The 2010s featured some brutal postseason losses in Philadelphia sports. The 2020s started off in a similar fashion.
While perhaps not as painful as Ryan Howard tearing his achilles on the final out of Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS or Kawhi Leonard eliminating the Sixers in Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals on the most improbable buzzer-beater in NBA history, Sunday is a day that's going to burn in the minds of Philadelphia sports fans for some time.
The Eagles' entered their NFC Wild Card round tilt with the Seattle Seahawks arguably the most high-profile injury report in postseason history. The one notable exception was quarterback Carson Wentz, who played all 16 regular season games after missing the team's postseason runs the past two seasons with major injuries.
And then, on one - probably illegal - hit from Jadeveon Clowney, Wentz was knocked out for the game with a head injury. The feel good story of Wentz rallying a group of unknowns was erased. 40-year-old Josh McCown turned in an admirable effort in relief of Wentz, but ultimately it wasn't enough, as the Eagles fell 17-9 in a crushing loss.
Here are some early thoughts on the Eagles' loss to Seattle:
Wentz's Injury Had Nothing to Do With Being "Injury Prone"
Carson Wentz was knocked out of the Eagles' playoff game with a concussion.(Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)It's a pretty safe bet that a national writer or radio host will suggest tomorrow morning that Wentz's head injury against Seattle was the final straw, and the Eagles shouldn't proceed with him as their starting quarterback. He or she may even sprinkle in the suggestion that the Eagles should call the Jacksonville Jaguars, who would almost certainly like a mulligan on the four-year/$88 million deal that they gave Nick Foles last offseason.
Pay it no mind.
First of all, Wentz signed a four-year/$128 million extension last June. Even if the Eagles had reservations about Wentz's ability to stay on the field, he doesn't have a potential out in his deal until after the 2022 season. He's not going anywhere.
Beyond that, though, this wasn't another knee or back injury. At the time of publication, the Eagles haven't confirmed that Wentz suffered a concussion, simply calling it a "head injury." Given Wentz's body language on the sideline after taking a hit from Jadeveon Clowney, it certainly appears that he was concussed in the first quarter of the team's eventual loss.
This doesn't indicate any sort of concerning trend, other than the fact that once you are concussed once, it increases the likelihood of getting a second concussion. It isn't, though, any indication of him being injury prone. It could have happened to any player if they had taken the hit. It's also worth reminding that the hit itself, wasn't a legal one, and should have drawn a penalty flag.
After the 2018 season concluded, there were legitimate concerns to be had about Wentz's ability to consistently stay healthy. It's fair to argue that one season of playing all 16 regular season games doesn't entirely eliminate those concerns. Lazy narratives be damned though, Wentz's head injury Sunday evening wasn't something that should reignite any concerns.
The Next Time the Eagles Play, They'll Look Entirely Different Than Any Version of the 2019 Team
The Eagles will have to retool their offense around Carson Wentz.(Patrick Smith/Getty Images)There may be a spot for Greg Ward Jr. and Boston Scott on the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles, but it's a safe bet that the next time that the Eagles take the field, neither will have nearly as large a role in the offense.
Don't expect them to look like the team that stormed back to defeat the Washington Redskins in Week 1 of the 2019 season, either.
From here, it would make sense to retain DeSean Jackson, whose return to the Eagles in 2019 largely turned into a lost season because of a core muscle injury. However, Jackson's world class ability to stretch the field was shown in Week 1, when he had nine catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles would also take on $12.536 million in dead cap if they released the 33-year-old. Certainly, general manager Howie Roseman shouldn't count on Jackson to be the team's No. 1 receiver in 2020, but there's evidence that he can still be a very effective weapon for a contender.
There's less certainty about what Alshon Jeffery, still just 29, has left physically. Despite him suffering a season-ending foot injury in Week 14, the Eagles are likely stuck with him contractually, as releasing him would carry a cap hit over $26 million.
Nelson Agholor, who can become a free agent, won't return. It's too early to tell if the Eagles will attempt to retain Jordan Howard, who was an impressive change of pace from Miles Sanders if the first half of the season. Darren Sproles will retire. It will be interesting to see if Jason Kelce, who seems to contemplate retirement every offseason, will hang it up after another All-Pro season. Whether Jason Peters, 37, wants to retire or not, the Eagles spent a 2019 first-round pick on Andre Dillard, who thrived in starts at left tackle. Peters, the longest-tenured athlete in Philadelphia, may have played his last game in Philadelphia.
As the Eagles lost to a team that has retooled their organization around Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll, it began an offseason where Roseman will be tasked with rebuilding his organization around Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson.
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