Philadelphia Eagles back playing underdog role as they prepare for Buccaneers in NFL playoffs
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Well, it's here. The week we didn't think we'd get this season.
The Eagles somehow made it to the playoffs, despite not beating a single team with a winning record all season.
They went 0-6 against teams in the postseason.
Their reward? A matchup against the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Bucs, and the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady.
It feels like nobody thinks the Eagles have a shot in this one. They're 8.5-point underdogs, and there's not a lot of excitement surrounding the game.
BUT it's not like Brady isn't beatable. We in Philadelphia know that firsthand.
But given that it'll be his first playoff matchup against the team that beat him in Super Bowl 52, you can bet Brady is seeing red.
He can talk all he wants about how this is their toughest opponent all year. He doesn't really believe that.
He just knows how to play the game.
For the Eagles? Both their head coach and their quarterback will be new to this whole playoff thing.
Which is why I like the fact that Nick Sirianni is seeking advice from playoff tested veterans like Jason Kelce about what his messaging should be.
And it's about focusing on fundamentals. The penalties. The turnovers. Those all get magnified on the big stage.
Will resting the starters last week come back to bite the Birds? I'm not sure.
Will making mistakes? Absolutely.
They have to play a perfect game on Sunday in Tampa.
Can they? Why not? We've seen stranger things happen.
Hungry dogs run faster.
I wouldn't be surprised if Lane Johnson packs that old dog mask in his suitcase.
