A couple of extra days after the Black Friday game has helped the Eagles in their preparations for the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night. Getting back into the win column is all that matters for the 8-4 Eagles, who lead the NFC East over the 6-6-1 Dallas Cowboys.
How is the locker room this week? Upbeat, excited to get back out on the field and looking forward to getting the very best of the Philadelphia Eagles for Monday and beyond is a good way to summarize the mood. A handful of the players talk about the mindset of this football team …
Landon Dickerson, offensive guard: Bottom line, must play better
He is direct, he is honest, and he is not hesitating one bit when asked about the mindset of this football team.
"We're here to work," Dickerson said. "We come here to work and get better. We gotta do better. It's as simple as that."
There are going to be ups and downs through the course of a long, long NFL season, and the key is to remain even-keeled and confident. That is the way Dickerson and the Eagles are approaching this week and Monday night against Los Angeles.
"We have things to work on, just like every week," he said. "We know we have to play better to win football games and that's what we're working on."
Dickerson was most effusive talking about Jordan Mailata, the Eagles' left tackle, Dickerson's great friend and the team's Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee for 2025.
"He cares about people and he gives back, and I'm so happy for him to be nominated," Dickerson said. "He deserves it for all the work he puts in and the lives he changes off the field."
Byron Young, defensive tackle: We will step up and fill the Jalen Carter void
The run defense prepares itself for another test against the Chargers, a run-first offense that has survived a glut of injuries to the offensive line and the offensive backfield. And the loss of star defensive tackle Jalen Carter is a challenge the group must overcome, so Byron Young is very aware of the situation the Eagles are facing.
"Just getting back to the basics. We had a lot of leaky yards in that game and a lot of stuff that we can easily fix," Young said. "We pride ourselves on stopping the run, and I feel like we did a pretty good job of that this year and that's something that we take personal. We take a lot pride in it. We always say 'You gotta earn the right to rush the passer' and that's not the thing we did last week and that's something we want to do this week."
Carter could be sidelined Monday with injuries to both shoulders, and the rest of the defensive tackle room and front in general looks to step up.
"JC is our brother, man, and we want him to get back on the field. When he's on the field, he's a disruptive person," Young said. "I wouldn't say it (Carter's absence) changes the mood. He wants us to operate business as usual, same thing as (Senior Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line) Coach (Clint) Hurtt, so that's what we're doing. We're preparing just like we have him on the field. Someone else has to step up and play the role that he had, so we're preparing for the game just like normal."
Cooper DeJean, defensive back: Seeking better fits vs. running game
Playing defense requires everything to "fit," and the Eagles weren't pleased with that aspect of their performance against Chicago. Defensive back Cooper DeJean explains.
"Nobody was happy with the way we played blocks, and that's really what it came down to," he said. "If you don't play blocks the right way, you leave gaps wide open for them to run through and that leads to explosive runs. Being more detailed in our fits, not only up front, but especially in the back end when we're coming to fill, to not let those runs get out. I think that's the biggest thing."
What has not happened is a lack of belief that the Eagles are going to get back to playing their kind of defense. DeJean has no doubt.
"I think we have a lot of confidence. You can't forget who you are, who you have on this team, the players that we have. I don't think anybody has lost confidence," he said. "A couple of bad weeks, and we understand that we have to fix those things, I don't think anybody has lost confidence and who we are and what we are capable of."
The Chargers have a range of talent at wide receiver, and it all starts with veteran Keenan Allen, who has 60 receptions for 622 yards and four touchdowns in his 13th NFL season.
"He has a great feel for the game, a great ability to get open. He always finds the open spots on the field, and he has a good connection with the quarterback," DeJean said. "He's been doing it a long time and he's a really good receiver. He's a really good route runner, especially in the intermediate routes, the option routes that he runs, and he just knows how to get open and find space, and he can get off coverage really well and he sees coverage really well. He's going to be a challenge for us."
DeVonta Smith, wide receiver: Correct the little things
The offense looks for consistency once again against a very good Los Angeles defense, and wide receiver DeVonta Smith says the way to do that is to eliminate the mistakes.
"The little things, shooting ourselves in the foot, that's what we have to stop," he said. "Just go out there and execute. That's the biggest thing."
All eyes will be on star defensive back Derwin James, a critical piece in the Chargers' scheme.
"They move him around – sometimes he's in nickel, sometimes safety, sometimes linebacker," Smith said. "You always have to see where he's at, what he's doing. He's a guy who gets to the ball. They rally to the ball well. They have guys on the outside who are pretty good, who can get to the quarterback, so we have to execute and know where 3 (James) is at all times."
And the noise from the outside? Does it reach the inside?
"Same as it is every week," Smith said. "Ain't no panicking here. No reacting here. That's all on the outside."
Jaelan Phillips, EDGE: Eye discipline is critical for defense
The question for the Chargers is who lines up at quarterback. Justin Herbert has been limited both Thursday and Friday in practice, so he is still very much a question mark after having surgery on his left (non-throwing) hand. But for the Eagles, there is a whole lot more to the Los Angeles offense, and it begins with the running game.
"They have good backs, their offensive line is pretty solid. They do a lot of gap-scheme, misdirection, plunges, boots, and work your eyes," Phillips said. "I think that's something that we've kind of struggled with the last couple of weeks. That's a point of emphasis in practice – making sure our eyes are good and we're playing the run properly. Eye discipline has been the biggest thing, locking in on our assignment. It's not like we've been physically outmatched. We've played teams that have good schemes, a lot of misdirection and things like that. You have to be disciplined with your eyes and that's something we need to be better doing."
