With five games left in the regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles are focusing on regrouping after a recent loss to Chicago. The team currently holds an 8-4 record and remains at the top of the NFC East. Players returned to the NovaCare Complex this week, aiming to address mistakes and prepare for their upcoming Monday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts commented on the team’s mindset moving forward: “We have to definitely stay together. Stay committed to what the team is trying to accomplish,” Hurts said. “In the end, no one ever said it was going to be easy, and we’ve got to embrace the challenge. We’ve got to embrace this time and respond to it the right way.”
Linebacker Nakobe Dean also reflected on how teams handle adversity during a long NFL season: “Keep fighting. Figure things out. Teams go through a lot throughout a season and that’s where we are now,” Dean said following Friday’s loss. “Nothing you can do but get up off the floor and come back better and hungrier. This isn’t a good feeling, so let’s find a way to work and come together and correct the mistakes we’re making.”
The Eagles have some additional preparation time this week due to a mini-bye weekend as they get ready for a Chargers team facing its own challenges, including quarterback Justin Herbert’s recent surgery on his non-throwing hand.
Defensive tackle Jordan Davis emphasized that improvement starts from within: “Every person in this room knows that the only way to come back is to stay together and take care of your own business,” Davis said. “We have the right coaches. We have the right guys. We have to play better as a football team. We’re making too many mistakes, not playing the kind of football that we know we can play. That’s what it is. We’re making the kind of mistakes that you just can’t make. So, we have to correct those mistakes and get back to playing Eagles football.”
Running back Saquon Barkley pointed out that persistence is key in turning things around: “We have to find out what works moving forward and keep working at things and having the belief that it is going to click,” Barkley said. “That’s the thing about the NFL: You know it can all change fast and if you keep working, keep staying humble and hungry, you are going to be where you want to be. Everyone stays together, everyone works together, and that’s what we’re going to do.
“We have another challenge ahead of us and we have to shake off this loss and get back to work and play better football, play the way we play. That’s how you get through this and move on. It isn’t easy, but this isn’t an easy league. Every team wants the same thing.”
The Eagles’ remaining schedule includes games against Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington (twice), and Buffalo as they aim for playoff positioning.
