The Eagles took on the Commanders and emerged victorious in a road game that had so many green-bedecked fans in the stands, it almost looked like Lincoln Financial Field.
The win was sweeter than ever for some Philadelphians because it came against Carson Wentz, the former Eagles quarterback who disappointed big time when he returned after replacement Nick Foles led the team to be Super Bowl champs. Wentz was sacked nine times during Sunday’s game, moves that often drew more cheers than boos, despite the game being held in DC.
Estimates by sportswriters in attendance — and announcers on Fox — put the crowd at FedExField around 65% Philly fans and just 35% Washington.
“It felt like a home game,” quarterback Jalen Hurts said at a post-game press conference. The young QB had another standout game as he brought the Eagles to their first 3-0 season start in six years.
Hurts’ main target on the day was DeVonta Smith. The 2nd year rising star put in a breakout performance, notching 169 receiving yards and making a huge, soaring catch that’ll be replayed on highlight reels at least the rest of the year. It all came one day after Smith introduced a new sneaker line called “Honey Drip.”
Another wide receiver who continued to come up big for the Eagles was A.J. Brown. The longtime best buddy of Hurts, who had 85 yards on Sunday, leaned into his “Batman” nickname and busted out a cape he apparently bought on Amazon, wearing it around the sidelines.
Speaking of apparel, several fans made modifications to theirs to honor the new star helping provide the Eagles spark. When Brown joined Philadelphia on a blockbuster pre-season trade, he took No. 11 — the number formerly worn by Wentz.
Which has led to a whole lot of DIY jersey switching.
Some people used duck tape. Others a sharpie. A few revised jerseys looked like they’d been graced with output from the office color printer. A few folks got fancy, and ordered an actual nameplate to sew or iron over the offending name.
The Eagles schedule is supposed to get harder from here, and it’s too early to tell if coach Nick Sirianni really has them in the zone. But they have a chance to be real contenders — and no matter how many jersey modifications Philly fans have to do, you can bet they’ll show up to cheer the Birds on.
