Eagles Last Regular Season Game 2017

[LeonardRachiele]

The Eagles were coasting on Game 16 and lost to the Dallas Cowboys 6 to 0. Some things were riding on this game but nothing was critical. Had the Eagles won, they would have established a record for wins in a season. As it was, they tied the record of 13 wins in the Super Bowl season of 2004. The shutout was the first since the last game of 2009 also to the Dallas Cowboys. That game was at Dallas with a 24 to 0 score.

Nick Foles played the first 10 minutes and Nate Sudfeld for the rest of the way. It seemed as if every time the Eagles got something going there came a sack, a penalty, or a dropped pass.

Two Big Mistakes

First Quarter-Torrey Smith dropped a 15 yard pass which would have given the Eagles a first down at the Cowboy 40.
Second Quarter-A brilliant punt the ball at the Cowboys’ eight yard line. Two plays later Vinny Curry recovered a fumble from Zeke Elliot at the Cowboy 14. I felt the team would get a touchdown. However, an offside penalty negated the play.

Sudfeld actually had a very decent day going 19 for 23 for 134 yards. He also ran for 22 yards on third down to the Cowboys 45. His big problem was high snaps from center. This gave the Cowboys defensive line a split second longer to rush the passer. This cost Nate Sudfeld a split second longer to throw the ball. Philadelphia must address this problem. Eventually a snap will fly over the passer.

Philadelphia showed good defense despite playing only the reserves. The first string players were on the sidelines studying formations and our teams’ reactions to them. This was valuable time and the Eagles were fortunate to be able to utilize players like this. Sometimes even the most talented players get involved so much in their own play that they lose sight of the big picture, be it offense, defense, or special teams.

Seeing all this from both teams, I never thought the game would go three quarters without a score. Our defense finally cracked in the fourth quarter. Dak Prescott threw a 15 yard touchdown pass to Bryce Butler. Dan Bailey missed the extra point and a 23 yard field goal. Ezekiel Elliot gained only 28 yards in the first half but finished the game with 103.