The Eagles are the team “nobody wanted” to see in the playoffs, this according to Malcolm Jenkins and many observers. Some would even argue they’re the hottest team in the NFL.
Really? Because all the evidence suggests neither one of those statements is true.
Oh, the Eagles are dangerous. They’re reigning Super Bowl champions, victorious in three straight games and four of their last five. Without a doubt, they’re playing by far their best football all season. Still, the idea this is suddenly the scariest team in the tournament is a little farfetched.
You know who definitely isn’t afraid of the Eagles? Sunday’s opponent, the Bears. You know who’s hotter than the Eagles right now? Also the Bears, owners of a 12-4 record and winners of nine of their last 10 games.
How concerned were the Bears with the prospect of playing the Eagles in the first round? They could’ve avoided the matchup altogether by simply pulling their starters and letting the Vikings win in Week 17, which would’ve resulted in the Eagles’ elimination.
OK, maybe that was easier said than done. The Vikings probably couldn’t beat Chicago’s B team right now. Point is, the Bears aren’t worried about the Eagles. In fact, they welcome the challenge.
“I don’t care who it is,” Charles Leno Jr. told reporters Sunday. “We’ve been through so much already this season. We’ve been battle-tested. It doesn’t matter who comes to Soldier Field. We’re ready to play ’em. Just let us know what day it is and we’ll be there.”
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Leno and other Bears players are also searching for a measure of revenge after a 31-3 blowout at Lincoln Financial Field last season, not to mention a chance to beat former teammate Alshon Jeffery.
Going to go out on a limb and suggest the Cowboys aren’t worried about possibly running into the Eagles again in Dallas after sweeping the season series over their NFC East rivals, both tilts occurring in the last two months. And the Saints? Couldn’t have been more confident in their first meeting at the Superdome, a 48-7 demolition.
As for the hottest team bit? The Seahawks have won six of seven. The Cowboys have won seven of eight. The Saints amassed a 13-2 record over the course of an entire season, not including a throwaway Week 17 contest. Only the Rams are backing into this thing.
And no matter who the Eagles face, it will be as a six seed on the road, likely in some of the league’s toughest places to play.
To their credit, the Eagles have fed off being the underdogs, which the “nobody wants to play us” and “hottest team in the NFL” mantras are just another form of. It’s basically another way of saying, “We may be 9-7, but we’re better than that."
But the Eagles are 9-7 and did need help to get to the dance. Doesn’t mean their opponents won’t take them seriously. Doesn’t mean they can’t run the table, either.
What it does mean, however, is not one team is running scared at the thought of playing the Eagles, no matter what Jenkins or anybody else tries to tell you.
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