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Tuesday Night Football, the Philadelphia Eagles, two division rivals sitting at 6-7 in the thick of a Wild Card race. It had all the ingredients of a special late season game. Unfortunately, it just didn't feel that way though. For the guys wearing burgundy and gold, the combination of major injuries and COVID decided to ruin the party and really put the team behind the eight ball and at a severe disadvantage. Now sitting at 6-8, the WFT season is on life support. I have personally firmly stood behind the idea that if our guys were able to win 3 of their final five games in the divisional stretch to end the season, and finish 4-2 in the NFC East, the playoffs would be a real possibility. Unfortunately, now having dropped games to Dallas and Philly in back to back weeks, we have to play perfect football the rest of the way. It's a tough ask, especially considering that we are going to walk into Dallas on 4 days rest come this Sunday. Stranger things have happened I suppose, and it would be foolish to expect a Ron Rivera team to roll over and play dead after all the adversity they have dealt with for 2 years. That all being said, let's get to our Studs, Duds, and Hat Tips for the week.
Studs:
1. Ron Rivera: I want to give major acknowledgement to our Head Coach who continues to just weather the storm time after time in Washington. Sure, this is the pros, and moral victories don't show up in the standings - I get that. However, what Rivera was able to manage to do last night with a patchwork group of players and coaches was nothing short of spectacular in my mind. If my facts are straight, we had 23 guys on a COVID list in the week leading up to the game, many of whom were unavailable for practice, and also had 7 assistant coaches unavailable last night. We also played with a QB we picked up off the street in Garrett Gilbert. It's just the latest in the series of obstacles that get thrown Rivera's way in Washington over and over and over again. The fact that the team was able to stick together through all of that and find themselves only down 3 points to Philly with just over 8 minutes to play was a testament to the job Rivera is doing behind the scenes. The buy-in and team unity amongst this group is off the charts. I truly believe that as we hopefully continue to add some big-time talents and true difference makers on the field in the coming seasons, it will all pay off under Ron's leadership. I am thankful for the stability he is providing after the decades of dysfunction we have had to experience in Washington. Patience people - come talk to me if Rivera is failing in year 4 and 5.
2. Landon Collins: It has been a remarkable in-season turnaround for #26. Early on, we talked about how much of a liability he was for our defense. Now, people start getting concerned and worried if he is unable to play in a given week. Last night, Collins played a major role in the team's fast start in the first quarter and the 2 turnovers he was a part of led to a quick 10-0 lead for Washington. His interception of a dropped pass that bounced off the foot of Dallas Goedert would easily have been returned for a touchdown had the referees not been so quick to blow their whistles. Collins also found himself in the right place on the field to pounce on a Jalen Hurts fumble which he then returned for a sizeable chunk downfield to help set up our offense in great field position. All in all, we were able to make a game of it for the majority of the night in Philadelphia with a shorthanded roster, and Collins' contributions were a big part of that.
3. Tress Way: Your team is missing a sizeable portion of its roster, you are playing on the road in a hostile environment, and the last thing you want to do is lose the field position battle. Tress Way did more than his share to ensure that didn't happen last night. He punted 5 times and averaged 48 yards per punt. He had one in particular which he blasted for 60 yards. He has reminded us more than his fair share of times how vital it is to have a solid punter that you can rely on to do the little things. I truly hope that his time comes and he gets the recognition he truly deserves in the NFL.
Duds:
For a long time, Canadians have earned reputations worldwide as being some of the nicest and most polite people in the world. In this week's installment of Studs, Duds, and Hat Tips, I am going to fuel that stereotype by not being too harsh on the WFT. Given the nature of last night's game with the depleted roster, and the challenging COVID outbreak within the team in the week leading up to the contest, I personally feel it would just be unfair to assign "dud" status to anyone. Tuesday, the team earned a free pass. That all being said, I will take the time to acknowledge some of the disappointing things we witnessed on the field on Tuesday below:
1. The dropped end zone pass from Garrett Gilbert to Adam Humphries. In my opinion, this is a play that #13 would have loved to have back. He has been very dependable when called upon in clutch situations this year, but the ball literally bounced off his chest. In the grand scheme of things, it had no bearing on the final outcome, but I am sure that 14-0 would have felt a bit different for Philly compared to 10-0 at that juncture in the game.
