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The confidence. The swagger. It’s all there — and not just in DeSean Jackson’s uncoverable cleats. Turns out, that attitude starts at the top.
Carson Wentz gave a rousing pep talk Sunday before the Eagles beat the Redskins 32-27. The team was coming out of the huddle when he clapped his hands and told his receiver to gather around him. The franchise quarterback was about to inject some life into his team. Wentz did in the most provocative way, too. He told them they are the best in the league.
“How amazing is this, men? What an opportunity,” Wentz said. “Think about everything you’ve gone through this offseason to get to this moment. Now we just got to go play. We’re the best in the league. Believe that. Each and everyone of you, believe that.
“Ain’t nobody that can line up and cover y’all,” he continued. “Let’s dominate. Let’s ball out all day. Ball out on 3 … 1-2-3!”
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DeSean Jackson Gets Revenge on Redskins
The biggest highlights from the season opener came courtesy of DeSean Jackson, racing for two game-breaking touchdowns that started the momentum swing for the Eagles. Jackson now has 31 career touchdowns of 50-plus yards, second in NFL history and only five scores shy of Jerry Rice. He was ballin’ out, to say the least. And his peers were taking notice.
Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas took to Twitter to throw praise his way and toss shade over at Redskins corner Josh Norman. Jackson blew by Norman on his first touchdown — a 51-yard strike from Carson Wentz — and Thomas freeze-framed it and captioned it with: “My homie Djac torching Norman.” Thomas later deleted the tweet, but it was still floating around Jackson’s page.
Jackson spent three underappreciated seasons in Washington and took great joy in torching them all afternoon. Despite trailing the Redskins 20-7 to end the first half, the confident receiver said he never had a doubt the Eagles weren’t winning. He took it upon himself to give an impassioned speech at halftime.
“Not one moment in that game I didn’t think we was gonna win that game,” Jackson said, via NBC Sports Philadelphia. “And I kept stressing to the boys when we came into the locker room, I’ve been over there before in that (Redskins) locker room and I know how they are. I just stressed to my teammates, I felt at halftime they probably felt like they had the game sealed and won.”
Carson Wentz Never Worried
Carson Wentz’s slow start had many Eagles fans reaching into the back of their fridges for the high ABV beers early in the first half. Then, something clicked and a green light went on. This team wasn’t losing. Wentz said he was “never worried.”
“We were never worried offensively,” Wentz told Pro Football Talk. “We didn’t panic. The character of the team and the culture of the organization keep it from happening. It’s a long game and a long season, and the veterans keep everybody calm.”
Wentz became just the third quarterback in Eagles history to throw multiple touchdowns of more than 50 yards in a single game, joining Donovan McNabb and Sonny Jurgensen. He also moved into fifth place on the Eagles’ all-time passing list with 10,465 yards.
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Eagles’ Carson Wentz Boldly Says ‘We’re Best in the League’