LANDOVER, Md. — Jordan Mailata grabbed the gray cap players were issued that read “Division Champions” and turned it backward on his head. It was suggested that he flip the hat and perhaps show off for the cameras how the Eagles won the NFC East with a 29-18 victory over the Washington Commanders, becoming the first back-to-back division champions in two decades.
“You know what it is,” Mailata said. “I don’t need to brag.”
Some players, coaches and executives donned the caps along with T-shirts that read “Been There, Won That.” They danced in the locker room. There were celebratory photos for down-the-road memories. Still, the environment would not have been mistaken for a nightclub. There were no apparent victory cigars like after the NFC Championship Game or the Super Bowl.
The celebration was understated, if not expected. Mailata did not need to brag. Those shirts were accurate. The Eagles have been here before. They’ve won it often.
Yes, the Eagles are the first team to win the NFC East title in back-to-back years since 2004, but they’ve also won three of the past four division crowns. Since Nick Sirianni became the head coach in 2021 and Jalen Hurts became the full-time starting quarterback, the Eagles have made the postseason every year. They’re 10-5, making this the fourth consecutive double-digit win season.
To put that in perspective, Washington has reached double-digit wins only three times this century.
“These times, they’re rare times,” Hurts said. “It’s something we all need to soak in and relish in this moment right now and take it a day at a time as we always have, but keep the main thing the main thing. That’s what we’ve done for five years, since everybody’s collectively been here.”
For all the angst in Philadelphia during bouts of inconsistency this season, they’re where they were expected to be all along, and they’re there even earlier than usual. In 2022, they clinched the NFC East in Week 18. In 2024, they clinched the title in Week 17. It came in Week 16 this season. They’re almost certain to be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. They have the fifth-best odds to win the Super Bowl, according to BetMGM.
The Eagles entered the season as Super Bowl contenders. They’ll enter the playoffs as Super Bowl contenders. It’s partly why the celebration might have seemed understated. A playoff bid was expected. A division crown is not a surprise. There’s a desire for more.
“Everyone’s vying to get into the playoffs, to be able to go, do what the ultimate goal is, and so we’re excited to be there,” Sirianni said. “This division has had so much parity in it throughout the years, to be able to be a back-to-back winner and get ourselves into the playoffs, obviously, we want our goals to be much higher. I think that we’ve raised the expectations of what we expect, so we’re pumped. We’re pumped to get in, but we got more work to do.”
The coaches will be back in the office on Sunday. Some players will allow themselves 24 hours to enjoy it. Mailata will only give himself a few hours. He even admitted he did not realize the Eagles clinched the playoff bid until he heard Jordan Davis shouting, “20 years!”
Mailata was the exception. Multiple players made comments this week about the significance of winning the division, but it was not as if they expected to return to a city with greased lightpoles for winning the NFC East. This is a locker room full of players who own Super Bowl rings. Come to the Eagles, and you don’t make vacation plans for mid-January.
“You gotta enjoy the small wins. Gotta enjoy in the season that’s felt like we haven’t been playing to the standard,” Mailata said. “You have to try to not compare the seasons from last year, truly be where your feet are at. So I think, yeah, we can celebrate this even with the resume that we have in the locker room, but at the same time, there’s a game next week that we got to prepare for.
“… Besides the locker room standard, just the city itself: The standard is so high. So for us, it’s either set it higher than the city, set it with the city, and so that’s what we try to attain. It is hard, to be honest. … No matter how you try to block it out, you’re immersed in it. Because Philadelphia is a different city.”
New players who are just learning about Philadelphia were the ones for whom some of the returning players felt happiest. Jaelan Phillips, for instance, won his first division title in five NFL seasons. However, there was also an understanding throughout the locker room that there’s so much more in front of the Eagles.
“I think everybody understands what’s in front of us,” cornerback Cooper DeJean said. “This is definitely something we can enjoy for the moment right now, and definitely build off of. But we understand there’s more work to be done. But I also think it’s cool to win the division.”
Jalen Hurts said the Eagles need to enjoy their moment after winning the division for a second straight season. (Geoff Burke / Imagn Images)
Hurts said earlier this week that the early months of the season are for “trying to find yourself” and “find your groove.” The “real things,” as he labeled them, are found in December, January and February. (It takes a quarterback who’s played in two Super Bowls in the past three years to say February.)
The Eagles are starting to peak at the right time. Two weeks ago, the Eagles were stuck in a three-game losing streak. They’ve since won back-to-back games and showed elements that can carry them into the postseason. One can wonder how much merit to place in overpowering the Las Vegas Raiders and Washington, two teams likely to draft in the top 10, but it’s the way they’re playing that matters.
The offense is showing more diversity and efficiency than earlier in the season. Saquon Barkley rushed for 132 yards (including a 48-yarder) and now has topped 100 yards in two of the past three games. He has more rushing yards in three December games than in any other month this season, and he eclipsed 1,000 yards in back-to-back years for the first time since 2018 and 2019.
Hurts completed 22 of 30 pass attempts for 185 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 40 yards, and did not turn the ball over. He was effective out of empty formations, showing that the Eagles can play different styles depending on the opponents. Two of the Eagles’ three most efficient games based on EPA/play have come during the past two weeks.
The starting defense held Washington to 10 points on nine drives before they mixed reserves into the game and allowed a touchdown on the final drive. Vic Fangio’s group forced a turnover for the seventh consecutive week (DeJean had an interception) and only allowed more than 38 yards on a drive once all game, albeit against an offense down to its third quarterback.
“We’re trending in the way we want to,” Barkley said, “so got to keep building.”
The Eagles play the Buffalo Bills next week before the Commanders visit to close the regular season. Sirianni was mum on his plans for how the Eagles will approach those final two games. By Monday night, more will be known about the potential path to the No. 2 seed compared to the No. 3 seed.
There are players in the locker room who would not mind resting down the stretch, but as long as the No. 2 seed is obtainable, the benefits of a potential home playoff game in the divisional round would be enticing. There’s also the question of how the Eagles will handle the eventual returns of Lane Johnson and Jalen Carter — two of the team’s best players who are both expected to return for the playoffs.
These questions are familiar to the Eagles. So is winning the division and making the playoffs.
“To be able to win it back-to-back is a huge accomplishment,” Hurts said. “It’s something that we can just check off the box as we (strive) for more.”
He didn’t need to wear a cap or a T-shirt. As Mailata said, you already know what it is. Been there, won that.