The Philadelphia Eagles were on a historic 8-0 run into Week 10. That came to an end on Monday night when divisional rivals Washington Commanders caused an upset in Philly. The 5-5 Commanders ran past the Eagles’ defense. However, there were also some controversial referee calls and Philly fans are just heartbroken.
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Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles were the only unbeaten team in the NFL this season until the 32-21 defeat at the hands of the Commanders. The Birds didn’t put on any effort into the defense and Washington ran through them even after trailing in the first half.
Fans blamed the refs but the Philadelphia Eagles defense wasn’t at their best
The Philadelphia Eagles led the Commanders 14-10 going into the 2nd quarter. The Eagles’ offense did its part. QB Jalen Hurts threw 2 touchdowns to wide receiver DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert. Hurts also ran for an additional touchdown. The Commanders’ offense took over in the final three quarters and extended their lead to 26-21 before scoring the ending touchdown from a botched Eagles lateral passing attempt.
The Eagles’ defense didn’t stop Washington from converting 3rd downs and getting in the field goal range for Washington kicker Joey Slye. Slye had 14 points out of the Commanders’ 32 with a hundred per cent field goal accuracy. Washington RB Brian Robinson Jr. displayed sheer strength when he ran 86 yards, including a touchdown. NFL fans on Twitter thought that the Eagles’ defense didn’t show enough heart.
13 plays, 75 yards, TD
13 plays, 49 yards, FG
16 plays, 86 yards, TD
8 plays, 30 yards, FGThe Eagles defense got straight up bullied in the first half.
— Brenden Deeg (@BrendenDeeg_) November 15, 2022
The Eagles’ turnovers lost them the game, not the officials. The defense played way too passive. The Eagles are still 8-1, the best team in football and have the deepest roster in the NFL.
This isn’t doomsday.
— Dick Sirianni (@IgglesCoverage) November 15, 2022
Eagles run defense remains a concern without Jordan Davis.
— Kevin Negandhi (@KevinNegandhi) November 15, 2022
I don't wanna hear a single Eagles fan talking about the refs…
— Cameron Magruder (@ScooterMagruder) November 15, 2022
There were some controversial calls that got some attention from fans. Washington Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke took the knee with 1:38 on the clock in the 4th quarter and was tackled after that. This brought on the flags and a 15-yard penalty to the Eagles, destroying any chances of a last-minute comeback.
Eagles-Commanders game
Refs suck! A ridiculous personal foul call on Eagles. Now a failure to call a brutal face mask on Commanders.
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) November 15, 2022
The refs just robbed the Eagles on national television 😭😭pic.twitter.com/gA5FwePMue
— Brian Y (@byysports) November 15, 2022
The refs leaving after the Eagles game pic.twitter.com/jYBIdh8UXk
— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) November 15, 2022
The referees’ decision-making wasn’t the only reason for Philly’s loss on Monday. And only a few stood on this neutral ground.
Philly handed a reality check
The Philadelphia Eagles missed some crucial chances to capitalize on the game and take the lead. Some fans understand that the Eagles have ways to go before a second Super Bowl for the franchise.
The Eagles were 11.5-point favorites. They should’ve been up more on the Commanders where the officiating couldn’t have screwed them as much.
That said, these refs still sucked ass.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) November 15, 2022
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Eagles played terribly. Refs didn’t help, and a few bad calls (and even worse no calls) took away our chance of turning it around. But we played bad football and never should have been in a position against Washington where those calls cost us the game.
— Liz Finnegan (@TheGingerarchy) November 15, 2022
Wide receiver Quez Watkins ran for 80 yards on 4 carries with an impressive 20 YPA. However, Watkins dropped an important catch from Jalen Hurts in what could have been one of the best catches of the year. The Washington Commanders also managed to gain possession of the ball on that play after Watkins failed to control his fall.
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WATCH STORY: Jerry Jones faces backlash for not getting back as much as rival Philadelphia Eagles for a better outgoing WR
Eagles safety C J Gardner-Johnson made his season-leading 6th interception of the year. However, this was not enough to stop Heinicke and the Commanders’ offense to drive forward. Can an 8-1 Philly recover from this loss and beat their next opponents, the 4-5-1 Indianapolis Colts on Sunday?
