Watching Eagles football in 2020 has been ugly. I can't think of a single moment I was really excited to watch this team play this season. Don't get me wrong, I love this team, but at this point, it is a love-hate relationship. They've embarrassed themselves against teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington, yet they've surprised us by hanging around with the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens (last year's #1 seed in the AFC). They're sitting at 3-4-1 in first place of the NFC East, but thanks to incompetency throughout the division, the East title could be won by any of the fours teams (and it'll likely be a team below .500).
There are some players that deserve some recognition for their play this season though. Players have come out of nowhere, some are having the best seasons of their careers. And some are playing like absolute garbage. Here's a full list of accolades I am handing out at the halfway point of the season:
MVP: C Jason Kelce
This could've been Travis Fulgham, but Kelce deserves it more. This man is a warrior, and we saw it in the Dallas game this past week -- he gets hurt on a play and is clearly writhing in pain, but he stays in the game and plays the next snap like he is as healthy as an ox. I don't even want to imagine what the line would look like without Kelce. The best ability is availability and Kelce has been the key to this Eagles offense.
Best Offensive Player (and Biggest Surprise): WR Travis Fulgham
There aren't many bright spots on the team, but boy Travis Fulgham is the brightest. The last time I did accolades, he had been on the roster for one week. Since then, he has 27 receptions, a little under 400 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. This man isn't a fluke. This is the wide receiver Philadelphia has needed for years. With Fulgham, Jalen Reagor, and Greg Ward at WR, the Eagles have a solid foundation to build on (Sorry, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside).
Best Defensive Player: DE Brandon Graham
It isn't very often that players have the best season of their career in year 11, but that's what BG is doing. He is sitting at 7.0 sacks through 8 games, only 2.5 away from tying his career-high. It is all but guaranteed BG hits that double-digit sack goal he set for himself years ago. It would be great to see Graham make the Pro Bowl, and he may even get consideration for the highest honor -- first-team All-Pro. He is 3rd in the NFL in sacks, behind only Aaron Donald (NFC DT) and Myles Garret (AFC DE), so I see no reason why he shouldn't at least make the Pro Bowl roster at this point.
Best Rookie: Meh
I tried, I really did, but none of them really deserve it. Jalen Reagor has played only 3 games, Jalen Hurts is a gadget player, Davion Taylor and K'Von Wallace haven't even played 50+ snaps on defense, John Hightower has dropped balls, etc. This rookie class is still very, very unproven. Reagor does have this class' only touchdown so I guess he gets the nod based on that.
Biggest Disappointment: QB Carson Wentz
We can't deny it now, Wentz has been disappointing this season. 12 TDs with 12 interceptions is a terrible ration, and that's not even including the countless fumbles. He does have five rushing touchdowns, but those aren't enough to make up for the endless mistakes he has made. He is holding the ball for too long, he is forcing passes, and making bad decisions over and over again. This team goes where Carson goes, and this team is currently sitting below .500. Should they bench him? Probably not, he isn't outright horrible, and he doesn't give up. But, it is hard to trust Carson any given Sunday. We shouldn't feel like that about our $100 Million franchise quarterback.
Best Play: Travis Fulghams 1st TD
As you may remember, this wasn't the play of the year for the quarter season accolades. A lot has changed since then. At the time we didn't even know who Fulgham was. Then in the week or two after this play, we questioned whether or not the big play was a fluke, Those questions have been answered. This was Fulgham's introduction to Philly. That 40-yard touchdown will be remembered for as long as Fulgham remains an Eagle.
Comments