PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — Tanner McKee might not be the “right” quarterback to lead the Eagles to a sixth straight playoff appearance, but he is the only one who makes sense to be given the opportunity to try.
There isn’t anyone they can bring in, here in late October, who will learn Sean Mannion’s wordy offense in time to be the “right” quarterback. Maybe there’s an outside chance that rookie Cole Payton could get some playing time if McKee falters or gets hurt, but it’s McKee who gives them their best hope of making a run in a bad NFC East.
If he gets hurt, there likely won’t be a sixth straight postseason berth. Even if he stays healthy, that streak may end, and the season will conclude on Jan. 3 in San Francisco.
McKee is in his fourth season, and though he is in his first year in Mannion's scheme, he has been around most of his teammates, and they like how he commands the huddle.
Are there things to be learned? Absolutely, and McKee will have more time to learn them after having just two and a half practices to get starter reps in preparation for the Panthers.
There is no question he needs to play better if the Eagles—mired in a four-game losing streak and sitting at 2-4 but only one and a half games behind the Giants—want to go anywhere.
McKee made just his third career start last Sunday in a 25-14 loss to the Panthers and, implausibly, was asked to throw the ball 48 times. He attempted 45 passes and was sacked three times while completing 26 of his 45 throws (57 percent) for 215 yards and a 19-yard touchdown strike to DeVonta Smith.
Tanner McKee knows he must be better
Moving forward, McKee realizes the status quo isn't good enough.
“My team needs me to be better,” said McKee after the loss. “I need to be better. I am so much better, and I'm looking forward to learning everything and becoming the player that I know I am and that I can prove that I am. A lot of things, obviously, that were frustrating, that fall on me.”
McKee's previous two regular-season starts were in meaningless Week 18 games. These games are important. He has waited nearly four years to play in one, and that opportunity is here.
It’s never easy for a backup quarterback to step onto the field, no matter the situation. For McKee, it is even more challenging because the Jalen Hurts saga hangs heavily over the team. The handling of the quarterback’s blood clot will be a week-long topic at minimum.
Dealing with distraction...
It is a distraction that McKee and the rest of his teammates must find a way to ignore. And, speaking of those teammates, the challenge facing McKee is even greater still because of the insane number of injuries the team has had to endure and because the offensive line is patchwork, following a retirement, a trade, and a knee injury to center Drew Kendall.
Maybe the line gets Kendall and Landon Dickerson back at left guard for Monday night’s home game against the Cowboys. Maybe Saquon Barkley ends his injury absence after two games and is ready to return after battling a hamstring injury.
“It's another opportunity to grow, to get better,” said McKee. “I think that's something that's very positive about this team, and we're all we have. That's all we need. I think people underestimate how tight-knit we really are.”
Get Eagles On SI straight to your inbox: sign up for our free newsletter here.
Add us as a preferred source on Google