first major lesson came on Sunday in Week 14.
Adam Thielen has schooled NFL corners before and is still one of the great route-runners in the game. Just ask Coop. He'll certainly agree with that theory.
Jake Elliott's regression is an issue.
The Eagles are the only team in the NFL that hasn't converted a field goal of 50 yards or longer. Jake Elliott is 0-5 this season from that distance, and in the clutch, with 3:05 remaining, Nick Sirianni made an intriguing decision.
He elected against trotting out 'Jake the Make' to attempt a 53-yarder to put Philly up by nine points. He instead lined his offense up in a shotgun formation and took a delay of game penalty to give Braden Mann more room for a punt.
Thankfully, Mann and Avonte Maddox combined for one of the great special teams plays of the season. They pinned the Panthers at their three-yard line. Eventually, the defense made a stop. Shout out to Darius Slay, but the problem continues. Jake Elliott is becoming a liability. He also missed an extra-point attempt but was bailed out by a Panthers penalty.
The Eagles can't get any traction vs. a team that can't stop the run.
We thought this might be the game where the Eagles find some early offensive traction. We were wrong. The first-quarter struggles continue.
Compared to a team that struggles to stop the run consistently, Philly ran fewer plays, lost the time-of-possession battle, and couldn't get their stars going.
A.J. Brown hasn't been targeted more than six times all season. DeVonta Smith caught a TD pass but these two combined for eight receptions and 80 yards receiving. We expected more.
Saquon's stat line wasn't bad. He carried the ball 20 times for 124 yards, but we repeat this was one of the NFL's worst defenses they faced. This wasn't the Steelers, and oh, wait... Pittsburgh is next on the schedule.
Something tells us we'll see a better game vs. the Black and Gold though. To its credit, this team plays better vs. better competition.
We repeat. Avonte Maddox makes one of the plays of the day on special teams.
It was nice to see Avonte Maddox have a nice moment. He has struggled this season. He has been criticized because of that, but he helped craft one of the plays of the day on special teams.
Carolina began their final offensive drive pinned against their goal line thanks to Maddox and Braden Mann. Maddox usually isn't a gunner, but he was witty which helped put the Eagles defense in a good situation.
This won't be talked about this week, but this pin-job by Braden Mann and Avonte Maddox was huge! #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/XXjhQEancg
— Inside The Iggles (@InsideIggles) December 8, 2024
If Maddox lets that bounce instead of fielding it cleanly, the ball probably travels into the end zone. That's a good job by Avonte, and it was nice to see him contribute something positive.
Wins are hard to come by in the NFL. Sometimes, one or two plays during a game decide the outcome.
Let's say that pass from Bryce Young lands in Xavier Legette's hands. What if the Panthers had taken the lead with that final TD? Can you imagine what the conversations are today?
Instead, the Eagles are winners of nine straight. They have also clinched a playoff spot. The Panthers are in Charlotte thinking about what could have been.
Forget the overall records and the standings. Every NFL team has NFL players on the roster. We knew Philly was facing a Panthers team that is better than it was a month ago.
They survived. They advanced. They'll need a better effort to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, but this team, especially during Nick Sirianni's coaching era, has shown us they can compete with anyone.