As September rolls around, the weather gets cooler, and PA residents get fantasy football trophies made for their fantasy league, it can only mean one thing: the start of the NFL season!
Well, this isn’t the start of the 2020 NFL season the Philadelphia Eagles had in mind. Stumbling out of the gate with an 0-2 record against the hapless Washington Football team and the Los Angeles Rams, Eagles fans all over the Delaware Valley expected better results. Where does the blame lie in this poor start? Is it too early, or is it the perfect time to panic? Let’s dive into the Eagles’ anemic start to the season.
Week 1
For most of the first half of the opening game against the Washington Football Team, it looked like the Eagles were firing on all cylinders. Carson Wentz had the offense humming early, putting up 17 unanswered points with a depleted offensive supporting cast. Then, the wheels completely fell off the Wentz Wagon, and the season all of a sudden got off to a poor start.
The offensive line’s injuries continued to pile up, leading to former Rugby player Jordan Mailiata stepping in and protecting Wentz from the onslaught led by rookie Chase Young. Two interceptions and eight sacks later and Wentz looked shaken, trying to force the ball and doing too much to try and make up for the deficiencies elsewhere on the offense. The WFT took the momentum and the game and left the Eagles to make the trek back to Philadelphia to lick their wounds and prepare for their Week 2 matchup with the Rams.
Final Score- WFT 27- Eagles 17
Week 2
Miles Sanders came back from injury and showed why he’s going to be the focal point of the offense from now on. They were able to keep Wentz relatively upright as the Rams and defensive superstar Aaron Donald didn’t record a sack. Aside from that, this game wasn’t pretty.
While the offense seemed to click for short spurts throughout the game, the Eagles couldn’t get out of their own way long enough to mount a sustainable comeback. With the Eagles down a score in the second half, they were driving and on the verge of scoring when Wentz missed looming double coverage for his second interception of the day and robbed the Eagles of the little momentum they had built.
Final Score- Rams 37- Eagles 19
Week 3
Miles Sanders continues to show why the offense should run through him. He ran through the Bengals defense in the first half and finished the game with 18 carries for 95 yards while bringing in 4 receptions for 12 yards. The defense played better against a still developing Bengals offense. However, injuries to DeSean Jackson and Dallas Goedert meant that Zach Ertz and Greg Ward were leading the usual suspects of practice squad all-stars. Carson’s deep ball accuracy was off, as he missed Sanders on a potential game-winner late in the 4th quarter.
The worst part, of course, was how the game ended. Watching Matt Pryor jump early on a field goal attempt, and then seeing Doug Pederson opt to accept the tie as opposed to win the game irritated the city, and have left us in serious doubt about this team’s future.
Final Score: Bengals 23- Eagles 23 OT
Where Do We Go From Here?
An 0-2-1 start is far from what everyone thought this season would begin. The silver lining is that the rest of the NFC East hasn’t been lighting up the league, so there is still time to turn the season around. Whether that comes in the form of a new offensive approach by simplifying the game plan, switching at quarterback, or more drastic organizational changes are needed is up for debate on sports talk radio until the Week 4 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football.
As football season tries to give us a semblance of everyday life, the need for trophies is still there. With some areas allowing organized high school football to resume in PA and NJ, football trophies are needed to commemorate the unusual season. If you’re interested in finding a unique trophy for the 2020 season, contact Spike’s Trophies today!