Weapon X Mailbag: When was the last time you actually enjoyed watching an Eagles game?

This is a much-needed bye week for both the Eagles and us. Let’s get to the questions:

@jmk261: When was the last time you actually enjoyed watching an Eagles game? I seriously can’t remember one I just enjoyed and was just chill most of the time.

I actually had a similar conversation with my Eagles Twitter buddy @85mf the other day. He threw out the idea that it was the 2018 Week 16 game against the Texans at the Linc. Following another-season ending injury to Carson Wentz, Nick Foles took over the previous week, leading the Eagles to victory over the Rams as 13.5-point underdogs.

The next week was a thriller. Foles threw for 471 yards and four touchdowns. The Birds overcame a late Texans comeback and Jake Elliott kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired for the 32-30 win.

I went with the Washington road game last year. Maybe uncoincidentally, we had a Bleeding Green Nation Watch Party for that at Pistola’s Del Sur in South Philly. Wentz had that godly touchdown throw to Miles Sanders. Practice squad legend Greg Ward caught a game-winning tuddy on a beautifully arced pass from Wentz. The win stabilized the season, giving the Birds some juice as they went on and won the NFC East.

I’m leaning that game, but the caveat I added was that maybe that 2018 game was the last time the Eagles felt like a legitimately great team. They were in their Super Bowl defense. They were still the champs. Foles harnessed that 38-7 magic he had stored at Lincoln Financial Field. It felt like lightning was about to struck twice. Against all odds, it nearly did in January.

That Washington game was a blast, but I haven’t truly, truly believed deep in my heart that the Eagles were going to win the Super Bowl since the end of that 2018 campaign.

@starchymeatbal1: Does Andre Dillard have any chance of switching to guard if Jordan Mailata is the LT of the future?

Maybe? Let’s look at his MockDraftable numbers. He tested in the 95th percentile in the 40-yard dash, in the 90th percentile in the 3-cone drill and in the 97th percentile in the 20-yard shuffle among all offensive linemen, not just tackles. The athleticism is there, right?

How would Dillard take to what’s essentially a demotion? That’s the bigger question to me. His mental makeup has been question both in and outside of the NovaCare. Get usurped at the left tackle of the future to Jordan Mailata sucks, but is he ready to give up on playing tackle and make that switch? That’s my holdup here.

If I had to bet on it... I’d expect he never starts another game for the Eagles. I think he gets moved this offseason.

@nebj7min: Carson Wentz has been saying since his rookie year that he’ll never change his aggressive play style. Isn’t that pretty much the whole of it? And it’s year 5 with this garbooge.

Wentz turns 28 in December. This is fifth year in the scheme. It’s infuriating. It’s hard to watch. He played one of the worst games of his career at home against a defense that had surrendered the eighth-most points in NFL history through seven games. He had weapons out there with Travis Fulgham exploding and then Jalen Reagor and Dallas Goedert back in the fold. I don’t get it. I just don’t get it.

My anxiety is through the roof as I write this, but maybe this is just who he is? He’s a wild, reckless, enthralling talent that took one too many of the bad traits from Brett Favre and one too few of the good ones.

He’s pressing. He’s erratic. Wentz looks mentally lost. He should’ve gotten benched at halftime against the Cowboys. Let Jalen Hurts finish things out. Get your mind right. Take the bye to reset. It didn’t happen and I’m worried a half-hearted win that was due in part to one of the most egregious referee decisions I’ve ever seen will prevent him from getting realistic. “A win is a win” can’t be the mantra anymore.

My Wentz worry level is at an 8.2 right now. I don’t feel great!!!

@WichaelMright: If the Eagles win the division and somehow pull off two wacky upset wins in the playoffs and make it to the conference championship but end up losing a close one, is that an overall good thing or bad thing for the franchise?

Jumping off my Wentz critiques from above, if Wentz somehow gets this team to the NFC Championship Game, that means he took massive strides in the second half of this season and turned in two phenomenal playoff performances against great teams. I know you said “wacky upset wins,” but they can’t win against anyone without Wentz balling out.

If he does just that in the playoffs, the stage he’s never really gotten a chance to display his talents, then that changes literally everything.

@tweetle_bailey: What did we do to deserve this torture?

The Curse of Super Bowl LII, baby.