Philadelphia Eagles: Why Doug Pederson Shouldn’t Have Gone For Two

Give Carson Wentz a fourth quarter victory.

So, if win or lose doesn’t really matter, because of the foregone season–as many analysts claim–then what becomes the priority? Undoubtedly, the protection/development of Carson Wentz. The same rookie quarterback who missed on a game-winning touchdown to Jordan Matthews against the Giants, when the season still held hope. The same rookie quarterback who fumbled not one week ago in the red zone against the Redskins, voiding another game-winning opportunity. The same rookie quarterback who, through loss after loss, has to endure the microscopic criticism of a first-round QB and endless comparisons to some kid in Dallas named Dak.

Give your rookie a victory.

If you take it to overtime and you lose, the storyline is never ‘The Eagles should have gone for two’. It reads ‘Wentz battled back, down ten, to the first game-tying, overtime-forcing drive of his young, hopefully, illustrious career’. It reads ‘Defensive centerpiece Jordan Hicks makes another game-altering interception, keeping his team alive’. It reads ‘The Philadelphia Eagles still have fight under rookie head coach Doug Pederson.’

Sure, when you go for two and fail, those silver linings remain. Jordan Hicks still plays with great instinct, talent, and heart. Carson Wentz still fights relentlessly and creates plays with his ingenuity and athleticism. The Philadelphia Eagles still fought for Doug Pederson.

But the asterisk next to those truths looms so much larger now, because of how wantonly, how desperately you went for all of the marbles. The storyline now reads: ‘All of these good things happened, but Doug Pederson went for two, and all that’s left in our hearts is bitter disappointment.’