The Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East division on Saturday by beating the Commanders in Washington.
The Eagles celebrated in the locker room, but everyone knows the real work starts now.
Philadelphia is looking to defend its Super Bowl title.
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“Now we’ve done this, and we got to make sure it’s just a step in the journey,” Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham said. “We got so much more ahead of us that we got to go accomplish.”
The Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl last season. They are currently the third seed in the NFC playoff picture.
“You got to be present in the moment, enjoy it,” Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said. “Back-to-back NFC East Champions … it’s a big deal. But it’s kind of like, you enjoy it now, take the day off, and then right back to work. That’s the mindset that we’re going to have, and we got to have.”
“I think everybody understands what’s in front of us,” Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean added. “This is definitely something we can enjoy for the moment right now and definitely build off of. We understand there’s more work to be done.”
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The Eagles have two games left in the regular season against the Buffalo Bills and Commanders. Philly is 10-5 on the season and would love to finish the campaign 12-5.
“To be able to be a back-to-back winner and get ourselves into the playoffs and, obviously, our goals are much higher,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “I think that we’ve raised the expectations of what we expect and so we’re pumped to get in, but we got more work to do. We’ll go back to work, we’ll celebrate this tonight. Players will be off tomorrow. Coaches will be in and we’ll get back to work and try to improve from there.”
The Eagles’ offense has been below average all season.
However, Jalen Hurts and Co. have scored 60 points in their last two games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Commanders.
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“I think right now, we’re finding ways to win. I think we’ll find ways to win, but it takes a component of complementary football, that’s all, and that’s always the name of the game, and being able to be efficient. Finish runs, stay ahead of the sticks, be intentional about what we’re doing, set up things, sequence it in the way it’s supposed to be sequenced, and ultimately be able to adjust,” Hurts said.
“Every game is different. You know, every game is different. We saw us under center last week. I was doing more, you know, lots of play action and, even surprised. So, I think we can go down every game this year and see a difference in approach, and I think that’s okay for us to be, for that to be who we are. You just have to be very smart in what we do and when we do it, and sequence it in the right way, then ultimately go out there and execute and make the plays.”
Can the Eagles win back-to-back Super Bowls? Only time will tell, but for the first time in a while, vibes are good in Philly again.