The Philadelphia Eagles lost 27-17 to the Washington Football team last Sunday following an impressive start to the game. Philly jumped out to a 17-0 lead (touchdowns to Ertz and Goedert paired with a Jake Elliot field goal) with 7 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. After that the game went downhill.  

Leading into Sunday, I predicted that, “If the Eagles o-line can’t hold up, Washington can keep it close and put themselves in a position to win it late.” Now, that prediction was only half true. Washington broke down the Eagles offensive line quickly, getting to Carson Wentz a total of eight times by the time the final whistle sounded. The last time the Eagles allowed this many sacks was Week 4 in 2007 against the New York Giants, when they gave up 12. 

Riding this historic performance by their defensive front, Washington was able to storm back into the ball game. Forcing a quick interception and two punts from the Philadelphia offense, Washington put themselves in position to strike back, narrowing the gap to 17-7 with a Dwayne Haskins to Logan Thomas touchdown for six yards late in the 2nd quarter.  

A complete domination of the game from Washington ensued in the second half, with impressive plays on both sides of the ball led to a 27-17 win for Washington.  

So, what happened? This game went down the gutter fast for the Eagles. Injuries were piling up quickly before the game, and the trend continued throughout the contest, losing key pieces on both sides of the ball. 

Washington, now led by a competent coach in Ron Rivera, was able to take advantage of the Eagles’ weaknesses, utilizing long possession drives to force the Eagles to pass late. Washington was able to keep Wentz under pressure the whole game, and Philadelphia didn’t stand a chance once they got down late.  

This game wasn’t Carson Wentz’s fault, but he isn’t free from blame either. He holds on to the ball for an eternity and tries to make too many heroic plays, which is amazing sometimes, but when he doesn’t have any time to throw, it is disastrous combo. He made too many rookie mistakes at crucial inflection points throughout the game and he couldn’t get the Eagles offense rolling. However, a lot of these mistakes can be attributed to the offensive line being reduced to scraps.  

One of the biggest questions from Eagles fans everywhere is: is this a sign on things to come? Face value, this game spells doom for the rest of the Eagles season, but it isn’t quite that simple. The Eagles aren’t going to look this bad all year. It’s unlikely that they’ll have this many injuries again this season, especially not to such key positions as last week. As the offensive line continues to regain starters and build chemistry, Wentz and the Eagles offense can get going in earnest.  

These next two games against the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals are crucial. If Philly can really show that they’ve taken something from this loss, then they jump right back in the thick of the conversation as an NFC contender. If they can’t majorly improve on the issues that plagued them last week, the Eagles may be in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.