Doug Pederson found himself in dire straits with New York Giants fans after appearing to have lost a critical game against Washington on Sunday, but reports on Tuesday indicated that the head coach is now out with several people from the Philadelphia Eagles too.
Sources told The Philadelphia Inquirer that two defensive players had to be prevented from a heated sideline confrontation with Pederson while pivot Jason Kelce and another attacker approached the coach to ask why titleholder Jalen Hurts was removed when the Eagles were losing by only three.
JOE JUDGE BALANÇA EAGLES: ‘WE WILL NEVER DO THIS WHILE I AM A NEW YORK GIANT COACH’
The Giants did their part over the weekend to try to secure a place in the playoffs, but they depended on the Eagles’ victory to ensure that. Pederson offered no help when he pulled Hurts, who had run for two touchdowns, at the end of the fourth for third stringer Nate Sudfeld, who had not made a pass since 2018.
Sudfeld, not surprisingly, fought – he threw an interception on his second pass and missed a fumble.
Philadelphia, just a touchdown to draw, lost the game and, with that, ended the chances of New York reaching the playoffs.
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Pederson defended his decision, arguing that he had decided long before the game gave Sudfeld field time, but several members of the Giants, including coach Joe Judge, knew better.
“Disrespecting the effort that everyone made to make this season a success for the National Football League, disrespecting the game by going outside and not competing for 60 minutes and doing everything they can to help these players win, we will never do that, while I’m the head coach of the New York Giants, “said Judge on Monday.
Hurts apparently knew of the decision to play Sudfeld on Wednesday, but he seemed to disagree with Pederson following the plan, considering the score. According to The Inquirer, the game’s broadcast on NBC caught him saying, “That’s not right.”
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Sources told the Inquirer that officials were not sure who was really behind the decision to withdraw the Hurts and that it probably had something to do with the Eagles draft selection, which improved from 9th to 6th with the defeat.
“As a competitor, I play to win,” said Hurts during a post-game press conference. “You have to trust [Pederson’s plan]. “
The Associated Press contributed to this report.