The Washington Football Team are playoff bound as the NFC East champions after beating the Eagles 20-14 on Sunday night in what was, fittingly, a hideous football game.
The final quarter of play saw some hilariously bad play, thanks in large part to the Eagles pulling Jalen Hurts from the game and inserting, not Carson Wentz but Nate Sudfeld into the game. Sudfeld responded with two turnovers late to kill any chances of Philly to upset the Football Team and ruin their hopes of a getting a higher draft pick in one of the most blatant examples of tanking you’ll see.
The @WashingtonNFL defense takes it back. #WashingtonFootball
: #WASvsPHI on NBC
: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/11BxUJlrSI pic.twitter.com/8oxBA5FOj9
— NFL (@NFL) January 4, 2021
Chase Young picks up the loose ball! @WashingtonNFL takes it back.
— NFL (@NFL) January 4, 2021
This was upsetting, chiefly, to Giants players and fans who needed a Philly win to make the playoffs after having held on to beat the Cowboys earlier in the day. The G Men were all at home watching with baited breath and when Pederson swapped Sudfeld in for Hurts, well, they couldn’t believe their eyes.
Why on gods green earth is Jalen Hurts not in the game
— Darius Slayton (@Young_Slay2) January 4, 2021
Can someone make it make sense to me what’s going on….?
— Saquon Barkley (@saquon) January 4, 2021
Good grief
— Julian Love (@julianlove27) January 4, 2021
…….
— Blake Martinez (@Big__Blake50) January 4, 2021
This is why we don’t like the Eagles. https://t.co/Efe7kEPtES
— Eli Manning (@EliManning) January 4, 2021
Golden Tate was the most vocal as he lobbed various theories at the wall as to why the Eagles would so blatantly tank the final quarter with the game on the line, taking it as the Eagles simply hate the Giants more than the Football Team.
I think the eagles just hate us more than washington. That’s only thing that could make sense right?
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) January 4, 2021
Correction*** Eagles hate us more than they hate Washington AND they want Chase Young to win OFFENSIVE ROOKIE MVP #mytheory
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) January 4, 2021
Not integrity. https://t.co/ND6cKxRLzz
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) January 4, 2021
Really? pic.twitter.com/9vBdImFXGT
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) January 4, 2021
Hurts didn’t have a great passing night, but he had accounted for the Eagles only scores of the game with two rushing touchdowns. Given how long it took for Philly to make the switch to Hurts, you would think maybe they would want to get him as many game reps as possible, particularly in a close game like that one, but their eyes were on the draft (and keeping Hurts healthy) going forward and so, we got Sudfeld action. Maybe making matters worse and twisting the knife on the Giants was this explanation after the game from Eagles coach Doug Pederson.
Doug Pederson says the decision to play Nate Sudfeld was his. “I was coaching to win.” Says Sudfeld has been here with the #Eagles a few years and deserved snaps.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 4, 2021
Eagles fans won’t care and Football Team fans will be grateful as they now play host to the Bucs on Saturday night for playoff action. Whenever we get our first Giants-Eagles game next fall, though, expect there to be some extra juice on the New York side after what transpired on Sunday.