The Eagles’ numbers across the board are that of the best team in football. Their 8-1 record heading into their bye week is the top mark in the NFL as they will hopefully rest up and add some key players back to the mix like Ronald Darby and Zach Ertz.
The only four times Philadelphia started at 8-1 the team has won an NFL championship (in 1949 and 1960) and made it to the Super Bowl (in 1980 and 2004). The Eagles are all but assured a spot in the playoffs and could clinch an NFC East title and homefield throughout the playoffs simply by going .500 in their remaining games.
Things are good. So is it time to book your flight to Minnesota for the first weekend in February?
“Truly and honestly the sky is the limit,” guard Brandon Brooks said after Philly’s 51-23 win in Week 9. “8-1 is good but it’s still early. There’s a lot of football left. We aren’t taking it for granted.”
The bye week may come at a bad time, after Philly has fired off seven straight wins. Nevertheless, it’s time for a break.
“I am going to give them the week and listen, they talk about having something special and I want them to remind themselves that this is a special group,” Doug Pederson said. “We are 8-1 for a reason and we dont want to go backward now. We need to get healthy.”
“You do something for seven straight games, I don’t think a bye week can stop that,” Brooks added, remembering that Philly has not lost since Kansas City back in September.
Eagles’ quarterback Carson Wentz says he might go hunting. Other players will relax and spend time with loved ones. Malcolm Jenkins — the Eagles’ defensive captain — is not the least bit worried about a drop off in level of play with four of the next five games on the road.
“At this point in the year we’ve had a lot of adversity, a lot of success, a lot of emotion,” Jenkins said. “We have some guys nicked up. We could use this time to get healthy, everyone really, at this point in the season it’s perfect timing. It’s going to be up to the leaders to get us back on course.”
