NFL Gameday Week 15 • Page 75

I hate when people say this so much.

 

a giants cardinals giants end to the season has to at least inspire a little hope lol

 

But do you know how many fanbases would kill to have eight wins this late in the season right now like the Jaguars do though?

 

Hollow wins that will lure the team into a false sense of confidence and security before being pantsed in the divisional round

 

I’m not gonna raise the banner because the Eagles beat the Giants twice and the Cardinals

 

does winning the division matter right now to eagles fans? (legitimate question, not trolling) - because id feel way better about playing the giants x2 and cardinals with the cowboys having to go through the dolphins lions and a commanders team with nothing to lose lol

 

GOD DAMN IT

 

Eagles are gonna lose the first playoff game they play. No doubt in my mind.

 

It’s a good and fair question. Of course I’d like to see them win the division, but, to me, the measuring stick has changed. I care about how well they perform against the best teams in the league because that’s how they want to be measured too. They went to the super bowl last season. They have higher expectations of themselves. It’s not about beating the Vikings and the Bucs and the Commanders. It’s about beating the Niners, the Cowboys, and now even the Lions (whom they barely beat in week one of last season!)

The Eagles can win the division, and should considering their schedule compared to the Cowboys’ schedule, but the expectation should be at least making it to the NFC championship game, which looks like it’s all but certainly going to be in SF at this point. Home playoff games mean a lot to teams and the Eagles should get a couple, but they really shot themselves in the foot lately with how they’ve played against some of the best teams in the league.

I’m not gonna sit here and pity them for having a gauntlet of a schedule or playing teams that had more rest than them like the Niners and Cowboys did. Too bad! No one wants to listen to the organization or fans whine about the schedule after they went into the season as one of the super bowl favorites. Gotta play who’s on the schedule. The organization would tell you they want to be measured against those teams because they know they want to go back. I mean, Hurts’ background on his phone is of the KC confetti covering him in the super bowl. They want to go back, but, at this rate, they probably aren’t going to. Winning the division is nice, but the stakes are higher.

 

It's a big reminder that going to the Super Bowl doesn't mean you'll be back in the Super Bowl the next year

But at the same time, you're 100% right that the bar is different once you go. Fans SHOULD have the expectation that the team can be good enough to go again and it's a disappointment if they don't. But so often I see fans of other teams being like "well the Eagles/Panthers/Falcons/Bengals/(insert team here) were good enough to make it so even though they didn't win that means they're going to be back there again" and write it in, and so often it just...doesn't happen

I'm more quoting you for the context Dink, I agree with everything you're saying and am just pointing this stuff out

 

No doubt, I appear salty. I care about this team. I’m invested in their success (probably more than I should be) because I like football. I enjoy spending my time watching this team. That’s why it’s so frustrating and disheartening watching this team begin to repeat history where they begin to implode after one season of success, just like they did in 2018.

There is already an anonymous player in the locker room going to Derrick Gunn airing out dirty laundry about the offense, just like Alshon was the anonymous player who went to Josina Anderson about his criticisms of Wentz. There is already controversy about the coaching staff and who is really calling the shots between Sirianni and Howie. Doug held a press conference in 2020 stating that Mike Groh would be back as OC and Groh got fired days later. Then, he was given a hodgepodge of offensive coaches instead of an actual OC and they were miserable in 2020, which led to Doug pounding the table for Press Taylor (lol) which wasn’t good enough for Howie and Lurie so they fired Doug. Now, it’s Sirianni saying they’re not making coaching changes, just to demote Desai and make him do his DC presser anyway when Patricia was promoted to DC. There are still concerns and criticisms about Brian Johnson as OC.

It just reeks of the same shit where there’s questions and controversy whether Desai was Sirianni’s guy or Howie’s and whether Sirianni or Howie is pulling the strings (it’s likely Howie, let’s be real). It’s not going to be the last time we hear this either. I’m sure the coordinators will get fired after the season, despite their record (which people point toward to say the team is one of the best!) and Howie is gonna get his guys in there whether Sirianni likes it or not. They’re beginning to fast-track the 2018-2020 seasons all over again.

 

Raiders Homer Simpson gif into the bushes

 

Yeah part of the reason why last year's loss is so crushing is because it took this franchise god knows how many years to finally win their first SB, and it was only the second time in my life they had been to a SB at all. So the fact that they got back there again just 5 years later seemed like a goddamn miracle because of how hard it seems. I know it's not completely logical, but it was for sure passing through my brain that it's very possible it's the last super bowl I ever see them play in, if not certainly very possible the last time I'll ever see them in a comfortable position to win one in the middle of the game.

Which of course makes this year all the more disappointing when it seemed they still had the players in place to try to make another run and it's looking more and more likely that's not happening. Really drives home that post-game feeling of "who knows when I'll see this again" lol

 

Absolutely! It’s why it’s frustrating to see the Eagles lose the super bowl because a lot went right for them last season. It was a golden opportunity to win the super bowl, which we know is so difficult for teams to get back to. This team is not the Patriots, nor the Chiefs, despite how weak the NFC seems overall. Shit happens every season, players get hurt, coaches get fired, perceived good teams don’t play as well and teams perceived as bad outplay expectations.

And, who knows, maybe I’m wrong! The Eagles won a super bowl with Nick Foles after all, but I’m not clinging onto that very unlikely hope. I’ll tune in, but my expectations have shifted accordingly based on what the team has shown me over the last month or so

 

Losing both playcallers hurts (heh) like a mf.

 

This. It’s just so mind-boggling that a team with this much talent, at least on offense and the DL, just can’t seem to put it all together again. They should be playing better than they have been. They’re wasting such a golden opportunity to go back.

 

Yeah especially considering there aren't many teams playing consistently great football

A team that can put it all together can really seize this season and postseason, but hardly anyone is stepping up

 

I think losing Steichen obviously really hurt this team. I think losing defensive players and regression has hurt the defense more than losing Gannon. I mean, they lost both starting linebackers and safeties and they just expected Dean and Reed to fill in no problems while investing extremely little at the starters next to them. I think Reed has played well, but Dean was a non-factor in the few games he played in surrounding his injuries

 

Man what'd I do to you? lol

 

lmaoooo it was nothing about you I swear, I was just thinking of who is projected to pick at the top of the draft lol

 

Yeah I know they added Carter, but they literally lost a ton up the middle of their defense this season with Hargrave, both LBs, and both Safetys. And, not too surprisingly, they've been vulnerable in the middle of the field all year

 

Maybe NOW we can actually appreciate the absolute what-the-fuckery of the Patriots going to 13 AFC Championships in 20 years lol