Lanschaften » The Philadelphia Eagles are back in a familiar

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles are back in a familiar role with a different disguise.The defending Super Bowl champions traded in the dog masks for ski masks Womens Chris Long Jersey , but they’re still playoff underdogs for the second straight year.Their road is much tougher this time around, however.The Eagles (9-7) are trying to become only the third No. 6 seed to win it all, joining the 2005 Pittsburgh Steelers and 2010 Green Bay Packers. Philadelphia starts its quest Sunday against the Chicago Bears (12-4).Last year, the Eagles had the luxury of a first-round bye and two home games but few expected them to do much with backup quarterback Nick Foles.They were the first No. 1 seed to be an underdog in their opening playoff game, a 15-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Lane Johnson and Chris Long donned dog masks after that game to symbolize the team’s underdog status and it spread throughout the city and continued gaining momentum with each win.The Eagles were 3-point underdogs against the Vikings in the NFC championship game and won 38-7. They were 4½-point underdogs against the Patriots in the Super Bowl when Foles earned MVP honors in a 41-33 victory.On wild-card weekend, the combined total of the spread of the other three games is 5½ points while the Bears are 6-point favorites against the Eagles.“To be an underdog and get back to that, we had to go through a lot as a team because we didn’t start out that way this year; it was actually the opposite,” Foles said Wednesday. “Then we went through some growing pains. We had to fight through it. It’s brought us closer together what’s happened, the ups and downs, it’s made us strong mentally.”Foles began the season under center because Carson Wentz wasn’t ready following knee surgery that forced him out of the lineup in December 2017. The Eagles were 1-1 when Wentz returned in Week 3 and played inconsistent for most of the season. Following a 29-23 overtime loss at Dallas in Week 14, the Eagles were 6-7 and their playoff chances were slim. Then Wentz was sidelined by a back injury.But Foles stepped in and led Philadelphia, a 13½-point underdog, to a 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 16. Foles set a franchise record with 471 yards passing in a 32-30 comeback win over Houston the following game and the Eagles secured a playoff berth with a 24-0 rout over Washington coupled with Chicago’s win at Minnesota.“I know how our team has really fought this last month of the season, last six weeks,” coach Doug Pederson said. “And it does give you a little comfort knowing that we’ve kind of went through this grind and we’re here now and we have to continue to grind and continue to work. But I don’t think it’s any easier. It’s a different team again. Different set of circumstances. We have to travel; if we’re fortunate to win Wendell Smallwood Jersey , we have to be on the road again. It feels different. But the excitement is the same.”The ski masks came out in Dallas when players on defense decided to wear them after a turnover. The team had nine takeaways in the first 12 games and nine after using the ski masks as motivation.“The ski mask thing is more fun for the guys,” defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “Anything that can promote some camaraderie and things like that are all good. But the turnovers come when you do your job and make the plays that come to you.”The Eagles and Foles have been at their best the past two seasons when few people expect them to have success. They aren’t concerned with low expectations.“People have doubted us, but the only thing that matters is the people in this building, the people in the locker room, what we think, because that’s who is stepping on the playing field,” Foles said. “It’s special to be a part of a group of people that can come together when everyone doubts you and play at a high level.” Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson said after the 21-17 loss to the Carolina Panthers that his players would galvanize over the rest of the season and grow closer.What better way to achieve that goal than to have them spend nearly four days together in a foreign country?"I think this trip right here is a great time for us to be away as a football team," Pederson said Friday as the Eagles prepare to face the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London. "That's obviously something that we need — being together like this for a couple days."Philadelphia (3-4) fell to its third loss in four games after they collapsed late, giving up a 17-0 lead against the Panthers after three quarters before allowing 21 unanswered points.That fourth-quarter muzzling was troublesome for both the offense and the defense. The Eagles won the Super Bowl last season in part because they had one of the highest-scoring units in the NFL, but they have scored only 22 points per game this season, nearly six points off last season's pace, and their pass defense has allowed 269.7 yards a game, the ninth-worst in the league.Losing starting safety Rodney McLeod to a season-ending knee injury in Week 3, and his replacement, Corey Graham http://www.eagleslockerroom.com/authentic-chris-maragos-jersey , to a hamstring injury a week later, certainly hasn't done Philadelphia's secondary any favors.But after losing all four games this season by a touchdown or less, including three of the last four by a combined nine points, quarterback Carson Wentz believes the trip across the Atlantic can be a springboard for success."I mean, as a quarterback and just the leaders in general, it's really on a lot of us to get everyone going again and recognize that record ... doesn't matter," Wentz said. "The goal is to go 1-0 every week, and especially the division we're in, that's kind of wide open. At this point in the year, not where we want to be, but we still have the whole season in front of us."Philadelphia's opponent, the Jaguars (3-4), will be playing in London for the sixth consecutive season and have won their last three games at Wembley.Pederson said the familiarity of the international trip may help them, but after making the trip as the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator in 2015, he doesn't believe it provides much of an advantage."I mean Womens Darren Sproles Jersey , they're familiar with the city and familiar with the travel ... but I think both teams are in the same situation today, feeling the same things," Pederson said.He also drew parallels between the Eagles' trip to London and their week last year in Los Angeles, where they stayed between road games against the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams.Wentz, who tore the ACL in his left knee after the win over the Rams, joked that he hoped the outcome on Sunday wouldn't be similar to the one last season.But he did recognize Pederson's point and hopes the intangible benefits will one day pay off."It's a unique week," Wentz said. "Bonding over here is definitely a big plus on trips like this, for sure."Notes: RB Jay Ajayi, who was born in London and moved to Maryland when he was 7, joined the Eagles for the trip despite tearing the ACL in his left knee in the loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 7. Ajayi, who played in his hometown last season for the Miami Dolphins, was honored with an exhibit at the Museum of London on Wednesday. ... Pederson said Graham and NT Haloti Ngata (calf) are likely to be game-time decisions on Sunday.