The Philadelphia Eagles witnessed their unraveling season end on Monday night after losing 32-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Their stunning downfall from 10-1 to a first-round elimination now includes what looked like some tension caught on camera.
Dallas Goedert Seen Exchanging Words With Jalen Hurts
Early in the fourth quarter, star tight end Dallas Goedert was shown getting off the bench and then exchanging words with his quarterback, Jalen Hurts. While just a small glimpse of the exchange was shown on the broadcast, we saw Eagles backup QB Marcus Mariots tap Goedert on the shoulder before the tight end walked away.
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) January 16, 2024
Along with Goedert eventually walking in the opposite direction of a sitting Hurts, his facial expression and body language got many NFL fans believing the veteran receiving option had enough of Hurts’ struggles.
Soon after, things then became worse for Goedert. He ended his night being called for offensive pass interference on a play where he went down with a possible hyperextended knee injury.
When asked about the exchange, Goedert told reporters in the locker room that his reasons behind the tense moment had more to do with him being mad at himself, not Hurts. He shared that he pointed out a mistake he made that led to the moment.
Dallas Goedert says the viral clip of him and Jalen Hurts was about a mistake Goedert made. Says it wasn’t a fight or anything tense #Eagles pic.twitter.com/CwdYAeHTQS
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 16, 2024
Goedert settled for four catches and 21 receiving yards, with an average of just 5.3 yards per catch. Still, he scored the only Philly touchdown of the night. Monday, however, became the fourth time this season that Goedert was limited to only four catches.
The TE becomes the latest Eagles player to show frustration publicly, joining others such as wide receiver A.J. Brown, who was inactive on Monday evening.
A.J. Brown Caused Issues With His Actions Off the Field
Before the NFC South champion Buccaneers put the stumbling Eagles’ season to an end, Brown caused some issues leading up to the Wild Card matchup.
There were reports that Brown had grown disappointed with the Eagles coaches following their stunning loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He expressed his frustration by declining to talk to reporters postgame of that loss. Yet, he clarified that he wasn’t mad at his HC Nick Sirianni, or any other coach.
MORE: Cut James Bradberry? Fire Matt Patricia? How Nick Sirianni Can Fix Eagles in 2024
“People say I’m beefing with Nick,” Brown said to reporters on Jan. 3. “I’m not mad at Nick, I’m not mad at nobody. We have a great relationship. We’re riding with Nick. We’re riding with [offensive coordinator] Brian [Johnson]. We just have to come out and play ball.”
However, fans began to believe that there were still some differences between Brown and the Eagles — leading to him doing a complete overhaul of his Instagram account. He noticeably wiped away anything about the Eagles.
Such a move in this era of social media points to that player not seeing eye-to-eye with their team. WR Deebo Samuel did something similar after his epic 2021 season by scrubbing his IG page of San Francisco 49ers posts. Many believed he did that amid his contract talks with the team. Samuel eventually signed his new deal but ended up with a down 2022.
How Did It All Unravel for the Eagles on MNF’s Super Wild Card Finale?
The Eagles looked nothing like the team that stormed through the NFC one year ago. The Bucs, meanwhile, used the same aggression and swagger on the team that had both during their run to the conference championship.
Tampa went on to score in its first four offensive possessions — through two touchdowns and two field goals. They didn’t punt until near the end of the second quarter.
On the Eagles’ end, the Goedert touchdown was one of just two completed scoring drives out of their 11 offensive possessions. The team only scored points in the second quarter.
Philadelphia settled for just 13 first downs and 276 total yards. Their running game especially struggled, finishing with only 42 yards.
Yet, one of the last sequences of this sudden downturn now involves Goedert shouting and walking away from his All-Pro QB. This illustrates the way the 2023 Eagles will be remembered.
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