A 30-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers officially ended the Philadelphia Eagles’ chances of a winning record in 2020. Mired in a four-game losing streak, hopes of an NFC East title, their only route to the playoffs, is slipping away, too.
But Philadelphia Eagles followers won’t be getting nothin’ for Christmas. They are getting their favorite consolation present — a quarterback controversy.
Carson Wentz has been sacked a league-high 50 times and struggled with decision making. Against the Packers, he completed five of 12 passes for 109 yards, a TD and an interception. He was benched early in the second half in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts with the Eagles trailing 20-3.
The offense began to show some signs of life. On his second drive, Hurts led a 9-play, 73-yard drive. It was capped with a 32-yard touchdown to Greg Ward that came on 4th-and-18. After 12 games, it looked like the play of the year, which isn’t saying much for a squad that has managed few fireworks.
Eagles Twitter — which has been calling for Hurts for weeks — got their wish, and they had plenty to say about a blue Christmas for their Eagles.
Eagles bad ATS, too
The Eagles have been bad for backers. The loss and failure to cover moved them to 4-8 ATS.
Pennsylvania sportsbook apps opened with the Packers as 9-point favorites. By kickoff, the spread moved to 7 or 8. A Jalen Reagor punt return with 6:23 left in the game was the source of a sweat. Four minutes later, a 77-yard run by Packers running back Aaron Jones sealed the contest for the Packers and Packers backers.
Betting splits from FanDuel as of Sunday morning:
- 78% of the money is on the Packers (-7.5) to cover the spread. Only the Chiefs (-13.5) have a more lopsided total.
- 76% of the money is on the Packers moneyline.
- 80% of the money is on the over (49.5).
Betting splits from BetRivers:
- 85% of the money was on the Packers (-8) to cover the spread.
- 93% of the money was on the Packers (-375) ML.
- Bettors backing Davante Adams (+500 1st TD, +750 2 TDs) were also winners thanks to two TDs on 10 catches for 121 yards.
Wentz, O-line on sad-sack track
Twitter reacts to Jalen Hurts taking over for Wentz
Philly loves QB drama
Fans want to kick Elliot off roster
Wentz, Hurts, general manager Howie Roseman, and head coach Doug Pederson are getting most of the attention, but that doesn’t mean other subpar performances have gone unnoticed.
In 2019, kicker Jake Elliot got a five-year, $19.3 million contract extension to stay with the team through 2024. At the time, it was the third-richest contract ever for a kicker.
Here are Elliot’s stats for 2019 and 2020.
2019:
- FG percentage – 84.6%
- XP percentage – 94.6%
2020:
- FG percentage – 75%
- XP percentage – 88.2%
Lead image credit: AP Photo/Rich Schultz
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