New York Giants players past and present, from Eli Manning to Darius Slayton, took to Twitter on Sunday night to vent about the Philadelphia Eagles benching Jalen Hurts for Nate Sudfeld late in a crucial NFC East contest. Countless others wondered whether coach Doug Pederson was intentionally trying to throw the game in Washington Football Team's favor in order to either keep the Giants out of the postseason or, more likely, boost his own team's 2021 draft position.
Pederson, however, insists his QB swap was planned so as to reward Sudfeld with an opportunity, telling reporters afterward he was "coaching to win" the game.
"I was coaching to win," Pederson said. "That was my decision solely." Sudfeld, he added, "has been here four years" and deserved the chance to see the field before the end of the season.
The third-stringer entered early in the fourth quarter of the game, with the Eagles trailing by three, and quickly turned the ball over twice while relieving Hurts, who was similarly ineffective through the air against Washington but scored twice on the ground.
Pressed to clarify that he wasn't trying to lose the game by making the QB switch, Pederson noted that several other key starters, including tight end Zach Ertz and defensive end Brandon Graham, were still active and in the game. Deliberately trying not to win, he explained, would send the wrong message to those kinds of veterans.
In any event, the Eagles will benefit from falling to Washington in a game that was meaningless in terms of NFC East or playoff contention. They'll now pick sixth overall instead of ninth in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Want inside access into this unprecedented NFL season? Download and subscribe to All Things Covered with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden for a player's perspective including thoughts on how Doug Pederson handled Week 17.
