Playing Nate Sudfeld on Sunday night may have helped the Philadelphia Eagles’ draft position, but it apparently did not sit well with many of the team’s players.
The Eagles were trailing Washington 17-14 in the fourth quarter and had a chance to win the game. However, head coach Doug Pederson benched Jalen Hurts, who was 7/20 passing to that point but had two rushing touchdowns. Sudfeld, who is ordinarily the team’s third-string quarterback, turned the ball over twice and did not give them a chance to win.
Perplexed by the team seemingly tanking midgame, many Eagles players reportedly were upset.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported on Monday that many Eagles players and coaches were shocked and outraged by Pederson’s decision. Two offensive starters reportedly approached Pederson to question him about the move. McLane says two defensive players had to be restrained from approaching Pederson.
NBC’s announcers called the Eagles out for the questionable decisions. Joe Judge, whose New York Giants needed a Washington loss in order to qualify for the playoffs, ripped the Eagles.
Losing the game improved the Eagles’ draft position by three spots from No. 9 to No. 6. Maybe that was all the motivation the Eagles needed to make the quarterback switch.
