Undefeated Eagles showing all the signs of a Super Bowl contender

PHILADELPHIA -- Lincoln Financial Field hasn't shaken similar it did connected Sunday since the 2018 NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings.

It had the combustible vigor of a elephantine soda tin being kicked astir for 3 hours. It was the Philadelphia Eagles coming successful 5-0. It was Meek Mill's show of "Dreams and Nightmares" earlier kickoff. It was the hated Dallas Cowboys strutting connected the visitors' sideline. It was the Philadelphia Phillies bat-cracking their mode to the National League Championship Series. It was the weekend-long sports enactment successful the metropolis that near fans drunk with excitement -- and successful immoderate cases, conscionable drunk.

It was each of that successful a 26-17 win, capped by an on-field scrum wherever halfway Jason Kelce was taken to the crushed and manager Nick Sirianni mislaid it with a profanity-filled sideline tirade.

"How 'bout them Eagles!" Sirianni screamed implicit and implicit arsenic helium made his mode done the passageway and into the locker room, putting his ain rotation connected Jimmy Johnson's famed line.

Defensive standouts Fletcher Cox and Haason Reddick playfully counted to six connected their fingers. Linebacker Shaun Bradley belted, "Man, f--- that [Dallas] star. Ain't cipher disquieted astir that s---." Inside the locker country Kodak Black's "Walk" boomed implicit the speakers arsenic moving backmost Miles Sanders and others joyfully bounced successful rhythm.

"That was similar the champion ambiance I've been successful and it was a regular-season game," receiver A.J. Brown said."Look, Philly is lit. That's each I'm going to say. Philly is lit and I'm enjoying being here."

While the country felt similar a playoff triumph and the absorption was likewise euphoric, the enactment fizzled beauteous rapidly and the team's mindset was backmost to business, adjacent with their bye week up next.

"We celebrated this triumph due to the fact that it's a large triumph -- a large part win, astir importantly," Brown said. "But arsenic soon arsenic the euphony stopped we started reasoning astir who we are playing aft adjacent week [the Pittsburgh Steelers]. We're already trying to get ahead. This squad is hungry."

That whitethorn champion picture the wide consciousness of the 2022 Eagles, the lone unbeaten squad successful the NFL. The roster is afloat of talented players with a small thing other to prove. Guys similar Sanders, cornerback James Bradberry and information C.J. Gardner-Johnson are each successful declaration years. Brown, 1 of the apical receivers successful the game, got sent to Philly by the squad that drafted him. Cox is trying to reestablish himself arsenic a ascendant subordinate aft a mates of down seasons, by his standards. He's portion of the 2017 title halfway that includes Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson and Kelce, who are trying to marque a propulsion for much hardware successful the second stages of their careers.

Then there's 24-year-old backmost Jalen Hurts, connected a quest to amusement that helium is the reply to a semipermanent franchise quarterback. His maniacal pursuit of betterment -- for himself and the squad -- has acceptable the code internally.

"He's the eventual leader," said near tackle Jordan Mailata. "It doesn't substance who you are, he's going to clasp you accountable."

The 2017 Eagles squad is the lone 1 successful the city's past to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. This metropolis is good alert of however hard it is to drawback that magic carpet. Beyond exceptional endowment and pitch-perfect coaching, it takes relentless effort, immoderate bully fortune, and the vigor of the 53 players successful the locker country bouncing disconnected each different conscionable so.

Football is excessively unpredictable to accidental what this squad volition look similar successful 3 months, but immoderate of the indispensable ingredients are successful spot for this to beryllium a peculiar play -- thing the assemblage recognized Sunday night.

"I look astatine the radical successful the locker country -- and this is what amazes maine and what I emotion astir it the astir is -- erstwhile I'm talking to the guys, breaking the huddle down, I consciousness their energy, I consciousness their hunger, I consciousness their [lack of] satisfaction," Hurts said. "I consciousness each of this. And a feline successful my shoes, that's what I emotion due to the fact that I cognize I person guys astir maine that's going to step, I've got guys astir maine that's going to go, regardless. And they cognize that we've got to bash that together.

"We've benignant of built this mentality, we've built this consciousness of not being satisfied. ... It's a journey, and we instrumentality that travel head-on."