Thanks to the 34-29 win over the Giants Sunday, the Eagles went 2-1 on their recent three-game road trip to finish off the season with a 6-2 road record. It's a seismic turnaround from last year's 1-7 finish that head coach Doug Pederson attributed to his players learning from their past, having confidence on the road, and a more talented roster.
Philadelphia's 12-2 record is best in the NFL and the franchise's top mark since 2004. With a first-round playoff bye already secured, the questions during Pederson's press conference Monday centered on resting players in preparation for the postseason. Another win or a Minnesota loss on Christmas Eve against the Packers clinches the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage.
"I've begun thinking but my focus is winning the game on Monday night because that to me is the most important thing," Pederson said at the NovaCare Complex. "Once we get to next week, we'll get to next week. But my mindset this week is all about the Oakland Raiders.
"You just make the best decisions for your football team and if that means resting a guy you rest a guy, or two, or three. But you also have to maintain the edge with these players and you have to maintain that dominating swagger and you have to keep that alive.
"It's not a preseason game where you can rest in Week 4 and rest all your guys. You can't do that because you're still limited to the roster limits on gameday so guys are still going to have to play but at the same time I'm going to be smart about the decisions we make moving forward and getting guys rest if possible – the guys that need it."
As far as injuries from Sunday's win, cornerback Patrick Robinson is in the concussion protocol after he was injured on a play during the fourth quarter.
