By: Andrew Hubschman

The Eagles faced off against their NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys while in a desperate effort to keep their playoff hopes alive. Philly (4-9-1) needed a win against Dallas (5-9) to move ahead of them and the Giants – who had lost to the Ravens earlier on Sunday. Then, they would have to beat the first-place Washington Football Team (6-9) in Week 17 which would then give the Eagles the division title. Only they didn’t beat Dallas. With their loss, their season wiil end following Week 17 along with other things.

Since their Cinderella Super Bowl run in 2017, the Eagles have not looked so hot. Quarterback Carson Wentz is not the MVP candidate he once was and Doug Pederson is no longer a top-tier head coach. The Eagles may have been able to reach the playoffs since winning it all, but not in the flawless way they once did. It’s time for the Eagles to make some big changes going forward after clearly hitting rock-bottom.

Philly’s Week 17 home matchup against Washington will likely be Coach Pederson’s farewell with the Eagles. This will be heartbreaking for Eagles fans everywhere as he brought the city of Philadelphia it’s long-awaited Super Bowl, but the team overall is heading on a downward trajectory. The offense has not looked nearly the same during his early years with then-offensive coordinator Frank Reich before the latter left the team after their Super Bowl LII victory to take the Colts’ head coaching position. Pederson also took too long to replace a struggling Wentz who was 0-7 against playoff contending teams this season – disregarding NFC East opponents. The Eagles are better off saying goodbye now before they see themselves in a deeper hole than they are already in.

As for Wentz, there is no denying that he has talent. It may be true that this year was a total disaster for him; however, it is more reasonable to mention the lack of weapons he has around him. Keep in mind, this is a QB that threw for a franchise record 4,000 passing yards in without any wide receiver reaching 500 receiving yards a year ago. At this point going forward, Wentz is being set up to fail. Because of this, it may be bold to say that his days in Philly are also numbered. Finishing his first year of his four-year $128 million contract that expires after the 2023 season, expect next season to be a ‘prove it’ type deal for him as the Eagles are likely considering saving up cap space.

In retrospect, the Pederson-Wentz duo fulfilled their duty of making Philadelphia a city of champions. This season proved to be the likelihood of the end of an era – one that fans around the city will remember forever.