Doug Pederson angered plenty of Philadelphia Eagles fans throughout the 2020 NFL season, but on Sunday night, for his closing act of the year, he welcomed fury from elsewhere in the NFC East. With the rival New York Giants needing the Eagles to beat the Washington Football Team in order to clinch a division title and playoff spot, the former Super Bowl-winning head coach elicited all kinds of fury from New Jersey when he pulled quarterback Jalen Hurts early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's contest.
It's unclear whether Pederson benched Hurts for third-stringer Nate Sudfeld because of the former's struggles (Hurts finished just 7-of-20 passing for 72 yards and an interception), or simply to "tank" the game for a shot at a higher draft pick in 2021. But if the latter was his intention, it quickly looked like a brilliant move, with Sudfeld almost immediately gifting Washington two takeaways in his first series in place of Hurts. And it also sent shockwaves through the Giants organization and fan base, which watched as NFC East title hopes dwindled thanks to Washington's simpler path to victory:
This is why we don’t like the Eagles. https://t.co/Efe7kEPtES
— Eli Manning (@EliManning) January 4, 2021
They really throwing it
— ADRIAN COLBERT (@AdrianColbert27) January 4, 2021
Bruh...
— Darius Slayton (@Young_Slay2) January 4, 2021
— ADRIAN COLBERT (@AdrianColbert27) January 4, 2021
Why on gods green earth is Jalen Hurts not in the game
— Darius Slayton (@Young_Slay2) January 4, 2021
Washington had to pay Philly to do that🤦🏽♂️
— BJ Hill (@BJHill5) January 4, 2021
This is sickening
— Darius Slayton (@Young_Slay2) January 4, 2021
Correction*** Eagles hate us more than they hate Washington AND they want Chase Young to win OFFENSIVE ROOKIE MVP #mytheory
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) January 4, 2021
You would be up next at QB. 😐😒 https://t.co/1NIJnqAsEY
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) January 4, 2021
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