Crossing Broad
They say that you’re supposed to control your own narrative, to leave fans, media, and other potential critics with no choice but to trust their eyes and respect the results.
That’s what the Eagles did on Thursday night, battering the Commies at home to improve to 8-2 on the season and take full control of the NFC East with six wins in a row. They started slow, and Jake Elliott couldn’t kick the ball into the ocean from a Wildwood jetty, but ask yourself an honest question – did you feel like they were going to lose this game? Did you feel like they were going to fold in the second half and lose at home to a rookie QB and a Warshington team that’s way ahead of schedule? If you did, it ended up being folly, because they smoked ’em in the second half. The score only looks the way it does because of missed field goals and a garbage time tuddy.
On Thursday night, capitalism won. Communism lost. A victory for all Americans!
To the observations:
1) Al Michaels had a little more juice for this game. That’s not saying much. He’s been phoning it in for years, but also gets stuck with some bad Thursday night matchups, so it’s a mixed bag from him these days. He started off okay, but as the game wore on, he called the big plays with the enthusiasm of paint drying watch party.
2) A little bit of trolling from the Eagles calling a swing pass for ex-Commie Jahan Dotson on the first play of the game. The Birds aren’t the greatest “throw it sideways” team of all time, but it went for eight yards.
3) Jake Elliott has missed five field goals this year. The 44-yarder on the opening drive was the first shank from inside of 50, and it meant that for the ninth time in 10 games, the Eagles failed to score on their first possession. 11 plays, 44 yards, no points. In the second quarter, he missed from 51, which perhaps is Eagles kismet for all of the 4th down fuckery of weeks past. NOW Nick Sirianni decides to kick, and his kicker can’t hit anything. Did Nick reverse screw his guy, or does he know something we don’t?
4) Three and out on the first Washington drive. Guess who? Zack Baun with the PBU to force the Communist punt. Howie might have to give him a new contract sooner rather than later, because the price tag is only going up.
5) It took Saquon Barkley a little more than nine games to reach 1,000 yards. That’s 37 quarters of football, or 27.1 yards per quarter on average. He finished this one with a healthy 146 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26 carries.
6) Braden Mann’s second punt only went 38 yards. A rare bad boot from him. Not a great night for lower body action among Eagles specialists.
7) That Austin Ekeler pass and catch down...