2. You win in the NFL in December, and in particular in the NFC East, down in the trenches. We got abused and pushed around a bit down there on Tuesday. Philadelphia gained 519 total yards with 281 of those coming on the ground. The one area on our team where we had almost a full allotment of guys was along the defensive front with the likes of Allen, Payne, Iaonniddis, and Sweat all being available. Undoubtedly, conditioning and fitness was a major issue last night. On a positive note, that group, led by Allen, has a lot of pride and you can expect better performances as we close out the year.
3. Jeremy Reaves was a guy that got a shot last night. He was a pleasant surprise late in the year a season ago and I am sure he would be the first to tell you that he needs to do a better job of capitalizing on his opportunities. On a deep pass from Jalen Hurts to Dallas Goedert with the WFT up 10-0, Reaves recovered and put himself in position to come down with an interception, but it appeared as though he mistimed his jump. It resulted in a 45 yard catch for the Eagles and it was a key play that led to their first points of the night, cutting the Washington lead to 10-3. From there, the Eagles' offense got rolling.
4. Second quarter 3 and outs. A series of inopportune 3 and outs really hurt our team in the second quarter of the game last night. With a depleted roster, just maybe, if we were able to muster something up and find a way to get a 17 point lead, things could have played out a bit differently the rest of the way. It felt all along like a 10 point cushion was never going to be enough to hold off the Eagles and it was a matter of time until they shook off the rust and woke up. Scott Turner just didn't push the right buttons in the second quarter and consecutive 3 and outs sparked the Eagles. We missed McLaurin on a 3rd and 2 pass that was late out of Gilbert's hand. Philadelphia subsequently drove 75 yards and put 3 points on the board. On our next possession, we ran hurry up on 3rd and 1, got stopped, and it put the defense right back out on the field after a 59 second possession. 11 plays and 77 yards later, the Eagles tied it and it truly felt like our bus was heading for the cliff at that point.
5. Philadelphia fans for the most part never cease to amaze me. Landon Collins goes down injured and a chorus of boos rain down on the field. They complained and cried all week about the game having to be moved to Tuesday, but they always find more despicable ways to outdo themselves. Their behaviours are uncalled for. Nothing would satisfy me more from a football standpoint than wrecking their season and playoff aspirations in two weeks time in Washington.
6. What's going on with Antonio Gibson? He has spurts like he did last night in the first quarter where he looks really good. Then he has moments where he kind of fades from the game. Then he has moments where he fumbles or has a brain fart. Then he has moments where he can't stay on the field. We have literally seen it all from him this year. What do we make of this guy? Is he truly the answer for us at RB, or is he better served being part of a platoon with another true hammer at the position?
Hat Tips:
1. Terry McLaurin: it was really nice watching him come down with a great 46 yard grab last night in a contested situation. It was a reminder of the great talent that he possesses and how lucky we are to have him on our team. Coming off a concussion, it was a positive step in the right direction. The fact remains though that it is becoming too easy for opponents to eliminate him from game for several weeks with practically zero weapons around him. I am all in for adding a premiere player at the WR position to complement him and take his talents to the next level in the years to come.
2. Jon Allen: #93 has now set a career high for sacks. His awesome sack of Jalen Hurts last night puts him at 8.5 on the year and he leads the team in that department. Even when it is a tough night at the office, he shows flashes and reminds you of the fact that he is a top shelf talent at his position. He is very deserving of hopefully being recognized as an All-Pro this season.
3. Garrett Gilbert: there was only so much you could have expected from a guy that was signed on Friday and asked to start at the most important position on the field. All in all, Gilbert held his own last night. He didn't embarrass himself, and played pretty well in spots. He pushed the ball downfield on a few occasions, and used his checkdowns relatively well. He finished the night 20 of 31 for 194 yards and most importantly, did not have crushing turnovers.
