In what is apparently an annual Eagles tradition, Philly drops a game to an inferior Washington team (yes, I'm just a little bitter). The Birds lost as the better team to Washington in 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2022, just to name a few. Frankly, I'm not sure we should feel as bad about this as most of us probably do; the game clearly changed when Jalen went down with an injury. Pickett didn't have an awful game in relief, especially considering he had to come in completely cold, and gave the Birds a chance to win.
Consider what had to happen for the Birds to drop this game:
If Smith holds on to that last pass inside the Washington 10 this is probably a win.
If CJGJ doesn't get thrown out under strange circumstances, this is probably a win
If Jalen's head isn't smashed into the turf in what appeared to be a needless cheap shot, this is almost certainly a win.
If Jake Elliott hadn't inexplicably shorted a long FG this is probably a win.
If the refs had bothered to notice a false start on the game winning score (it was obvious in real time and painfully clear on the replay), this is probably a win.
If the refs hadn't picked up the flag on that shot on Pickett (about as serious an infraction as the one that cost Philly win in this series in 2022), this is probably a win.
The preceding list is just off the top of my head; there's probably more meat on that bone.
In fairness, Philly did get a few breaks: they recovered all four of the game's fumbles, probably the first time they've actually won the fumble battle. Washington fans will likely quibble over some of the penalties that AJ Brown drew. The bad officiating cut both ways.
The bottom line today is that this result probably won't end up mattering that much, as long as none of the injuries prove to be long term in nature. I do think that, even if Jalen misses another week, we won't be completely lost on offense. Pickett with a week to work as the starter will be better than what we saw today. Of similar concern are injuries to Sweat (I think I saw him come back but not sure) and Davis (don't remember him coming back). Both Slay and Smith left but I think both came back. Philly is still one win or Commander loss from securing the division title (and the 2 seed) and will almost certainly have that wrapped up by this time next week. The one seed was a reasonable goal but always a longshot. The focus needs to be on getting and staying healthy for the playoffs.
And in case there's any lingering doubt, Philly is much better than this Commanders team and will likely get a chance to prove it in a Wild Card rubber match next month. I'm looking forward to it.
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