As you watch football games from your living room this weekend, know the Eagles are probably doing the same thing.
After Thursday night's huge win over Carolina and with their next game not until next Monday night, the Eagles are in what's almost like a little bye week.
Doug Pederson gave his players and coaches the entire weekend off. While the injured players stuck around this weekend to get treatment, the others were free to go and do whatever they want.
Pederson said he wanted them to get away and "think about the first six weeks." Those are going to be some happy thoughts. The Eagles are 5-1 and look like the best team in the NFC.
The Eagles were going to start looking at film of Washington on Friday night but they weren't planning on taking a deep dive into the division opponent until after Sunday.
Players will start reporting back to the NovaCare Complex on Monday and the team will have a light 10/10/10 practice on Tuesday. The real week of practice doesn't begin until Thursday, which will be like a normal Wednesday. With the Monday Night Football game, the Eagles just push everything back one day.
"We've got three really good, exciting games coming up before our official bye [week], all at home," Pederson said. "So it will be an exciting week. Looking forward to it."
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Barnett gets his first sack
Sort of.
Derek Barnett was able to hold on to Cam Newton's leg for dear life in the fourth quarter before Justin Hamilton came and took Newton down. The seven-yard sack was split between the two players, neither of whom had an NFL sack coming into the game.
"Cam's a big dude," Barnett said. "He was trying to get out. And he almost did."
Barnett hasn't been producing the way fans probably hoped for his rookie season. The all-time sack leader at the University of Tennessee and the 14th overall pick has gotten close, but didn't get one until Thursday.
Does he think this first half sack will open up the flood gates?
"I mean, I feel good rushing the last few weeks," Barnett said. "I just have to keep being critical of myself. My coaches and teammates have to be critical of me, too. It's just getting more reps and stuff and everything will slow down for me. But I feel confident rushing and stuff. I just have to become smarter and when I get at the top of my rushes, learn what to do and what not to do. I just have to keep grinding. The best thing about coming to work is that everybody is pushing each other. It's fun coming into work and getting better."
In the locker room after the win, plenty of his teammates were ribbing Barnett about his first sack. He couldn't help but smile when he heard some of it. Hopefully for the Eagles, there will be plenty more sacks to come for him.
Living dangerously
Everyone in the city of Philadelphia held their breath in the second quarter on Thursday when Carson Wentz scrambled near the goal line and tried diving into the end zone throwing shoulder first.
He was stopped short and threw a touchdown pass on the next play to tie the game 10-10. More importantly, he wasn't injured.
"Well, at the time, I thought he was going to score, quite honestly," Pederson said. "You don't really want your starting quarterback to lead with your throwing shoulder, but I understand, too, the situation, and him trying to get in the end zone. There was a lane at the time, but in this league, everything closed fast. Could he have gone lower? Sure. But at the same time, I think he just saw the end zone and was trying to get in."
Pederson, when asked, said plays like that and when he stands in and delivers the ball with a blitz coming at him, resonate with teammates. They appreciate his toughness and will to win.
A numbers game
The Eagles are 5-1. That means they have a really good shot of making the playoffs, but nothing is a done deal.
Before this season, there have been 225 teams in NFL history to win five of their first six games. Of them, 173 have made the playoffs. That means there's a 76.9 percent success rate. Those are pretty good odds. But you'll remember, the 2014 Eagles started the season 5-1 and failed to make it into the playoffs.
Pederson now has to make sure his players don't think they've accomplished everything yet.
"It's tough. It's a fine line because the players are -- they're going to read and they're going to listen to all the media outlets on TV and stuff and just hear how people are talking about them and saying how good and how great they are," he said. "But [we have] to keep it real, too. That comes from me. Yeah, we're winning these games, but there is a lot to fix, a lot to correct as well. It's never perfect. [The] bottom line [is] we do want to win the game, but at the same time, I've got to keep them focused and grounded on -- even some of the situational stuff still.
"We've got to eliminate the big play on defense. We've got to get better in the red zone on offense, and just keep working in those areas. We weren't as good on third down last night, so we've got to keep working that area. So just keeping them focused and detailed on those specific areas."
Best quotes from after Thursday's game
"It was tough. Maybe Carolina had a little bit of help tonight, them being at home. But we were able to overcome it; that was the most important part." -- Rodney McLeod
"He was like, 'Man, I don't know who you is, but you a beast. And I'm like, 'You don't know who I am? You must not know football. But you know me today.'" -- Nigel Bradham on his interaction with a Panthers player
"S---, it felt good. It felt like he's back to his normal self. Dominating, doing what he do." -- Tim Jernigan on getting Fletcher Cox back
Random media guide note: Halapoulivaati Vaitai says the strangest thing he likes to eat is octopus.
