They can feel it coming together. A team that is averaging 29.5 points per game in its four wins is looking for even more and they know it's coming.
Patience, hard work, the pursuit of greatness. The Eagles want this offense to continue to grow, to become more consistent, to – as impossible as it sounds – score a touchdown on every drive. While everyone acknowledges that there is "a lot to clean up," as Head Coach Nick Sirianni said after Sunday's overtime win against Washington, the team belief is that the best is yet to come and that defenses are going to have to prepare for the Eagles' attack from all angles.
"It'll look different every time we step out there," quarterback Jalen Hurts said after throwing for a season-high 319 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. "Whether a 300-yard passing game, a 300-yard rushing game, a 150-yard rushing game by D'Andre (Swift), or a DeVonta Smith day, Dallas Goedert's day, A.J. Brown's day, that doesn't really matter to me. I think winning is the only thing that matters."
The Eagles are 4-0, one of only two unbeaten teams (the 49ers are the other) in the 32-team NFL. They've been through a bit of a gauntlet in the four wins, as each week has presented new ways to finish on top. The offense has scored a lot of points (fifth most in the NFL), the running game ranks second in the league (165.3 yards per game), and the total yards per outing (392) is fifth in the league as well.
And yet ...
"We're not playing our best ball right now, but we're still finding ways to win games," center Jason Kelce said. "We have a lot to clean up and we know that, but we're happy being 4-0. That's what this league is about – you are always trying to improve and that's where we are.
"We aren't playing our best ball offensively. We know what we can do when we are at our best."
What a win! Relive the best moments as Photography Director Kiel Leggere and his team take you behind the scenes of a Week 4 overtime win.
Isn't that the most exciting thing about this 2023 Eagles team? They're a smidge off the mark here, a missed opportunity there, a conversion in another series away from being so ... very ... lethal. In every way. This offense is rare in that it has the ability – and nobody questions the ceiling of this offense – to beat defenses sticking to the ground game, throwing the football, or mixing the two.
And each week, the Eagles feel they are getting closer. They've grown in each of the last three weeks – 430 total net yards, 24 first downs, and 34 points to beat Minnesota; 472 total net yards, 27 first downs, and 23 points (plus a safety) to topple Tampa Bay; and on Sunday in the overtime tussle against Washington, Philadelphia racked up 415 total yards, 23 first downs, and 34 points.
"I think we're still putting it together," wide receiver A.J. Brown said. "Nobody wants to be playing their best football right now. But we're still striving each and every day to fix the little things. We're heading in the right direction. Don't get me wrong. We want to play really well. But we don't want to play our best football right now in October. These are moments we are learning from. These are experiences we are learning from.
"It was a game in overtime that, if it happens again, nobody will blink because we're put in these tough situations (now). It's a learning experience. We're 4-0, and Nick just said in the locker room, we've won in every way these four games. We're still striving to put our best out there."
When it happens, it's going to be breathtaking. That's how the Eagles see it. That's what they believe. And that's what they are working for heading into Week 5 and a road game in Los Angeles.