The Eagles are all but eliminated from playoff contention, barring an incredible series of circumstances. Regardless, don't tell the players inside that locker room they have nothing to play for this Sunday against the Ravens or over the final three games.
Finishing 2016 strong isn't just some rallying cry to help the Eagles come to terms with the reality of their situation. Even should they somehow run the table, postseason play is extremely unlikely. It's a fact of life in the NFL that there is always something on the line, even when the outcome of the games no longer appear to matter.
"There's quite a bit to play for," linebacker Jordan Hicks said on Wednesday.
"First and foremost, for this team, this organization, we put so much into this season, to lay down or to not show up these last three weeks is not an option. We've got too many guys with a lot of pride for themselves, for this organization, for this team and really to play for each other."
Whether all 53 players share Hicks' sense of loyalty to the franchise or even their teammates will be put to the test over the final three weeks. Of course, if anybody is giving less than their all, that's going to show up on film.
If nothing else, guys are playing for their spot on the team or for a paycheck, which for most should be motivation enough.
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"We've built a strong bond on this team and really have a brotherhood in here, so playing for the guy next to you, and then playing for your job," Hicks said. "It's crunch time. This is evaluation time in these situations and in this organization right now, and everybody understands that going into these last three games."
From the outside looking in, it's easy to get the impression that a team with a 5-8 record, that's lost eight of its last 10 games, could be ready to shut it down. Hicks and Fletcher Cox don't deny it's difficult to come to work right now, but different players have their own way of coping with a disappointing season coming to its end.
"It's tough because you understand the situation, but we're blessed to be here," Hicks said. "When you get into these situations, a sense of perspective comes along with it.
"It's a learning process and it's something that you've got to take advantage of because you don't want to go through all that stuff and not learn anything from it. You've got to take it, apply it and move forward."
"I approach it as 'I'm a pro,'" Cox said. "I approach it as I do every week and I have to be a leader. I have to keep the young guys going, because if I'm down, the young guys are looking at me and they're going to be down.
"What drives me about this game is that I love it so much, and winning or losing, you have to go out and compete every game, and you have to go out and compete every day. That's what I'm most looking forward to, putting good tape out there."
There is one thing every Eagles player can agree on. Nobody likes to lose. That's the biggest reason why the Eagles must take these games, no matter the outcome, and try to use them as a means to get better for the future.
"Obviously the goals, the things that you set out to do are very unlikely now for us to achieve," Hicks said. "We still have a ton to play for. We can really springboard ourselves for next season and really set a foundation and learn from the mistakes and all the close losses that we've gone through.
"Learn from that, build a foundation and springboard us forward for the future."
"You want to always climb toward improvement, and every time we step on the field, we want to win," Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "This game will produce some unique situations and unique experiences that we haven't had already, and it's an opportunity for us to show up."
Cox was much more direct. The Eagles must makes these final three games matter.
"They have to," Cox said. "We need to finish these last three games strong and then let's take it on into next season. Take that momentum into the offseason where we know what type of team we are, we know what we can do when everybody is focused and doing what they have to do to be dominant in this league."
Playing for next season may not be what fans want to hear about after the Eagles got out to a 3-0 start this season and had so many thinking playoffs. But the Eagles' reality has changed.
"Right now, it's not about how we started," Cox said. "It's about how we finish this season."
