There is one person - perhaps more than any other - who I hope got down on his knees last night and thanked God for the Eagles and Redskins.
His name is Roger Goodell.
You would be hard-pressed to find a business entity that has had a worse couple of weeks than the NFL empire over which Goodell reigns.
The NFL czar himself came out from his bunker Friday and faced the cameras to answer questions about the domestic abuse incidents and the league's shoddy handling of them that have left both the NFL and Goodell with a black eye.
Then the Eagles and Redskins met on Sunday on a glorious Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
Forget Roger Goodell. Forget Ray Rice. Forget DeSean Jackson? Hardly. Philly fans were in full-throated frenzy as they welcomed back the controversial wide receiver who had been banished by Eagles guru Chip Kelly.
Sunday was supposed to be about DeSean's return to Philly.
It quickly moved into something else. It reminded us why - aside from gambling, of course - football is the No. 1 sport in the United States. Yes, I know that internationally soccer probably has more viewers.
For three and a half hours Sunday afternoon, the Eagles and Redskins showed us what the game was about, one group of men exerting their will against another.
For a few hours, we put aside the serious issues the league continues to face when it comes to off-the-field problems that swirl around too many players.
This was about the game.
It was about the Eagles again falling behind, being totally dominated in the first half, and yet miraculously walking off the field at halftime with a 21-20 lead.
It was about Nick Foles, who spent the bulk of the afternoon picking himself up off the Linc turf after absorbing one wicked shot after another from the Redskins, emerging as the team's rallying point and leader.
It was about Jason Peters, the team's best offensive lineman, coming to his QB's defense after a nasty shot on Foles following what at first appeared to be a Redskin interception. The Eagles may look back in a few months at the brawl that followed when Peters when after the Redskins' D-lineman Chris Baker as the moment this team united behind Foles.
Read Bob Grotz's account of the game here, and Jack McCaffery's column here.
But more than that, it was simply exhilarating entertainment.
This is why we love the game. Sure, it helps that the Eagles won, their 3rd straight come-from-behind win that keeps their record a spotless 3-0.
This was football.
We've almost forgotten that over the past couple of weeks.
Goodell should send thank-you notes to the Eagles and Redskins for reminding all of us of the glory of a Sunday afternoon.
Comments