Silver lining: Eagles crush Cowboys and 49ers playoff hopes with their Week 16 loss

There was a lot of bad on Sunday when the Eagles lost to the Commanders, including not clinching the NFC East, Jalen Hurts sustaining a concussion, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson being ejected — in a very poorly explained call. The Eagles played a sloppy game, littered with flags, and Kenny Pickett struggled at times to lead the offense. But, it’s helpful to remember that this team still managed a ten-game winning streak, have secured a spot in the playoffs, AND with their loss in Week 16, crushed the postseason hopes of the Cowboys and 49ers.

Most of the issues for the Eagles this week were self-inflicted, and there’s really little cause for concern given Jalen Hurts left the game after only seven minutes transpired in the first quarter. That whole game was Pickett trying to find a rhythm with guys he rarely plays with. If anything, this loss will give the backup quarterback a little more familiarity should he be needed to step up again down the stretch.

The Eagles are still No. 1 in the NFC East, and winning the division is very much in their grasps. They face the Cowboys next week, and finish the season off with another Saquon Barkley revenge game against the Giants.

I’m choosing not to dwell too much on Sunday’s loss, and instead celebrate that it was the Eagles who officially squashed the Cowboys and 49ers playoff chances.