The Dining Room 1 For 1
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Coach Doug Pederson laments the one loss.
Quarterback Carson Wentz talks about convalescent afterwards scoring 51 credibility adjoin the league's top-ranked defense. Safety Rodney McLeod credibility out there's bigger goals.
The Philadelphia Eagles are 8-1 and still can get better.
"You'd adulation to be best activity into your bye, but we're not," Pederson said. "For us to be at 8-1, it's a amazing acclaim to the guys and coaches in the locker room. Hats off to those guys for the way they work, the way they practice, and prepare."
Lopsided wins accept been accepted during Philadelphia's seven-game acceptable streak. The boilerplate allowance of achievement is 14 points, including three wins by at atomic 23 points. The better achievement — 51-23 over the Denver Broncos — beatific the Eagles into their anniversary off assertive they accept article special.
Yet, they alike nit-pick ascendant performances. That's one assurance of an aristocratic team.
"We'll never settle, there's consistently things to apprentice from," Wentz said.
This is the fifth time in authorization history the Eagles accept won eight of their aboriginal nine games. In 1949 and 1960, they concluded up acceptable the NFL championship. In 1980 and 2004, they able the Super Bowl and lost.
So, they accept history on their side. And, the able perspective.
"Our ambition hasn't been able yet," McLeod said. "There are a lot added amateur to go. We're activity to adore this bye week, but we apperceive that we accept a boxy adversary advancing at Dallas. That's one bold that, if we do appetite to adeptness our goal, we accept to win."
The Eagles weren't declared to be this acceptable this fast. They were 7-9 in the aboriginal division of the Pederson-Wentz Era and expectations for Year 2 were low. A one or two-game advance would've been progress.
Not anymore.
In a football-crazed burghal fatigued for its aboriginal Super Bowl title, annihilation beneath than a array bottomward Broad Street hoisting that ambiguous Vince Lombardi Trophy would be a disappointment at this point.
"The sky is the limit, man," advanced receiver Alshon Jeffery said.
Wentz is the capital acumen why the Eagles are front-runners in the NFC. No. 11 has taken a behemothic bound in his additional division and is the first-half admired to win MVP. Wentz has befuddled 23 touchdowns and alone bristles interceptions with a 104.1 passer rating.
He's assuming off his able-bodied ability, application his legs added and creating calamity for defenses. Wentz already has added yards hasty (211) than he did in 16 amateur (150) as a rookie.
"Great quarterbacks accomplish the added guys absolutely appetite to comedy at a aerial akin and that's what he's doing," Pederson said.
"It's a aggregation effort. Offensive band has to protect. But he's accomplishing a abundant job. He knows area everybody's activity to be. He prepares so able-bodied anniversary week. It's fun to watch him aback things are absolutely beat like that and to see the guys accepting fun accomplishing that."
Like best teams, the Eagles accept dealt with injuries. Top cornerback Ronald Darby confused his abate in Anniversary 1 and still hasn't returned. Nine-time Pro Bowl larboard accouterment Jason Peters, able active aback Darren Sproles and playmaking linebacker Jordan Hicks anniversary abiding season-ending injuries.
Backups accept stepped up to ample voids and cadre bang-up Howie Roseman acquired 2016 Pro Bowl active aback Jay Ajayi from Miami afore the barter borderline to bolster the active game. Ajayi promptly ran for 77 yards, including a 46-yard TD in his admission adjoin Denver.
"Definitely accept we can do a lot of appropriate things here," Ajayi said. "Great active aback allowance and animated to be allotment of the activating that we accept in there."
The Eagles accept to be alert of accident momentum. They were 3-0 and advancing off a 34-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers activity into their bye aftermost season. Then they absent nine of 11.
"My job is to accomplish abiding that we break focused and break grounded," Pederson said. "We've aloof got to abide to break with the one-game mentality. That's been a acceptable blueprint for us this season. We can't get attractive bottomward the alley and accessible opponents and scenarios. That's for the media to brainstorm on and allocution about.
"But we've aloof got to accomplish abiding that we advance our focus, accept what got us to area we are appropriate now at 8-1, and abide that action affective forward."
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