Getty Dak Prescott.
The Eagles remain on playoff life support. But that once-shaky pulse sounds much better now.
Following the Cowboys’ brutal 31-24 loss to the Chicago Bears on “Thursday Night Football,” all the Eagles have to do is win out.
That means winning four easy (cupcake?) games versus the Giants, Redskins, Cowboys and Giants again. The NFC East division crown will likely come down to a Week 16 game (Dec. 22) in Philadelphia.
Let’s review the schedules for both teams one more time:
Dallas Cowboys
Dec. 15 vs. LA Rams (7-5)
Dec. 22 at Eagles (5-7)
Dec. 29 vs. Redskins (3-9)Philadelphia Eagles
Dec. 9 vs. NY Giants (2-10)
Dec. 15 at Redskins (3-9)
Dec. 22 vs. Cowboys (6-7)
Dec. 29 at NY Giants (2-10)
The Eagles must beat the Cowboys on Dec. 22 to make the playoffs — and the game will he played within the friendly confines of the Linc.
Of course, there is one unthinkable alternate path to a postseason berth.
Final from #DALvsCHI
The Cowboys could drop two of three and beat the Eagles to end up with a record of 7-9. It’s not hard to fathom for a team still looking for its first victory over a team with a winning record.
The Eagles could win three of four and lose to the Cowboys to get to 8-8. They would win by virtue of the better record, no need for tie-breakers in that scenario. So, it’s all very much in front of Doug Pederson’s squad.
Eagles Go Full Pads at Thursday’s Practice
In a rare scene these days in professional football, Eagles players wore pads at Thursday afternoon’s practice.
Pads are traditionally ditched after training camp and never worn in December. But Doug Pederson wanted to send an eye-opening message to his troops. It seemed to work.
“It kind of set the tone, like, this isn’t a cakewalk,” said right guard Brandon Brooks. “By putting the pads on, you know, he set the tone.”
And wearing pads was only the first part of a more serious message. The Eagles head coach also openly challenged the leaders on the team to actually lead (go figure!) and hold people accountable. That seemed to work, too.
“Mood was good. Mood was high,” Wentz said after the team’s morning walk-through. “It was just a walk-through this morning but you could feel the energy, the upbeat attitude even though where we’re at isn’t where we want to be at this point. At the same time, we have a great opportunity ahead of us and we’re excited to put the rest of it behind us and go play some games.”