It’s official: the Philadelphia Eagles are in do-or-die mode. Their 14-3 record, tying their best in franchise history, was only good enough to clinch the NFC’s second seed. Still, it makes the Birds a top contender for the Super Bowl all the same.
As the team prepares for its 4:30 p.m. showdown with the 11-6 Green Bay Packers on Sunday, let’s highlight how this playoff run is different from most others. It brings a feeling similar to that of 2022, a season that saw the Eagles go all the way to the Super Bowl.
After a late-season collapse and a sound playoff defeat by the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, there are expectations again. It’s a different kind of feeling.
Flashbacks to the 2000s
Not every playoff appearance is created equal. Apart from their Super Bowl appearances in 2017 and 2022, which frankly weren’t surprising looking at their records (13-3 and 14-3), the Eagles haven’t had another season like this in a while. They’ve been a middle-of-the-pack wildcard team on a few occasions and have usually exited the postseason early as a result (aside from a surprise NFC Championship appearance in their 2008 season).
Here, though, the Eagles are getting a bit of a flashback to their dominance in the early-mid 2000s. Meaning, something is actually expected of them.
This is really the third time the Eagles have had true championship aspirations entering a playoff season since 2004, a season where they fell to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. In 2017, they went all the way. In 2022, they came oh-so-close to beating the Kansas City Chiefs for their second Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Is this a flashback to the 2000s, perhaps?
From 2001-2004, Philadelphia made the NFC Championship four times. They lost three in a row, but finally got over the hump in 2004. While the peak of this era was the aforementioned defeat to New England, the Birds were a hopeful bunch and a true threat to win a title for several seasons. That means something.
The Eagles were one of the best teams in the world for four years straight, and that was due to a plethora of star players. Here, they’re returning to those days—there are serious expectations that come with this.
Vibes Going Into the Playoffs: Cocky
“Pride comes before the fall,” you may say. But there really is no reason for the Eagles to lose against Green Bay.
With home-field advantage, perhaps the best roster in football, and facing a team they already beat (despite a flawed performance, mind you), the Birds should feel good. Plus, they lost by just three points to the sixth seed with their backup quarterback while also on the road just a few weeks ago. Green Bay is the seventh seed.
Since Week 5 began, the Eagles have the fifth-best offense in terms of expected points added per play (EPA/play) and the best defense in the same metric (no other team really comes close, either).
While very good in their own right, the Packers just don’t compete with that.
On top of the NFL’s best defense and historically good results in their building, the Eagles’ offense can win them a football game if it has to. With a 2,000-yard rusher (Saquon Barkley) and a passing attack led by Jalen Hurts that has performed in the brightest of lights, the team has a right to be cocky.
Going into the playoffs, the Eagles should be confident. They aren’t the only contender out there, and even the Packers themselves can, no pun intended, pack a punch. But the Birds have to be thinking to themselves that they can beat anyone. Nobody should intimidate them.
“Any given Sunday” is a saying for a reason. However, Philadelphia is hoping for a Super Bowl title this February. It all starts with the Packers. Let’s enjoy the hopefully lengthy ride.
PHOTO: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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