The Philadelphia Eagles have played and acted like the best NFC team for the season’s first seven weeks.
On Thursday night, the 7-0 Eagles play an inferior opponent. The Houston Texans are 1-5-1, have a disgruntled wide receiver, and a defense that has struggled in recent weeks.
To most fans and analysts, the Eagles should roll. Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni have prepared the roster enough that they should be expected to win pretty easily. This is the NFL though. The Eagles, in their history, have a long history of playing down to inferior opponents when wins could easily be expected. To show this team is different than in years past, the Eagles must be able to take the next step from title contender to NFL juggernaut.
That thought process has been echoed by the entire coaching staff.
“We’re kind of prepared for this because we talk about it so much, about how much — it’s full speed to the snap in walkthrough, full speed to the snap in walkthrough, high detail in meeting. So, we’re trained to do this, and we have great guys that know what it takes to get to the top of the mountain and know what it takes to prepare with our leadership guys, that they set the tone for everything.” Nick Sirianni told reporters.
Eagles buying in from all over
Philadelphia’s preparedness also goes for the defense. While the Texans’ defense could cause problems for the Eagles’ offense, Dameon Pierce could be a thorn in the Eagles’ side if the defense doesn’t prepare for the loss of Jordan Davis on Thursday night.
“Our guys know what things we need to improve on, on a daily basis from game to game.” Jonathan Gannon said.
Complacency is a death knell for any good team in the NFL. If the Eagles are to be taken seriously as true title contenders, a short week of preparation should not deter the team from expecting to dominate an inferior opponent.
It will be important for the Eagles to jump early and often on the Texans on Thursday night football.
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
