Yes, yesterday’s win was against the Raiders, maybe the worst team in football. Yes, there is a certain “we shouldn’t be here” feeling to needing the Cowboys to lose in order to win a bad division. And, yes, getting the #1 or #2 seed is probably out of reach. All of that may be true, but it also means the Eagles won…and will likely win the division…and will likely be the #3 seed in the playoffs. That’s a good thing. There are more good things coming.
The Eagles were overwhelming favorites to win the division going into the season. For most of the year breaking the curse of no back-to-back NFC East winners seemed inevitable. Then the collapse in Dallas happened and we started to doubt. There’s no need to try to claim your faith never wavered. Anyone who was a fan in 2023 was aware of the worst case scenario. Technically we didn’t need Dallas to lose these last two weeks, but it was sure nice getting those gifts. There’s no shame in that.
Winning in the NFL is hard. Just because you are supposed to win doesn’t mean it’s easy. Look around the league. The Bucs were a Super Bowl contender even in losing to the Eagles. At one point, they were 5-1. Now their record is 7-7 and they are in a dog fight (cat fight?) with the Carolina Panthers. Speaking of which, those same Panthers were playing one of the worst teams in the league yesterday with the chance to take the lead in the NFC South. They lost. The Colts were 7-1 and now might not make the playoffs. The dynastic Chiefs were eliminated yesterday. This shit is hard!
All of those teams above have one thing in common, they just lost. Not the Eagles. We won this week, something half the teams in the league can’t say. Running through the collective minds of all those teams this week will be that they can’t let things get worse by losing again. 10 teams of those teams are on losing streaks. We all know that feeling. That’s how the Eagles have been playing for a month. It’s a feeling the 2023 Eagles couldn’t shake. The 2025 Eagles did though. Again, it may have been against the Raiders, but it’s a start.
I’m not just telling you to stay positive on faith. Screw faith. I’m here to show you things are on the upswing. First, our schedule. This is the first week of the season the Eagles will be playing back-to-back games against teams under .500. It’s week 16! In terms of “getting right,” this is our first opportunity. After Washington, we do go to Buffalo. This will be a solid challenge in that it is a playoff like atmosphere that will technically be important enough for us to still play everyone, but probably won’t matter in the grand scheme of things. We are almost locked into the #3 seed. That’s three games in a row with steadily increasing difficulty before ending the season at home with Washington again. We already went through all the fires. This is the time to make sure everything is working again.
Second, their schedule. Who is they? As the likely #3 seed, we are probably going to play the 49ers or Packers with an outside shot of the Rams or Seahawks. The 49ers have to play Colts, Bears, and Seahawks to end the season with all 3 still playing for either their playoff lives or positioning. They would then have to come across the country to Philadelphia for the game. The Packers have to face the Bears, Ravens, and Vikings. The Vikings have been eliminated, but as we all saw against Dallas, they still have pride. GB will also be on the road, meaning back-to-back road games for them. Plus, they just lost Micah Parsons for the season.
Third, injuries. Do you remember that feeling playing season mode in Tecmo Super Bowl when your injured player would run out of the hospital with that cheery music? That’s how I felt yesterday hearing that Lane Johnson will likely be practicing this week. It’s no secret and it’s not a coincidence. The Eagles are 126-83-1 since Lane came into the league. Lane’s personal record is 110-57-1. WE ARE 16-26 WITHOUT HIM!!! When Lane plays, we probably win. When he doesn’t, we probably lose. He’s not the only one coming back either. Jalen Carter had procedures done on both shoulders and has missed the last two weeks. He probably won’t be back this week, but he should return for the Buffalo game. These are arguably the two best players on each side of our line. That’s not nothing.
So, yes, it may have been the Raiders and we should have won the division and looking to wrap the #1 seed. Things are never that simple though. As long as we get our confidence back in these few games, figure a few things out, and get our guys healthy, we are still the Super Bowl Champs. This was a first step. Things are looking up.
Philly Front Office 
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