What matters is the win, and everyone agrees on that. The Eagles are 2-0 and they have a huge test on Monday night against a 2-0 Tampa Bay team led by a defense that takes the football away, that stuffs the run and that presents multiple fronts and stacked lines of scrimmage under the direction of head coach Todd Bowles.
So, the focus is on taking advantage of the long weekend and extra day of work this week to start fast and finish strong against the Bucs.
Just win. The Eagles are averaging 29.5 points per game (fifth in NFL), they are second in rushing offense (178 ypg), and they are winning with the understanding that there is room to grow.
That is the plan: Keep winning and keep improving.
"You look back at the first two games, you look at the total yards of offense that we had. The first game, I do not know how much we had (251), but I know we had about 450 (actually 430) last week. So that is pretty on par for what we have been able to do offensively," quarterback Jalen Hurts said on Thursday at the NovaCare Complex. "When you think about how it gets done, that is what everybody else wants to talk about.
"It is not about me. It is about us. There are multiple ways to win. The thing I want to make clear is that winning is the main thing. I always say, 'Keep the main thing, the main thing.' Winning is the only thing that truly matters."
Hurts went on to say that winning is 1A on the list of priorities and "playing to the standard" is 1B and that is what the quest is, every week. Playing to an extremely high standard the team sets for itself. In this early season, corrections are king and learning from successes and mistakes is critical.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown earlier in the day said the offense is "a work in progress, and that's OK" and he is right. Just like every other offense and defense in the league. It's a week-to-week proposition and on Monday night the Eagles play an outstanding Tampa Bay group that ranks second in the NFL in run defense (54 yards per game; the Eagles rank first allowing 52 rushing yards per game) and that has taken the football away five times, including an interception returned for a touchdown on Sunday to clinch a win over Chicago.
"Where we're at right now is very good," center Jason Kelce said. "We have been in close games, and we have not played our best football, and we know that, but we have won those games. It is the best place to be. We do not think we are the best in the world. We don't think we're absolutely terrible. We are in a good, healthy mindset of 'We're just working to get better."
"This is Week 3 of the season. Nobody is where they need to be at the end of the year and we are just going to attack each day trying to get better, trying to be the best version of the Philadelphia Eagles that we can be."
The Eagles are back to work with Monday's 7:15 kickoff in focus and we will see how they approach the tough Bucs.
"We know it's going to come together and that's what we are working towards," Brown said. "That is all you can do – keep working hard and correcting your mistakes. We are excited about where we are. We know we have things to improve, and we are going to improve them."
Win and move on. Win and move on. That is where the Eagles are in Week 3.
"As long as you're showing improvement," Kelce said, "there are learning moments from the first two weeks. There is a healthy level of desire for everyone in this building to improve right now. There are positives to take, whichever way you look at it."
