The start to the 2020 season couldn’t have gone much worse for the Philadelphia Eagles, who blew a 17-0 first-half lead in a 27-17 loss to the Washington Football Team on Sunday afternoon from Landover, MD.
Carson Wentz was continuously battered and beaten behind a makeshift Philadelphia offensive line, and his day took a turn for the worse because of it. He was sacked eight times in the loss while constantly pressured throughout the day.
After starting 12-of-15 for 176 yards and two touchdowns, completed just 12 of his last 27 passes for 94 yards and with two key interceptions that allowed the Redskins to overturn the three-possession deficit.
Not the kind of start to a season against a weaker divisional opponent that the Eagles would have wanted from their franchise quarterback
Their first possession of the season couldn’t have gone much better — especially after the offense ended the 2019 campaign with such inconsistent offensive performances.
The Eagles took just three plays to score their opening touchdown of the season, Wentz hitting tight end Zach Ertz for a five-yard pass.
Philadelphia and its fans got a first glimpse of what the rookie Reagor can bring to the table as an outside threat of the future when he and Wentz hooked up for a 55-yard bomb on a 3rd-and-20 during the Eagles’ second drive of the day.
It led to a Jake Elliott 38-yard-field goal, extending the Eagles’ lead to 10-0 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter.
While it wasn’t a walk in the park for Wentz, who continuously had to keep his head on a swivel behind a makeshift Eagles defensive line that struggled against an up-and-coming Washington pass rush, Philadelphia’s lead only grew.
Following a Washington missed field goal, Wentz went over the top of the defense to connect with Dallas Goedert for a 34-yard touchdown down the left side with 6:54 left in the half to go up 17.
Trying to keep the pedal to the medal, the Eagles wound up opening the door ever so slightly for Washington. Looking for Reagor, Wentz was intercepted by Fabian Moreau near midfield.
Five plays later, they found the end zone as Haskins hit a wide-open Logan Thomas for a six-yard score 40 seconds before halftime.
Wentz was picked off a second time just over three minutes into the third quarter when his short screen pass intended for Jon Hightower was jumped by Jimmy Moreland, who returned it down to the Eagles’ 20-yard-line to put Washington in prime position to score.
Yet again, they took advantage, as Peyton Barber’s one-yard rush brought Washington to within three.
They tied the game just 45 seconds into the fourth when Dustin Hopkins nailed a 38-yard field goal, which was a direct response to Washington’s unrelenting pass rush. With the Eagles going for it on a 4th-and-4 from Washington’s 45-yard-line, Wentz was sacked for the sixth time of the day by Jonathan Bostic, giving the hosts prime field position.
After an Eagles punt, Washington took its first lead of the season, going 48 yards on 13 plays, eating up 6:14 to take a seven-point lead with 6:13 remaining as Barber’s second score of the day — this time for three yards out — put Philadelphia surprisingly behind.
A turnover-on-downs led to Washington making it a two-score game with a field goal before its defense iced the game by strip-sacking Wentz inside Philadelphia’s 20-yard-line with 3:15 to go.
