The Christmas Eve Clincher is now officially in play!

by John Kincade

At some point we just have to admit it. It’s only been 13 games, but it somehow doesn’t feel at all premature. They keep giving us evidence, but the skeptical part of all of our Philadelphia sports brains wants to come up with boogey man scenarios. It’s about time we all took a long look in the mirror and said, stop it! This is the greatest Eagles team that we have ever seen, whether you want to admit it or not.

The 2017 Eagles team is the only one that ever gave us a parade, but they weren’t as dominant as this crew. That team got cruising on offense and by the 13th game they had an 11-2 mark and lost their starting QB due to a season ending knee injury. We all know how Nick Foles came around after a few poor efforts and wrote the greatest ending we ever saw. That team didn’t have balance. They weren’t able to just dominate with the passing game one week and the running game the next. They needed balance within the game to succeed. This team could telegraph their plays and most weeks it wouldn’t matter. They can dominate on defense too. They take away the ball, they shut down passing attacks. It’s outrageous!

The 2004 Eagles were the last team in franchise history that was (12-1). That team didn’t play in the toughest division through 13 weeks in the history of the NFL either. They were a very balanced team, but the depth on offense was most certainly not like this year. Terrell Owens wasn’t backed up with a DeVonta Smith. The Eagles passing attack was great, but it wasn’t like this.

Jalen Hurts most importantly is having a better season than any Eagles QB has ever had. Period. To be fair, he also has an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball more than any other Eagles season. It doesn’t change the fact that Hurts is incredible between the ears. It is a skill set that Donovan McNabb rarely displayed over the course of an entire season. Jalen Hurts should be the MVP as long as he closes the deal and secures the top seed in the NFC.

The math is easy. If the Eagles beat the Bears next weekend in Chicago, the CHRISTMAS EVE CLINCHER is now in play. Due to the Vikings loss at Detroit, the Eagles now have a 2 game lead over Dallas in the NFC East and over Minnesota in the overall NFC Standings. They have already beaten both teams and they hold the tie-breaker currently, so unless they trip up in the Windy City it could be the best Christmas ever!

The 2 game lead over Dallas also means that if they beat the Bears next Sunday, even a loss at Dallas won’t kill them. They would just have to beat the Saints and Giants at home to secure the East and home field throughout. It’s on to Chicago and the greatest Eagles season we have ever witnessed continues. Let’s all enjoy the ride!