Even Doug Pederson’s own players were furious with the Eagles head coach for waving the white flag at the end of the regular season on Sunday night.
Two Philadelphia defenders had to stop to face Pederson after introducing third-string quarterback Nate Sudfeld in the fourth quarter of the loss to the Washington football team, according to the Philadelphia researcher, a play that was immediately disapproved of by former players. analysts and fans who claimed that the Eagles threw the game on purpose to get the sixth pick instead of the ninth in the NFL draft.
Sudfeld relieved rookie freshman Jalen Hurts with the Eagles down by three points, threw an interception in his second pass, lost a buzz to the next possession and was about to lead his team to a comeback. in the 20-14 defeat.
Pederson defended his decision, saying he wanted to get Sudfeld, a career backup, playing for the first time in two years.
“We were struggling a bit to move the ball,” Pederson told reporters Monday. “Defensively, they kept us in the game with a couple of meals to take away late. And my plan was to get Nate involved in the game. “
Pederson hinted last week that Sudfeld could see playing time, but many were surprised he would make a change with his team at an astonishing distance.
Although Hurts was 7 of 20 with an interception, he had run for two touchdowns and clearly gave Philadelphia, who also had multiple headlines throughout the game, the best chance to eliminate his rival Washington from the playoffs. playoffs.
After retiring from the game, NBC cameras attacked Hurts, who seemed to be saying, “It’s not okay.” Hurts later said: “As a competitor, I play to win. You have to trust [Pederson’s plan]”.
Perhaps no team was more upset with Pederson than the Giants, who because of their 6-10 record, were confident of winning the Eagles because it would have sent them to the playoffs over Washington.
“That’s disgusting,” receiver Darius Slayton posted in a tweet shortly after Sudfeld entered the game.