December 11, 2016
You never know exactly what the NFL will have in store, and in a December game that was pretty much meaningless for the Eagles, we got what should henceforth be known as "The Three Long Snapper Game." What can't Trey Burton do?
Trey Burton does the snapping, Jones brings in the high snap and Sturgis puts the Eagles ahead with a 41-yard field goal @AdrianFedkiw pic.twitter.com/iHz8Hj5bdE
— Philly Influencer (@PHL_Influencer) December 11, 2016
The Eagles battled valiantly on Sunday, but they ultimately fell a bit short against Washington, 27-22. Here's what I saw:
• Leodis McKelvin was torched earlier in the half by DeSean Jackson, but he made up for it in a big way when he stepped in front of Kirk Cousins' pass to D-Jax for a pick-six:
🚨🚨 PICK-6 ALERT 🚨🚨
— NFL (@NFL) December 11, 2016
Leodis McKelvin takes Kirk Cousins' pass to the HOUSE! #WASvsPHI https://t.co/oera1RgWCT
• After some poor play recently (and a disastrous performance in Cincy last week), Carson Wentz had a nice game against Washington's defense: 32-46, 314 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. He drove the Eagles down the field at the end of the game, but ultimately, his offensive line couldn't hold up. That's not on him.
• Zach Ertz (10 catches, 112 yards) and Fletcher Cox (four tackles, 1.5 sacks), two players who have recently been under fire after signing big contracts in the offseason, also had strong performances.
Overall, the Eagles appeared to play pretty hard in this game. After being called out by Doug Pederson for a lack of effort in last week's game, they seemed to respond pretty well on that front.
• Jaccpot:
D-JAX.
— NFL (@NFL) December 11, 2016
80 YARDS.
TOUCHDOWN!
In Philly... 😳 #WASvsPHI https://t.co/r5wYrXzccl
Sideline grabs do not get much better than this...
— NFL (@NFL) December 11, 2016
👏👏👏 @DeSeanJackson11 #WASvsPHI #ToeDragSwag https://t.co/F62zT0bBew
There has been a lot of talk about DeSean Jackson coming back to Philadelphia next season, which I have mixed feelings about. There would be one benefit, though: He wouldn't have to play against them anymore. Jackson had three catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.
• Darren Sproles just has incredible vision, and as it turned out, a Ertz block ironically took an amazing return off the board:
This wouldn't have been a flag last week, maybe Ertz should go back to being a matador @AdrianFedkiw pic.twitter.com/fvISxEupKQ
— Philly Influencer (@PHL_Influencer) December 11, 2016
• You saw it coming. Washington was getting pressure on Wentz from the right side of the line the entire game, and Matt Tobin couldn't hold up with the Eagles in the red zone, looking for the win:
Wow. Wow. Wow.
— NFL (@NFL) December 11, 2016
Wentz is sacked.
Wentz loses the football.
The @redskins seal the W. #WASvsPHI https://t.co/GnNFeRovPQ
This is what happens when you are down to your fourth string tackle:
Poor RT play killed the Eagles in both losses to the Skins.
— Tommy Lawlor (@lawlornfl) December 11, 2016
• Brent Celek's turn as a long snapper was mixed. He made a decent snap to Donnie Jones on a punt, but this grounder on a field goal attempt was extremely ugly. Jon Dorenbos' absence had a major effect on the Eagles' game plan:
Celek snaps it low on the 50-yd field goal attempt filling in for Dorenbos, who has a wrist injury @AdrianFedkiw pic.twitter.com/RV8JbmKRpF
— Philly Influencer (@PHL_Influencer) December 11, 2016
• This hit on Sproles was brutal, just brutal:
If you haven't seen it, here's the cheap shot by @DEverett22 on #Eagles RB Darren Sproles. Dirty play. pic.twitter.com/BUwZb7GL6W
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) December 11, 2016
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
