So you’re a typical Eagles fan and you’ve already assumed the worst for 2020 at 0-2…feel no shame, I’ve been there before.
Yeah, the offense is stuttering and the defense is confused, At least special teams have showed up nicely. Accentuate the positive, EYE say!
But seriously! For so many Eagles fans to be calling for the jettisoning of not only their quarterback but also their head coach and general manager at 0-2 is absurd.
I thought Ravens fans were the most spoiled fan base in the NFL when they turned on coach Harbaugh and Joe Flacco in 2013-2014— one year after the Ravens had won the SB.
But this Philly fan base takes the cake.
Heck, even the audio control guy at the Linc was piping in boo’s during grim moments in the Rams game.
A lot of this bipolar negativity is conditioned into the Eagles fan by lifelong exposure to a huge inferiority complex. We all grew up knowing that Philly was second-banana to the Big Apple. It’s a built-in reflex of resentment which we struggle to shake.
So we project our inbred insecurity upon our sports teams. Long story short, we don’t tolerate slow-starters well.
Enter the 2020 Eagles, a team with some glowing individual pieces but also a team which started out with a hazy identity.
“There’s going to be setbacks, right. There’s going to be things that don’t go our way,” Head Coach Doug Pederson said on Monday at his day-after-game teleconference. “But instead of just folding up our tents and going and doing something else, we’re going to fight the fight, man. We’re going to sit in here. We’re going to grind this thing out. We’re going to figure this thing out. I’ve got smart coaches. I’ve got smart players.
“I’m not concerned about Carson Wentz,” Pederson said. “I see his work ethic during the week. One way to get out of [a slump] is you’ve just got to continue to stay aggressive, right. Stay on the attack, and I don’t want anybody to go into a shell. That’s no way to approach our business, our craft, our jobs, and for sure I don’t want the quarterback position, in this case, Carson, to do that, as well. We just have to stay on the attack, and we have to continue to work, so I’m not concerned about that at all.”
“Those guys in that locker room are mad. They are upset that we’re 0-2 and in this position. But nobody’s going to feel sorry for the Philadelphia Eagles or feel sorry for me. I’m going to come here every day and take your questions. You may not like the answers, but I don’t care, quite frankly, and what I care about is our team, right, and getting our team prepared to play the Bengals this Sunday.”
So there! That’s some football therapy many of our more cynical fans need right now.
The Bengals hit the road for a second-straight week, as they travel to Philadelphia for a matchup with the Eagles on Sunday.
Both teams enter with an 0-2 record. The Bengals lost to the Chargers 16-13 in Week 1, before falling to the Browns 35-30 just four days later.
The Eagles are also 0-2. They lost to Washington 27-17 in Week 1 and were blown out by the Rams 37-19 on Sunday.
Philadelphia has been outscored 57-19 in their last six quarters of play.
Despite their struggles, the Eagles opened as a 6.5-point favorite over the Bengals in Week 3 according to BetOnline.
That is a bit surprising, especially considering what the Bengals have done over the past two games. They’ve lost by a total of eight points.
The Eagles have struggled on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Carson Wentz completed 26-of-42 passes for 246 yards on Sunday. He didn’t throw a touchdown and threw two interceptions.
The Rams were a quality team and the Bengals are not quite there yet— and the Eagles will obviously be desperate for a win on Sunday, but there’s no reason why the Bengals can’t win in Philadelphia.
The key could be getting Geno Atkins back in the lineup. The eight-time Pro Bowler has missed back-to-back games with a shoulder injury.
“We’ll see. I think there’s a chance,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said when asked about Atkins’ potential return. “You can’t make that prediction. We’re still 10 days out from a game. We’ll continue to monitor him this week and see how it goes.”
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