Eagles Plan To Take Care Of Their Own Business
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- By the time the Eagles take the field on Monday night, they may already have the top seed in the upcoming NFC playoffs.
But the Eagles don't plan on doing any scoreboard watching during the weekend.
Doug Pederson's squad can clinch the top seed and home field advantage with either one more win or one loss by Minnesota. The Vikings will play in Green Bay on Saturday, and a win by the Packers would lock the Eagles into the top spot in the conference. As far as running back LeGarrette Blount is concerned, it's up to the Eagles to take care of their own business.
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"We control our own destiny," said Blount. "We want to make sure we keep it that way. We don't want to depend on the Vikings or anyone else in order for us to get what we want and what we're really working towards."
The Eagles have not been the top seed in the NFC since 2004, which was the last year the franchise reached the Super Bowl. No one on the current roster was part of that squad and few were on the team in 2013 when the Eagles last made the post-season. Lane Johnson is excited for the opportunity for the top seed and knows what it would mean if the road to the Super Bowl went through Philadelphia.
"It's awesome," Johnson said. "It's the first time I've been in this position, so we're fortunate. We've put in a lot of work and played a lot of good football. We'd like to go out and play a good football game against the Raiders and put us in a good position for the playoffs."
The Eagles will face an Oakland squad on Monday night which has been a disappointment in 2017. The Raiders will come to town with a record of 6-8 and Oakland is virtually eliminated form playoff contention in the AFC. The Eagles are 6-0 at home this season and the team has a clear advantage with its rabid fan base. Night games have extra electricity and linebacker Nigel Bradham expects a wild atmosphere on Christmas night.
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"It's going to be amazing," said Bradham. "It's even better to know that we have an opportunity to keep it here the rest of the year. That's one of the main things that's motivation for us. We know what we can do at the Linc."
Pederson hinted at a plan to rest some of his top players if the number one seed is wrapped up. Pederson may have that opportunity as early as Monday if the Packers beat the Vikings on Saturday. Blount will have his eye on the Minnesota-Green Bay game as well as the rest of the NFL over the weekend.
But on Monday, it will be business as usual.
"I'll be watching the games," Blount said. "I don't really pay attention to what other teams have to do to get where they want to be. I just kind of stay focused on us."
