NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Hey Philly fans, remember the talk earlier this season about how the Philadelphia Eagles need to worry about the passing game? That was a fun time, wasn’t it. I mean the way that QB1 came out and called out the media “That’s what y’all wanted to see?” and we all had a good laugh. Classic. Yet, when it comes to the playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams, whether it’s by land or by air, the Eagles need to get the job done. No one will care if Hurts throws 400+ yards and the Eagles lose. The crowd will be rowdy if Saquon rushes for 200+ and there’s a tick in that L column.
No matter what narrative the national media wants to run with, the Eagles need to play their brand of football. If it means they’re running the ball 40 times and it’s working, then run the ball 41 times. If Saquon is bottled up and Hurts has a hot hand, then keep airing it out. There are no points awarded in the playoffs for stats. A Super Bowl ring glows much better than a highlighter on the stat sheet. No one will give a crap what Stephen A. has to say Monday morning about how you got the job done, as long as you do in fact, get the job done.
There’s not one fan who will call for Nick Sirianni to be fired after a Super Bowl parade. Not one single fan will care about Kellen Moore being interviewed by the Cowboys once the confetti falls. Vic Fangio can silence his haters coming out of the Miami woodwork while shouting “I’m going to Disney World.”
A long story short, it doesn’t matter who says what about a single thing that has happened over this season. The number one goal at the end of the day is to block it all out, and go out and play Philly football. Jaylen Hurts doesn’t need to be ranked the top QB left in the playoffs if the Eagles make it past the Rams on Sunday. You won 15 games without the faith of the media, keep the pedal on the medal. The Eagles played the underdogs through their entire Super Bowl run so narratives don’t really make a difference.
Even if the offense struggles and you have to rely on defense, it doesn’t matter. With the top-ranked passing defense in the league, just don’t let Matthew Stafford pass all over you. If they’re trying to control the clock and keep the ball out of your possession, don’t allow the big play. The moral of the story is, that no matter how good everyone can say other teams are, or how much they can say the Philadelphia Eagles struggled this season, they still won 15 games. It doesn’t matter if it’s pretty, it only matters if it’s a W. The Eagles just need to play their brand of football and let the game come to them.
