It was a disaster.
There’s no other way to describe it. At worst, the Eagles may have won their final two games of the season and finished as the NFC’s second seed. Instead, they lost to one of the poorest clubs in the NFL, the Cardinals, 35-31 at the Linc on New Year’s Eve.
Hurts was OK during this game. Could he have made more plays? Sure. However, the defense and coaching staff deserve far more of the blame for this loss. Hurts actually had a fairly productive afternoon. He was hurt by a DeVonta Smith drop (on a difficult catch) that resulted in a 3-and-out on the Eagles’ first possession of the second half. It wasn’t a great pass, but Hurts positioned it so Smith could catch it. He also completed three touchdown passes in this game, with his only interception coming on the final play, a desperate heave into the end zone. The Eagles only had a few possessions because their defense was being roasted all afternoon.
Swift didn’t have a great game, but he came through when the Eagles needed it most. He rushed for 44 yards and scored their only touchdown in the second half. That score put the Eagles ahead 28-21 early in the fourth quarter. Swift surpassed 1,000 yards this season for the first time in his career. He’s also a lot tougher runner than I thought from watching him play in Detroit. There’s less stupid dancing than I expected. He usually finds a hole and hits it.
The Eagles did not have a standout receiver on Sunday, but the top three produced respectable numbers. Brown finished 4 for 53, Smith 3 for 30, and Julio Jones 2 for 34 with two touchdowns. Of course, Smith dropped the ball in the second half, resulting in a terrible three-and-out for the Eagles. Smith was seen after the game wearing a walking boot on his right foot and using crutches. Not a good sign as the playoffs approach. Even more upsetting is Smith’s injury while blocking on that screen play to Kenny Gainwell on 3rd-and-long in the fourth quarter.
