Chasing History

No one expected the Eagles to start the season 8-0. Certainly no one expects them to finish 17-0. Some argue that the Eagles need to lose a game to be better prepared for the postseason.

Should fans want the Eagles to lose a game, or even two?

There is no magic formula for winning the Super Bowl when it comes to the regular season. The Rams went 12-5 last year. The Pats went 14-2 back in 2016. Carolina went 15-1 and lost the Super Bowl in 2015. The Giants went 9-7 in 2011 and won it all. The Pats were 14-2 in both 2003 and 2004 and won the SB both seasons. You have to go back to the ’85 Bears to find the last 15-1 team to win it all.

You win the Super Bowl by being healthy and playing well at the end of the season. There’s also usually a little luck involved.

Nick Sirianni focuses on each week. He preaches to his team to stay in the moment. Go 1-0 each week and you’ll end up in the right place. That mentality is always good, but it is especially helpful in a situation like this. The Vikings are 7-1. They get credit for having a good season, but no one is discussing them in historical context. National pundits aren’t breaking down their schedule for the second half of the season.

Since the Eagles are 8-0, things are different. Hot take shows debate whether they’ll go undefeated. Local shows might debate whether they should. The schedule is being studied in a way that’s just not normal. The hype around the Eagles is on a whole other level. That kind of stuff can affect players and distract them, unless they have the right coach, QB and team leaders to keep them focused.

Sirianni has been masterful this year at keeping his team in the moment. Jalen Hurts has been just as important. Veterans like Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox have done their part. Sirianni isn’t worried about the ’72 Dolphins or the Super Bowl. He’s locked in on playing Washington on Monday night. He preaches that message relentlessly and his players are listening. They haven’t gotten caught up in the hype. That focus is what actually gives them a chance to go 17-0.

The NFL season is a marathon, not a sprint. Every year we see teams start hot and finish cold or teams that start cold and finish hot (last year’s Eagles). Playing well on a consistent basis is hard. Games can be decided by a bad bounce or a fluke moment. Injuries are the ultimate X-factor. Weather can affect games. Getting through that gauntlet and beating your opponent 17 weeks in a row is hard.

The Eagles might be able to pull it off. This is a balanced team that is good on offense and defense. They have a deep roster. They’re healthy. And yes, the schedule helps as well. The Eagles will be favored in all remaining games, except possibly the rematch with Dallas. We’ll have to wait and see about that one.

Normally in a situation like this I would want the Eagles to lose a game, with the idea that would help them be better in the playoffs. The more I’ve thought about this team, the more I want them to stay undefeated. Why not chase history?

The 1972 Dolphins went 14-0 in the regular seasona and 3-0 in the postseason. The 2007 Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season and 2-1 in the postseason. You would think that at some point, some team will go undefeated and win the Super Bowl. How insane would it be if the Eagles pulled that off?

The odds are against it. Tim McManus has a piece up today on the subject and ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Eagles a 7 percent chance of going undefeated. The Eagles are 8-0 for the first time in franchise history. Winning this many games in a row isn’t easy. Doing that for a whole season is beyond tough. That’s what makes this season so exciting and special.

The ultimate goal, of course, is to win the Super Bowl. The Eagles don’t need to lose for that to happen. They do need to be challenged. The Titans, Giants (x2) and Cowboys could give them four tough games on the back end of the season. Besides going off record, the Eagles will get other teams best shot.

Washington could beat the Eagles on Monday night. They have arguably the best pair of DTs in the league and one of the best DLs. That always gives you a chance. As long as Aaron Rodgers is the Packers QB, they are always dangerous. He’s capable of having an amazing game. You also never know when a team like the Saints is going to do crazy things and beat someone they shouldn’t. They’ve gotten the best of Tampa in recent years, despite usually being the lesser team.

This has been a fun season. Winning is always good, but this is also a fun team to watch and has some good characters. If you go back to 2020, the team was bad, no fun to watch and not much fun to follow. Sundays were not fun days. You needed a lot of PBR and Funyuns to get a smile on your face. This year football has been the drug of choice.

This team is doing special things and I’m going to continue to enjoy the ride. Remember, that the journey is just as important as the destination. I’m excited to see how this season plays out.

*****

Interesting take on the MVP race.

If you flipped Jalen Hurts' stats with either Patrick Mahomes' or Josh Allen's stats, but the Bills/Chiefs were 8-0 and the Eagles were 6-2, Hurts would be getting zero MVP consideration.

— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) November 11, 2022

If you feel like watching Eagles defensive players making big plays, enjoy this.

https://twitter.com/Eagles/status/1591100413574402048

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