"Honestly, it hasn't hit me yet, to be honest with you," defensive end Josh Sweat said. "The craziness of it hasn't hit me. They're doing a good job of making it feel like it's regular workdays. I know that once we get there, it will be different, but right now, it's normal."

Sweat is a key member of the Eagles' defense, of course, and he knows there is zaniness ahead, particularly on Monday's Opening Night. He watched a clip of former Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and laughed out loud at some of the questions he received.

"I'm going to have fun with it," Sweat said. "That's the only way to approach it."

What he knows is that the Super Bowl will be the largest stage of his life and the prize is something he's always dreamed of winning. He wants this moment. He wants this spotlight.

"This is big time, and I'm excited to be part of it," Sweat said. "I know we're going against a great team and a quarterback (Patrick Mahomes) who can escape, who's smart, he can throw, and he is what you want in a quarterback. All I can say is that we have to get after him, put pressure on him, and try to bring him back to being average."

Then, and maybe then, in Sweat's eyes, the Eagles' defense will get the respect it deserves.

"It seems like every game we go into, people are talking about how the other defense is better than our defense," Sweat said. "Hopefully, after this one, we will prove to the world who we are and what we work for."