Report: NFL Teams Don't Expect Eagles to Be Punished for Benching Hurts vs. WFT

The Philadelphia Eagles are not expected to be punished for a substitution that many viewed as tanking against the Washington Football Team on Sunday. 

One NFL official told Mark Maske of the Washington Post that the decision was "a bad look," and while another said it "didn't feel right," but both did not anticipate the league to do anything. 

Head coach Doug Pederson told reporters that he "was coaching to win" when he pulled Jalen Hurts in favor of third-string quarterback Nate Sudfeld early in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. The team was only down three points at the time and ultimately lost 20-14.

Though Philadelphia was already eliminated from the postseason, it could have ended Washington's season and given the New York Giants a playoff berth if it was victorious. 

Hurts' performance wasn't exactly starter-worthy, with 72 yards and an interception on 7-of-20 passing, and Carson Wentz was inactive for the contest after losing the starting job to Hurts. So the Eagles looked to Sudfeld, who hadn't thrown a regular-season pass since 2018. 

He ended the night with 32 yards and an interception on 5-of-12 passing and turned the ball over twice on his first two possessions.

While the game was meaningless for the Eagles in terms of nabbing a playoff spot in a miserable NFC East in which Washington grabbed the title with a 7-9 record, the team did secure a solid spot in the 2021 draft order with a 4-11-1 record. 

They'll select sixth, which could be crucial considering they may have to find a new quarterback. According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, Wentz, who was benched for Hurts this season, is hoping for a trade "because his relationship with [Pederson] is fractured beyond repair."