It’s been a long year so far for the Philadelphia Eagles. With the NFC East essentially up for the taking with every single team working with its backup quarterbacks, the Eagles believed they could muster up some momentum to make a push to the playoffs with Carsen Wentz.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t gone as planned.
Wentz has struggled mightily this season, some due to his receding play and accuracy, and some due to the fact the Eagles have experienced numerous injuries across the roster, especially at the skill position.
But all offensive struggles tend to fall back on two people in the NFL.
The quarterback and the head coach, and Doug Pederson is trying to improve his chances of hanging around in Philadelphia so he made the move on Sunday to bench Wentz in favor of rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts.
And for a moment things appeared to turn around.
When Hurts entered the game he made his trademark plays with his feet, picking up first downs and keeping broken plays alive.
He even got the chance to throw the first touchdown pass of his career which came on 4th and 18 where he rolled out of the pocket to his right and delivered an accurate strike to Greg Ward.
.@JalenHurts has his first NFL touchdown!#PHIvsGB | #FlyEaglesFly
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/TuRPDyFU0k
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 6, 2020
Hurts finished the game going 5/12 for 109 yards with one touchdown and one interception along with five carries for 29 yards. The Eagles lost the game 30-16, but when the former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback was in the game, there was an obvious shift in energy.
Right after he threw his first touchdown pass the Eagles defense stepped up big time for a stop and returned the next punt for a 73-yard touchdown.
When you bench your quarterback in the NFL it can do one of two things. Tell your players the season is over or be a shot of new energy to a team that needs it.
It’s still yet to be seen which side Hurts falls under or if he will even start the team’s next game. But Pederson, who is trying to keep his job, is still considering rolling with the young quarterback.
“Let me get through this game,” Pederson said following the game. “There’s a lot of things I’m going to consider and evaluate before anything is decided.”
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
