The Philadelphia Eagles are 11-2 and are on a 9-game winning streak but the notion around the team is the sky is falling due to a few sluggish games. On top of that, it didn’t help that Brandon Graham misspoke on another potential friction between Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown. Who would’ve thought that an 11-2 team with a potential MVP could cause so much concern for NFL fans and even the national media?
Well, all of this is purely coming from a place of fear for fans and from a place of opportunity for several media members who are hungry for clicks. No, it is not the media’s fault completely. They are doing what is asked of them but what doesn’t help is that the Eagles have constantly given them material to run with and escalate.
All of this dates back to last season when the team started 10-1 but looked like a bottom 5 unit. The defense was as terrible as the mid-season coordinator switch from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia. The offense was caught feuding with one another on the sidelines and it bled into their playoff matchup against the Bucs.
These Eagles are different…
Even after an incredible offseason that led to the team acquiring budding star Zack Baun and a potential MVP in Saquon Barkley, there was always a worry or a thought that this team could collapse at some point because they lacked the it factor. That it factor is what they need in 2023 to get over the obstacles that were presented but it never showed.
However, this season that it factor has been on full display. The Eagles started 2-2 as fans and media members were calling Nick Sirianni’s head. He was the joke of the city and of the league. So after the BYE week, he did just that. He gave them his head as he shaved his hair off and turned over a new leaf. A possible reset that rebooted the culture and hunger of a struggling team.
They would go on to become the toast of the league as the defense came to life and became the top unit in the NFL. The offense would switch their identity and rely on the greatness of Saquon Barkley to carry them. He has and it’s led to him breaking the franchise record for most rushing yards in a single season. The NFL record is now within his grasp.
While the world is tearing down A.J. Brown for “calling out” Jalen Hurts and the passing attack, both of the team’s offensive leaders made a bold statement and stood by one another on Wednesday. To sum up what Brown said, he stated that if the city and media need him to be “the bad guy” for this team to win it all then so be it but he knows where he stands with his close friend and the Eagles as a whole.
Jalen Hurts may have made the boldest statement of them all. During his presser, Hurts set the record straight by stating, “I’ve submitted myself to whatever it takes to win,” Hurts made clear. “It’s about the team. I don’t care how it looks. It’s my game and I think that’s what some people have to accept. It’s going to look how Jalen Hurts wants it to look, but he’s gonna win.”
This isn’t the 2023 Eagles. This is the 2024 Eagles that know what it is to walk through fire. They may have been burned last season but this year? They’re embracing their scars in hopes of achieving the highest feat in football. Hoisting the Lombardi trophy. If they can prove their doubters wrong along the way then that’s just the icing on the cake for this team.
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
