By Michael Heilman
This past Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Dallas Cowboys 17-9 to take over first place in the NFC East. The Eagles can clinch the NFC East Sunday by defeating the New York Giants or if the Dallas Cowboys lose to the Washington Redskins.
In the game against Dallas, Carson Wentz went 31 of 40 for 319-yards and one touchdown. Second-round pick Miles Sanders from Penn State led the Eagles in rushing yards carrying the ball 20 times for 79-yards and one touchdown. Another second-round pick J.J. Arcega-Whiteside out of Stanford made a couple of nice catches for 39-yards. Other players who contributed to the Eagles win included Dallas Goedert, who caught a touchdown, Greg Ward caught four passes for 71-yards, Zach Ertz caught four passes for 28-yards, Boston Scott had three carries for twelve yards and six receptions for seven-yards, and former Redskins wide receiver Rob Davis made a great catch for six-yards. The Eagles defense, despite at times not playing well, managed to keep Dallas out of the endzone and give three field goals.
This season has been rough for the Eagles from an injury standpoint. Since week one, they lost key players like DeSean Jackson, Malik Jackson, Darren Sproles, who announced his retirement last week, Ronald Darby, and Jordan Howard. Some have returned this season, and others haven’t. But has this season of injuries been a blessing for the Philadelphia Eagles?
There is no question no one wants to see anyone get injured. But injuries are part of the game. This season, the Eagles have had to rely on guys to step up like bringing up Greg Ward, Josh Perkins and Boston Scott from the practice and give their draft picks a chance to shine like Miles Sanders, J.J Arcega-Whiteside, and Andre Dillard. The Eagles have had a problem with loyalty to Jason Peters, Darren Sproles, and other guys who are at the end of their playing careers. While they have made significant contributions to the team over the years, they frequently get injured and can’t keep up with the younger players. Darren Sproles’s injury kept him from playing this season. Jason Peters couldn’t stop Dallas Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. He has also been penalized for false starts a lot. This is where Andre Dillard should be playing at left tackle and Peters being his mentor while he is still here.
The Eagles have plenty of young guys on this roster that are looking to take advantage of the opportunities given to them, and they have because of the injuries the Eagles have suffered this year, and as a result, the Eagles are sitting where they are now because of them.
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