4. Montez Sweat: it was nice seeing Sweat back in the lineup. While there is undoubtedly a long way for him to go before he is back to feeling 100% in terms of conditioning, he managed to sack Jalen Hurts and cause a fumble which led to points for the burgundy and gold. Next season, for Montez and Chase, it needs to be all about business and work and reaffirming themselves as a feared DE duo in this league after a year to forget.
That's it for this week. Do you agree? Disagree? Who did we miss?
F Dallas.
Studs:
1. Ron Rivera: I want to give major acknowledgement to our Head Coach who continues to just weather the storm time after time in Washington. Sure, this is the pros, and moral victories don't show up in the standings - I get that. However, what Rivera was able to manage to do last night with a patchwork group of players and coaches was nothing short of spectacular in my mind. If my facts are straight, we had 23 guys on a COVID list in the week leading up to the game, many of whom were unavailable for practice, and also had 7 assistant coaches unavailable last night. We also played with a QB we picked up off the street in Garrett Gilbert. It's just the latest in the series of obstacles that get thrown Rivera's way in Washington over and over and over again. The fact that the team was able to stick together through all of that and find themselves only down 3 points to Philly with just over 8 minutes to play was a testament to the job Rivera is doing behind the scenes. The buy-in and team unity amongst this group is off the charts. I truly believe that as we hopefully continue to add some big-time talents and true difference makers on the field in the coming seasons, it will all pay off under Ron's leadership. I am thankful for the stability he is providing after the decades of dysfunction we have had to experience in Washington. Patience people - come talk to me if Rivera is failing in year 4 and 5.
2. Landon Collins: It has been a remarkable in-season turnaround for #26. Early on, we talked about how much of a liability he was for our defense. Now, people start getting concerned and worried if he is unable to play in a given week. Last night, Collins played a major role in the team's fast start in the first quarter and the 2 turnovers he was a part of led to a quick 10-0 lead for Washington. His interception of a dropped pass that bounced off the foot of Dallas Goedert would easily have been returned for a touchdown had the referees not been so quick to blow their whistles. Collins also found himself in the right place on the field to pounce on a Jalen Hurts fumble which he then returned for a sizeable chunk downfield to help set up our offense in great field position. All in all, we were able to make a game of it for the majority of the night in Philadelphia with a shorthanded roster, and Collins' contributions were a big part of that.
3. Tress Way: Your team is missing a sizeable portion of its roster, you are playing on the road in a hostile environment, and the last thing you want to do is lose the field position battle. Tress Way did more than his share to ensure that didn't happen last night. He punted 5 times and averaged 48 yards per punt. He had one in particular which he blasted for 60 yards. He has reminded us more than his fair share of times how vital it is to have a solid punter that you can rely on to do the little things. I truly hope that his time comes and he gets the recognition he truly deserves in the NFL.
Duds:
For a long time, Canadians have earned reputations worldwide as being some of the nicest and most polite people in the world. In this week's installment of Studs, Duds, and Hat Tips, I am going to fuel that stereotype by not being too harsh on the WFT. Given the nature of last night's game with the depleted roster, and the challenging COVID outbreak within the team in the week leading up to the contest, I personally feel it would just be unfair to assign "dud" status to anyone. Tuesday, the team earned a free pass. That all being said, I will take the time to acknowledge some of the disappointing things we witnessed on the field on Tuesday below:
1. The dropped end zone pass from Garrett Gilbert to Adam Humphries. In my opinion, this is a play that #13 would have loved to have back. He has been very dependable when called upon in clutch situations this year, but the ball literally bounced off his chest. In the grand scheme of things, it had no bearing on the final outcome, but I am sure that 14-0 would have felt a bit different for Philly compared to 10-0 at that juncture in the game.
2. You win in the NFL in December, and in particular in the NFC East, down in the trenches. We got abused and pushed around a bit down there on Tuesday. Philadelphia gained 519 total yards with 281 of those coming on the ground. The one area on our team where we had almost a full allotment of guys was along the defensive front with the likes of Allen, Payne, Iaonniddis, and Sweat all being available. Undoubtedly, conditioning and fitness was a major issue last night. On a positive note, that group, led by Allen, has a lot of pride and you can expect better performances as we close out the year.
