Eagles followers have been fairly excited heading into the parking tons on Sunday morning. The Eagles had received the earlier week after a three-game skid. The Giants stink, for positive, and the sport was not fairly. However the Eagles received, and outcomes across the league put them in place to seize the No. 2 seed within the NFC. There was even an out of doors shot they might get the No. 1 seed. On Sunday, the Eagles welcomed the Arizona Cardinals, one of many worst groups within the league. They have been 12.5-point favorites. Followers would get to boo Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon, the Eagles’ defensive coordinator who has taken the brunt of the blame for the Eagles’ 38-35 loss within the Tremendous Bowl. There was one other bonus, too: The sport was at 1:00 p.m.
Tailgating is a vital a part of the soccer expertise for lots of people. The setups run from a number of lounge chairs and a few beers to full spreads. Some followers turn out to be minor celebrities. Motion Information’ Matt O’Donnell as soon as requested a person in his automobile, at 6:00 a.m.: “Don’t you suppose it’s slightly loopy to be out right here at 6:00 a.m.?” The fan had a easy reply: “No. That is what I’ve to do.” Possibly he meant that he wanted to get there that early to get his crew’s most popular tailgate spot. Possibly he meant that the workforce actually wanted him to be there. Both approach, the end result was the identical.
Arriving at 6:00 a.m. for a 1:00 p.m. NFL sport is fairly early. But it surely’s solely seven hours earlier than sport time. This season, although, Eagles followers who arrived within the morning needed to wait for much longer for video games. There have been solely two 1:00 p.m. Eagles video games in Philadelphia this 12 months. The Eagles had simply three within the 17-week season; their last sport on Sunday is at 4:25 p.m.
The Eagles had 9 1:00 p.m. video games final season. The Eagles weren’t anticipated to be among the many greatest groups final 12 months, and so ended up with a schedule that simply put them within the early slot; they weren’t worthy of prime time. The 2018 Eagles, coming off a Tremendous Bowl win, had six 1:00 p.m. video games. The seasons should not totally comparable: The 2018 Eagles performed only one West Coast workforce, the Rams, whereas the 2023 Eagles performed 4 video games in opposition to the NFC West. However the Eagles additionally matched up in opposition to the AFC East this 12 months. Three early video games appears actually low.
Professional Soccer Reference has the occasions of each sport because the AFL/NFL merger. They’re break up into early (earlier than 3:00 p.m. ET), afternoon (3:00 p.m. to six:00 p.m.) and late (after 7:00 p.m.). I’ll proceed to name them “1 p.m. video games” since that’s the usual. Stathead will provide you with the variety of early video games for each workforce, each season, since 1970. Loads of groups have had only a few early video games, on Japanese time, in a season. They’re largely within the Western, Mountain or Central time zones. The Cowboys, for instance, have simply two early video games this 12 months. But the Eagles, within the Japanese time zone, play only one extra. That’s not simply low. Just one different workforce within the Japanese time zone performed simply three video games at 1:00 p.m. in a season: the 1987 New York Giants. That Giants really “moaned” about all of the 4:00 p.m. begins. “The schedule is an insult to our followers,” proprietor Wellington Mara stated. “We’re going from the Nationwide Soccer League to the Twilight League.”
However the Giants really had 4 scheduled 1:00 p.m. video games that 12 months; Week 3 was canceled as a result of gamers’ strike. So, actually, the Giants have been scheduled for 4 video games at 1:00 p.m. The Eagles have been scheduled to play the fewest 1:00 p.m. video games of any east coast NFL workforce because the merger—which, mainly, means the fewest ever.
Very similar to the 1987 Giants, the defending Tremendous Bowl champs, that is the results of the workforce being good. And I hate it! The Eagles weren’t all the time dangerous after I was a child, however they virtually by no means got here into the season with huge expectations. They normally performed at 1:00 p.m. The routine appeared proper. Stand up, go to church, get breakfast, watch the Birds, go to sleep on the sofa throughout the late sport. It was my childhood soccer expertise. Early video games are what I do know.
This Eagles season has been extremely irritating. The Eagles saved profitable, however they saved making it tougher than it must be. After a late-season swoon, it has fallen off the sting. For me, this has all been made worse by the truth that the Eagles sport performed simply three 1:00 p.m. video games, one in opposition to Arizona and two in opposition to the Commanders. The Eagles performed at 1:00 p.m. after they performed two of the worst groups within the league.
The primary two have been shut; the Eagles even wanted extra time to beat Washington at residence. The third sport was a catastrophe. Eagles followers had a brief tailgate and an extended sport. They have been up 21-6 at halftime and misplaced, 35-31. The Cardinals didn’t punt all sport. Arizona drove into Eagles territory each possession moreover the one the place they bought the ball with 16 seconds left within the half. In his third sport as de facto coordinator, Matt Patricia’s protection had the worst efficiency of the 12 months—probably one of many worst performances for a great Eagles workforce ever. Except the Eagles beat the Giants and the Commanders beat the Cowboys, a workforce that began 10-1 will end second within the NFC East be the No. 5 seed within the playoffs. I assume they’ll be an evening sport.