Lucky 13 has the 2022 Eagles one step away from the NFC Penthouse
by John Kincade
Savor it, enjoy it, even when the game looks a lot uglier than many of the other wins in the collection! This 2022 Eagles team is special. They bend, occasionally, and don’t break. They dominate others into submission. They believe. They stay poised and confident that they will find a way. I’m just a little pissed that I didn’t see it coming. This is one of the greatest rides of our collective Eagles fandom and thankfully it’s just getting started.
Jalen Hurts was far from excellent, but maybe that is where the beauty of his versatility shines through. On a day where he threw 2 interceptions and allowed a less than mediocre Bears team to hang around, Hurts did enough when called upon to secure a critical 13th victory. It’s a win that leaves them in an enviable position and complete control of the NFC. You see, other teams that chased them like the Cowboys and the Vikings didn’t find ways to stare defeat in the face and come away with victories. In fact, no other team in the entire NFL hasn’t found a way to 3 defeats through 14 games except for the Eagles. It’s a statement. Like the way Jalen Hurts took it upon himself to get into the end zone three times yesterday when other parts of their game were not working. Oh yeah, on his bad day he still found a way to pass for 315 yards as he helped to move AJ Brown over 1,200 receiving yards and DeVonta Smith over 900 yards. This passing attack is crazy good. Most days the rushing attack can’t be stopped, but yesterday the Bears did a better job than any opponent in 2022. Winners win and Hurts did just enough.
Now they have the luxury of knowing that a win in any of their final 3 games; at Dallas and home vs the Saints and the Giants and they will be the top seed in the NFC. Two home game victories standing between them and a trip back to Arizona to try and win Super Bowl 57. It won’t be easy, but the NFC field is flawed. Each of the other contenders showing warts that can be exposed or the lack of a killer instinct when pushed up against the wall. The Eagles have all of those qualities. It’s a different path to victory every week, but the ending of the story has been mostly the same.
The Eagles COULD have lost in Chicago, but they didn’t. The game resembled their only loss of the season vs the Commanders. I’m ready to say that when and if the Eagles lose in the playoffs it will be because of self inflicted wounds. They rarely are stoppable, but they’ve shown that they can beat themselves. I don’t believe that anyone is good enough to defeat them if they play a clean game. Without the Eagles turning over the ball or poor decision making, nobody is beating this team. It’s a strange reality, but tell me I’m wrong. You can’t, at least not based on the games we have seen.
Will they close it all out in Dallas they will make Christmas Day the start of 4 weeks of rest and meaningless football. That concerns me, but I have zero interest in worrying about that today!
