September in the NFL is not for hot takes. This is the month when teams find out who they are, what they do best, where they need the most work. The general approach is to find ways to win, bank those W's, and course-correct each day via film study and on-field work.
Win and keep working.
It is why the Eagles are in such a fine position after two victories against quality teams – an opening-night win against the Dallas Cowboys and Sunday's 20-17 win at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium against Kansas City. Neither win was without its flaws, but the Eagles emerged with the W each week and stand 2-0 with another tough one on Sunday ahead as the 2-0 Los Angeles Rams come to town.
We are early in Week 3 of the NFL season – actually, Week 2 is technically not yet finished, with two Monday Night Football games on deck – and the rush to judgment is already upon us. The instant analysis podcasts are everywhere.
Let them have their fun.
The Eagles want to just keep winning and working and discovering the identity of this football team.
"Our job, especially early in the season, is, and what I've said constantly to the team, is find a way to win, take pride in winning any way that you possibly can," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said after Sunday's win. "Work to get better throughout the week. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. We have to keep getting better.
"I think that when you come off a season like we came off of last year, I think the expectation is that you're going to pick up right where you left off. There are steps to this, right? There are steps for all the teams that are playing right now and there's steps to get better. As you're getting better, our goal is to play our best football by the end of the year, as you're getting better, find ways to win. Get better, and then repeat."
That's the approach here. The team landed back in Philadelphia in the wee hours of Monday morning and by early afternoon went right back to it – diving into the game film, grading plays and calls and every nuance of the game. Making sure they had the right mindset in every situation. Challenging each other.
If you think the Eagles are sitting back thinking that everything is perfect and this is going to be a cruise-control season, think again. The team is most critical of itself and nothing, absolutely nothing, from the outside will be any more constructive or corrective than what is said on the inside.
Win. Work. Repeat.
"Finding a way to win is something you have to take pride in," said quarterback Jalen Hurts, who upped his record to 48-20 as a starter and who on Sunday helped the Eagles win their 16th straight game in which Hurts has both started and finished. "Take pride in winning, one, and take pride in what is required to win."
In 2017, the Eagles split their opening two games, losing in Week 2 at Kansas City when a new placekicker by the name of Jake Elliott struggled in his debut with the team and the offense didn't have things quite right and the outside grumbling grew into a mini-roar. In 2024, the Eagles were 2-2 after a 33-16 loss at Tampa Bay and the criticism was more than simmering.
In both seasons, the Eagles found their stride and went on to post long winning streaks – nine straight games in 2017 and then 10 wins in a row in 2024 – on the way to winning Super Bowls. This is what happens through the course of an NFL season.
You won't win the Super Bowl in September, but if you win enough games and improve enough each week, you can put yourself in position to do so when the postseason rolls around.
The Eagles know they have improvements to make – in many more areas than you think, for sure – and that's what they are talking about on this Monday and Tuesday at the NovaCare Complex in their team meetings and positional film study. They also know that they've won two tough games, found ways to win, and have built trust and character from wall to wall in the locker room.
Save the hot takes, please.
Instead, appreciate the construct of a football team and an NFL season, where one chapter follows another and only at the end of the book do we know how to rate the quality of the product. Along the way, the Eagles intend to continue to find ways to win in a complementary manner and work hard to shore up areas where they know they need to be better.
