TUESDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Crucial stretch begins with rescheduled game vs. Football Team
PHILADELPHIA » The outrage has subsided, yet the bitterness remains for Eagles players who felt the Washington Football Team should forfeit due to the NFL’s COVID-19 policy.
In a nutshell the league rescheduled the Eagles’ critical game with the Washington Football Team from Sunday to Tuesday (7 p.m., FOX TV, WIP, 94.1FM) because of a COVID outbreak of more than 20 Washington players. That was fully within league authority although you wouldn’t know it based on erroneous and inaccurate reports. More on that later.
The reality now is whoever wins the Tuesday night showdown between the Eagles and the WFT, both 6-7, is in the driver’s seat for the playoffs. The loser is all but toast.
“We’ve got four games left, all division,” Eagles running back Miles Sanders surmised before the crazy postponement. “We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do.”
The Eagles woke up Monday No. 10 in the NFC playoff seedings, trailing New Orleans (7-7), which was in the seventh and final spot, along with Washington and Minnesota (67), the latter scheduled to play Chicago (4-9) Monday night.
Washington was ahead of the Vikings in the playoff standings by the better conference record tiebreaker, and in front of the Birds with a better division record (1-1 to 0-2).
The Eagles’ poorer record (2-3 to 3-3) in the common games tiebreaker had them behind the Vikings, pending the MNF result.
The Eagles by the way beat the Saints, and that could help down the road.
What’s certain now is an Eagles loss to or tie with the WFT wipes out any chance of the Birds hosting a first-round game if they reach the playoffs. Additionally, it would shrink their magic number further, pending other results. Three losses in the last four games and the Eagles are out of the tournament.
Back to the COVID issues that have plagued the NFL, more than 150 players testing positive for the virus last week. Tough as the postponement to Tuesday will be on both the Eagles and the WFT, as it shortens recovery time for the following game, the complaints that the NFL reversed its decision on forfeitures is ridiculous.
A memo available on NFL.com and sent to teams last summer stated
that if a game cannot be rescheduled during the 18-week schedule due to a COVID-19 outbreak among unvaccinated players, the team with the outbreak would forfeit and be credited with a loss and other penalties. Well, guess what? The season hasn’t been extended. Two other games also were postponed.
The NFL also exercised its right to collaborate with the NFL Players Association and medical community to change the protocols. Thus, a vaccinated player who tests negative twice in the same day, rather than twice 24 hours apart, can be cleared to play.
Before the postponement, yet while the WFT began racking up COVID infections that have placed the game day status of starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke and backup Kyle Allen in doubt, the Eagles
did their best to focus on their opponent.
Since then, the WFT slowly but surely began getting players back. Defensive linemen Jonathan Allen, James Smith-Williams, Montez Sweat and Casey Toohill all came off the COVID list Sunday, although in all seriousness, they can’t be expected to be in game shape.
The Eagles got two of their own off the COVID reserve list in Quez Watkins and Jason Huntley.
More recently, Eagles left guard Landon Dickerson, who’s had a stellar rookie season, was placed on the COVID reserve list Sunday. The Eagles could roll with Sua Opeta at left guard.
Reports also surfaced that guard Brandon Scherff, one of Washington’s top players would be put on the list Monday. That would make his availability a longshot at best.
Then there is the matter of who starts at quarterback if Heinicke and Allen don’t test negative often enough. Head coach Ron Rivera would have to choose between Kyle Shurmur, the son of former Eagles interim head coach and longtime assistant Pat Shurmur, and Garrett Gilbert. One, the other or both would have to be activated from the practice squad.
It’s also not entirely clear whether Jalen Hurts and his problematic ankle would be back at work this week. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni indicated that Hurts was on track to return. Two extra days to heal figure to help.
Shurmur, 25, starred at La Salle High in Philadelphia and quarterbacked Vanderbilt. He hasn’t played an NFL snap. Gilbert, 30, was a sixth-round pick of the Rams in 2014. He’s started one NFL contest.
Amid all the certainty the challenge for the Eagles is to focus.
“They have a lot going on there but for us no matter who is going to play, they play what they play so we’re obviously going to prepare for what we are going to see,” Eagles linebacker Alex Singleton said. “And it doesn’t really matter what guys are going to do it. It’s a division game. We haven’t won a division game. We need to win a division game so I don’t think we care too much who’s wearing their colors. We’re going to go out, compete and continue to prepare to play our best game.”
The next loss by the Eagles will force them to run the table to stay relevant in the playoff race.
The next win by forfeit for any NFL team will be the first in the history of the league.