Andy Reid’s Farewell Tour rolls on in Eagles loss to Redskins
Jeremy Maclin dove to make the play, but the football skipped in front of him, about two inches away from a game-tying touchdown. He was wide open.
Maybe the wind got it, or maybe Nick Foles just didn’t put enough mustard on it.
“I don’t know. It just didn’t connect. It just came up a little short,” Maclin said.
Either way, the missed opportunity helped the Redskins earn a 27-20 victory Sunday afternoon over the Eagles at the Linc. Another Sunday, another loss.
“I appreciate the effort, but the objective here is to win the game and we didn’t do that,” coach Andy Reid said. “We had opportunities down there. It’s unacceptable to lose the game.”
The game ended after a 10-second run-off was applied following a penalty for an illegal forward pass. Foles was trying to buy time with his feet, only he held it a little too long and then chucked it illegally. That’s kind of how this lost season has gone for Reid’s bunch.
“We said in that situation the clock is the most important thing and it’s just one of those things where initially I didn’t feel like anything was open, so I was just trying to make a play and I just have to be smarter and make sure it gets past the line of scrimmage,” Foles said. “It’s on me.”
So was the errant toss to Maclin. Still, the Eagles had multiple chances to tie it up in the final 23 seconds. Foles fired a bullet to tight end Evan Moore, but the ball bounced off his shoulder and fell incomplete. Moore, who was plucked off the waiver wire earlier this week, would have landed in the end zone.
“I have to make sure to give him a solid ball,” said Foles, who finished 32-of-48 for 345 yards and a touchdown, along with a fumble and an interception. “I put that one in there pretty hard.”
Foles, who hurt his hand in the first half, showed flashes in this one. He’ll have one more game — Sunday at the Meadowlands — to show he can be the franchise quarterback, to show he can lead this Eagles team from the ruins. It’s a small sample set, but his teammates like what they’ve seen so far.
“You really can’t tell he’s a rookie,” said LeSean McCoy (122 total yards). “It’s his attitude. Everything is always positive and he’s motivational all the time. I can see in the future he can be an outstanding quarterback. I can definitely see that in the future.”
And what does that crystal ball say about Reid? The embattled coach actually got a few cheers as he walked off the field in what could have been his final home game as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. The owner wanted a better record than 8-8. That won’t happen. The best the Eagles can finish is 5-11.
“We have great fans. I’ve always said that we’re kind of on the same page,” Reid said. “When you stink, they let you know you stink, and when you’re doing good, they’re going to let you know you’re doing good. I got it. I understand. I understand the situation. I appreciate everything.”
Reid noted that he hasn’t been told anything about his status from upstairs. But those words, coming minutes after a brutal loss to a hated division rival, certainly sounded like a concession speech.
