Eagles Brace For Quick Turn Around Before TNF Against Giants
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Every team in the NFL plays in at least one Thursday night game. The Eagles get their turn this week as they deal with the challenge of a essentially cramming for an exam.
Fresh off a heartbreaking loss in Baltimore on Sunday, the Eagles will look to play spoiler Thursday night against the Giants. New York comes to town having won eight of its last nine games. Both teams have little time to prepare this week, but Quarterback Carson Wentz is happy to have the chance to get back on the field after the one-point loss to the Ravens.
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"We came right in here on Monday," said Wentz. "It was a tough an emotional loss as it was in Baltimore. Just to be able to turn the script was probably a good thing. To turn the page and go on to New York has been a good thing."
Before Thursday Night Football became a full-season television package, Jim Schwartz was used to playing on Thursdays in Detroit. The Eagles defensive coordinator served as head coach of the Lions, which meant playing at home on Thanksgiving each season. Schwartz believes seeing the Giants a second time will help his team during the short week of preparation.
"Their scheme stays the same which makes it from a schematic-preparation standpoint a little bit easier," Schwartz said. "The difficulty is in the execution. We have to sort of brainwash ourselves into getting on a schedule. Players are very regimented. Coaches are very regimented."
Fletcher Cox isn't worried about the quick work week this week. The defensive lineman is more worried about helping to get his team back on the winning track. The Eagles have lost nine of their last eleven and Cox is hoping he and his teammates will ignore the standings and play with the same intensity as a team fighting for a playoff spot.
"It's about how this team reacts the last two games of the season," said Cox. "It's going to show how much the guys in the locker room love this game of football, which I know they do."
The 10-4 Giants can clinch a playoff spot with a victory on Thursday night, so the Eagles will have a chance to delay New York's trip to the post-season. Defensive Lineman Brandon Graham is hoping to do some damage to one of the Eagles' top rivals and has no complaints about the Thursday night game on the schedule.
"I love it," Graham said. "We're about to get this sour taste out of our mouths. We've got another opportunity then you get the weekend to enjoy with your family for Christmas. I appreciate this Thursday."
