Friday, September 19
2:39 PM: Jordan Davis appreciates all the support, all the trust, all the belief. It has made a difference in his career, as the Eagles' defensive tackle has taken the excellent play from the latter half of the 2024 season into the 2025 campaign – in large part because the people around Davis stuck with him as he learned, as he said on Friday after practice at the NovaCare Complex, "how to be a pro."
And it all starts with head coach Nick Sirianni.
"Patience and belief. When I was overweight and playing – not at the highest level I wanted to play at – he (Sirianni) always had that belief in me and I think that when you have that culture where you have somebody that believes in you, that truly believes in you, it motivates you to be the best player you can be for that team, for that person," said Davis, who has had a standout first two games. "... Being in this kind of shape, man, it's made a difference. Be a pro. Come in early, be at my weight, those are the things I'm supposed to do. Find ways to improve at practice. Just be a pro.
"It has helped me tremendously. I'm focused on football instead of working on my weight. Instead of being on a treadmill, I can watch a little extra film. That has helped me a lot." — Dave Spadaro
Wednesday, September 17
6:24 PM: The Tush Push is back in the news after the Eagles converted four of six tries in Sunday's 20-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Players and media have been critical of the play that was nearly banned this offseason, citing that there are penalties committed every time it's ran and that it's not a true football play.
Early in his locker room media availability, left tackle Jordan Mailata looked directly at a camera and gave his message about the play and the criticism it receives.
"This is my official plea to all the teams out there," Mailata said. "You can run the Tush Push just like we can. The end."
Some pundits, especially this week, have claimed the Eagles are only successful because of the Tush Push, and Mailata took exception to that notion.
"That annoys me when people say that's the reason why we win games," he said. "When you look at our defense and our special teams, and they're dominating the other side of the ball. And offense is doing their part, not dominating, but we're doing our part. We're doing just enough, you know, just to call a spade a spade. I think that's bull crap. You can't say that we're winning games for that.
"But, other than that, I'm going to be an advocate for all the teams out there. You guys can definitely run this play, too. I promise you. You guys can as well. It's not just us. It's not just the Philly Eagles. It's not just a Philly Eagle thing. You guys can definitely run it, too. You guys have the personnel." – Matt Ryan
9:52 AM: Sunday's game against Los Angeles is a battle of two undefeated teams, and it's also a rematch of last season's iconic Divisional Round snow game. The Eagles prevailed in the playoff matchup and also handed the Rams a 37-20 loss in Week 12 of the regular season, but Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 567 yards and four touchdowns across both contests.
The Philadelphia defense has been stout through two weeks, shutting the Cowboys out in the second half and holding Patrick Mahomes and Co. to just 17 points. However, Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio knows the Eagles have a tough task on Sunday.
"They have a great offense," Fangio said. "Their scheme is really good and tough to prepare for, and tough to play. They got a great quarterback operating it. They now have two great receivers. [Rams Head Coach] Sean [McVay] does a great job calling the game. He's a really good play caller throughout the course of a game. It's an extremely difficult assignment."
Los Angeles has two of the best wide receivers in the NFL in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Both are capable of taking over games, and Fangio knows Stafford isn't afraid to air the ball out.
"They got two great receivers, they got good tight ends," Fangio said. "[Wide receiver] Tutu [Atwell] is a fast, quick guy, and Stafford is one of the most gifted passers you'll ever see, with his experience and their whole offense is based upon running the ball, so it'll be an all-day sucker for us for sure." – Matt Ryan
Tuesday, September 16
3:32 PM: The Eagles improved to 2-0 with a 20-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The Philadelphia defense shut down Patrick Mahomes and Co. for most of the game while the offense came up in big spots.
The Eagles' lone explosive play came on 3rd-and-10 in the fourth quarter, when Jalen Hurts found DeVonta Smith for 28 yards, setting up an Eagles touchdown. Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo was asked if it makes sense at times to force the ball downfield after the Eagles only had two big plays across the first two games.
"I think there's a fine line," Patullo said. "Because you don't ever want to put the quarterback in harm's way. If you do that and the protection doesn't hold up or it doesn't add up to what they're doing, you could have a catastrophic problem. Both offenses — it was a tough game for both of us. So if you put somebody in harm's way and kind of say, 'I'm taking a huge chance right here,' that negative play could be a major issue and really could be the deciding factor in the game."
The Eagles played clean football in Kansas City, and the game's only turnover came when rookie Andrew Mukuba intercepted Mahomes in the end zone. That pick completely changed the game, and Patullo wanted to make sure the Eagles didn't make any major mistakes on Sunday.
"Ultimately, one turnover in that game was the deciding factor," Patullo said. "And when you look at the times we've played them, even back to '23 and whatever, it's been like one turnover, it's been an issue. Obviously in the Super Bowl, that was kind of what blew it open were the turnovers, so you could sense that in the game, even from them on their offense. The way the game was flowing, any mistake was going to be kind of one of those things that got you the win." — Matt Ryan