3. Jeremy Reaves was a guy that got a shot last night. He was a pleasant surprise late in the year a season ago and I am sure he would be the first to tell you that he needs to do a better job of capitalizing on his opportunities. On a deep pass from Jalen Hurts to Dallas Goedert with the WFT up 10-0, Reaves recovered and put himself in position to come down with an interception, but it appeared as though he mistimed his jump. It resulted in a 45 yard catch for the Eagles and it was a key play that led to their first points of the night, cutting the Washington lead to 10-3. From there, the Eagles' offense got rolling.
4. Second quarter 3 and outs. A series of inopportune 3 and outs really hurt our team in the second quarter of the game last night. With a depleted roster, just maybe, if we were able to muster something up and find a way to get a 17 point lead, things could have played out a bit differently the rest of the way. It felt all along like a 10 point cushion was never going to be enough to hold off the Eagles and it was a matter of time until they shook off the rust and woke up. Scott Turner just didn't push the right buttons in the second quarter and consecutive 3 and outs sparked the Eagles. We missed McLaurin on a 3rd and 2 pass that was late out of Gilbert's hand. Philadelphia subsequently drove 75 yards and put 3 points on the board. On our next possession, we ran hurry up on 3rd and 1, got stopped, and it put the defense right back out on the field after a 59 second possession. 11 plays and 77 yards later, the Eagles tied it and it truly felt like our bus was heading for the cliff at that point.
5. Philadelphia fans for the most part never cease to amaze me. Landon Collins goes down injured and a chorus of boos rain down on the field. They complained and cried all week about the game having to be moved to Tuesday, but they always find more despicable ways to outdo themselves. Their behaviours are uncalled for. Nothing would satisfy me more from a football standpoint than wrecking their season and playoff aspirations in two weeks time in Washington.
6. What's going on with Antonio Gibson? He has spurts like he did last night in the first quarter where he looks really good. Then he has moments where he kind of fades from the game. Then he has moments where he fumbles or has a brain fart. Then he has moments where he can't stay on the field. We have literally seen it all from him this year. What do we make of this guy? Is he truly the answer for us at RB, or is he better served being part of a platoon with another true hammer at the position?
Hat Tips:
1. Terry McLaurin: it was really nice watching him come down with a great 46 yard grab last night in a contested situation. It was a reminder of the great talent that he possesses and how lucky we are to have him on our team. Coming off a concussion, it was a positive step in the right direction. The fact remains though that it is becoming too easy for opponents to eliminate him from game for several weeks with practically zero weapons around him. I am all in for adding a premiere player at the WR position to complement him and take his talents to the next level in the years to come.
2. Jon Allen: #93 has now set a career high for sacks. His awesome sack of Jalen Hurts last night puts him at 8.5 on the year and he leads the team in that department. Even when it is a tough night at the office, he shows flashes and reminds you of the fact that he is a top shelf talent at his position. He is very deserving of hopefully being recognized as an All-Pro this season.
3. Garrett Gilbert: there was only so much you could have expected from a guy that was signed on Friday and asked to start at the most important position on the field. All in all, Gilbert held his own last night. He didn't embarrass himself, and played pretty well in spots. He pushed the ball downfield on a few occasions, and used his checkdowns relatively well. He finished the night 20 of 31 for 194 yards and most importantly, did not have crushing turnovers.
4. Montez Sweat: it was nice seeing Sweat back in the lineup. While there is undoubtedly a long way for him to go before he is back to feeling 100% in terms of conditioning, he managed to sack Jalen Hurts and cause a fumble which led to points for the burgundy and gold. Next season, for Montez and Chase, it needs to be all about business and work and reaffirming themselves as a feared DE duo in this league after a year to forget.
That's it for this week. Do you agree? Disagree? Who did we miss?
F Dallas.
