My oh my, we are all still reeling from that come-from-behind “win” last night against the Super Bowl champs. In what many sports analysts are calling a “redemption” game, the Birds were able to hold Chief QB and last year’s MVP Patrick Mahomes to 17 points in the second half, ultimately emerging victorious.
However, it didn’t really feel like much of a victory. Lifelong Eagles fan and RV’s principal Mr. Martin put it best when I chatted with him this morning in the hallway.
“This was the opposite of the Super Bowl,” Martin said. “In the Super Bowl, the Eagles dominated, but the Chiefs won. Last night, the Chiefs dominated, but the Eagles won.”
He’s right. We were dominated offensively, in an ugly, expletive-driven kind of way. I have to give our defense props, as they were the ones that held the Chiefs aggressive offense (especially that run game, good lord; give Isiah Pacheco a raise, that man can run) to the line, despite Chiefs receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s and tight end Travis Kelce’s best efforts. I’m thankful for our defense and their ability to give the Chiefs a headache in the second half, but this wasn’t a win solely on their part.
This morning, I thought of some other things I am thankful for this football season. As we head into the Thanksgiving weekend, here are some things I am truly and deeply grateful for.
- Haason Reddick’s tone-setting sacks
I am thankful for Haason Reddick for a number of reasons. For one, he’s a south Jersey native and a Temple grad, so his roots are strong in this area. But I’m more thankful for his ability to swim past 300-lb. linemen to find the knees of an unprepared QB, including the last three QBs: Mahomes, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and Commanders QB Sam Howell. With 8.5 sacks under him this season, he is currently tied for the longest streak by an Eagles defender since Hugh Douglas in 2000. I am grateful for the times he is able to do his job, despite being held what feels like 75% of the time.
- DeVonta Smith’s speed
Every time Smith gets his hands on the ball, I feel myself holding my breath. I know wide receivers come in all shapes and sizes, but my goodness, Smith has got to be one of the skinniest men on the field. It looks like he could be snapped in half against some of the cornerbacks he goes against. According to Pro Football Reference, Smith weighs 170 lbs, which is what I’m pretty sure I weigh after eating a burrito from Chipotle. At six feet even, how the hell can this man not be crushed under the weight of Bryan Cook or Justin Reid? Last night his 41-yard reception at the one-yard line was a game changer, and after rolling through the endzone, he popped up and dusted his pants off like nothing happened. My husband says I obsess too much about the stature of some of our WRs, but it seems physically impossible for someone like that to do what he does.
- The dropped throws and missed opportunities by the receiving squad of the Commanders/Cowboys/Chiefs
It’s impossible to be thankful for just one person, but if I had to make a Super Bowl speech right now, I would say a big, hearty thank you to the wide receivers and tight ends of the last three teams we have played, and I would especially thank their inability to catch what are seemingly easy passes. A big special thank you to Terry McLaurin in the fourth quarter of the game on October 1 for the dropped pass; a loving shoutout to CeeDee Lamb for just barely not making it to the endzone on November 5; a heartfelt “we appreciate you!” to tight end Justin Watson for suddenly forgetting how to catch last night in the last two minutes of the game, after making big plays the entire game. Your contributions are as important as our team’s actual attempts to score touchdowns.
- Jalen Hurts’s knees
Last night, in the first quarter, after the first four times Hurts got sacked, the camera zoomed in on Hurts’s left knee as announcers Troy Aikman and Joe Buck droned on and on about how Hurts had to rest over the bye-week and make sure he was ready to play. After getting rocked a couple of times by Micah Parsons on November 5, Hurts limped here and there throughout the rest of the game, but took the field seemingly without issue last night. Following the camera work to spotlight Hurts’s knee, I again held my breath — and every scramble, blitz and sack also made me jump. While I love and appreciate how much Hurts moves around the pocket, he has looked demonstrably less confident in his scrambles. His touchdown in the third quarter showed glimmers of the old Hurts, the more confident Hurts, and it felt good to know he’s still in there.
- The Brotherly Shove
Hearing Kansas City collectively boo as Hurts and the offense got into their “Brotherly Shove” formation in the third quarter might be the gift that keeps on giving. They knew, just like everyone else knew, that their defense was helpless to stop it. It is the play that cannot be stopped, no matter how badly Hurts’s knees give out, or how beat up Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are, or how hard big boys like Chris Jones or Willie Gay push back. This holiday season, I am so, so, so thankful that this is still a thing — and that we settled on a better name than the “tush push.”
There’s a lot to be thankful for this holiday season, like my beautiful family, my fulfilling job or the comfortable roof over my head. But that comfortable life would be a lot less anxiety-ridden if the Eagles would just stop winning like this for the next few games.
Most of all, I’m thankful I don’t have to watch the Birds on Thanksgiving, so I can finally relax.
Happy Turkey day everyone.
