Welp, it finally happened. For the first time in 11 weeks, the Philadelphia Eagles have lost a football game. It has been ages since we've all felt this way, and naturally, irrational statements have been made. Fans and the entire NFL community have offered knee-jerk reactions.
Here's the thing. The Eagles are going to be just fine. There's reason to be encouraged.
There are far more reasons to be positive than negative. Don't lose hope because the Eagles laid an egg in Week 16.
For starters, Jalen Hurts was knocked out of the game with a concussion after only 12 offensive snaps. That was conveniently undermentioned on the FOX broadcast every time the question "How is this a game?" was asked.
Backup Kenny Pickett played somewhat ok. The offense wasn't as efficient without Hurts as it had been with him. What we learned, among other things was how valuable he was once we saw the Washington Commanders change their defensive philosophy in his absence.
It's also worth noting that the offense hummed with Jalen Hurts behind center. This SHOULD put any notion that Hurts is a 'system quarterback' to bed considering the night-and-day difference with him in the lineup and the snaps Kenny Pickett took in his absence.
If there’s anyone who still needs convincing that Jalen Hurts is a good quarterback should just watch this #Eagles game #PHIvsWAS
— Brandon Thornton (@BThornton_33) December 22, 2024
Then, there's the defense. Yes, they gave up a season-high 36 points, but they did force five turnovers. The argument can be made that they essentially did enough to win the game and the offense couldn't execute at the end to put the game away.
Philly's defense looked gassed thanks to so many short drives by Philly's offense during the second half, but there's no reason to panic. This is the NFL, and every team endures these types of losses.
All of that has been said to state the following. The Eagles had won ten games in a row, a tough ask in and of itself. The streak was bound to end sometime, and it's much better that it ended now instead of some collapse during the postseason. Hopefully, this refocuses them. Maybe they were indeed 'due for a loss.
We have a lot to be excited about though. If this was how their streak was going to end, so be it. Winning ten in a row in the NFL is hard. After all, you see the Birds had never done so. Here, there was a mixture of so many weird moments that we likely won't see in conjunction again.
They lost their quarterback and leader of the offense. They lost one of their emotional leaders on defense, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and they lost the latter to what we'll call 'weird circumstances'.
And, how can we forget the normally sure-handed DeVonta Smith dropping a crucial pass late that would have iced things. We haven't seen that since last season in Jersey vs. the New York Jets, so as strange as it sounds, as fans, you should come away from this one feeling as good as you can after a divisional loss this late in the season.
So many things that happened during this game that were out of the ordinary. Most helped facilitate the loss. It isn't the end of the world though. The Philadelphia Eagles lost a football game.
They were on the road, short-handed, and playing a divisional rival. They are fine. They'll use this as fuel. Expect an even better version of this team once the playoffs get rolling.