No opponents wanted the defending Super Bowl champs in the playoffs. The Eagles knew it.
As the Philadelphia Eagles streaked to their third straight win behind magic man Nick Foles and received playoff-aid in the form of a Minnesota Vikings debacle, Philly players oozed confidence in their circumstance.
"We ain't sneaking in -- we're kicking the m-----f---ing door down," safety Malcolm Jenkins said to teammates in a postgame speech, via ESPN.com "We're in this party. Nobody wanted us in, but guess what, they've got to deal with us now, man."
During the Chicago Bears' easy dispatch of the Vikings on the road, there was social media chatter that suggested Matt Nagy should throw the contest to set up another matchup with Minnesota during the Wild Card Weekend and avoid facing the Eagles. Of course, a competitor doesn't willingly concede, so now the Bears will face a dangerous Philly team next Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
"I mean, there was a lot of excitement, a lot of jubilation in the locker room, and I just told the guys, 'Congratulations, we're in the postseason,'" Pederson said. "I told them, 'You set out to get yourself into the tournament.' They've done that and we just got another opportunity next week."
With a defensive line that can wreck any game and a red-hot Foles it's true that no team would willingly choose to face Philly in the playoffs. Pederson's team will have a much tougher road through the playoffs than last season, however. Instead of needing home wins to reach the Super Bowl as they did as the self-proclaimed "Underdogs" a year ago, Pederson's squad must win three straight road games, starting in Chicago on Sunday, then New Orleans if Philly makes it to the Divisional Round.
The Eagles knocked down the postseason door once again. Now they must run through the gauntlet.
