After a one-year absence the Eagles are heading back to the postseason after officially clinching a spot on Sunday.
The Eagles got everything they needed to clinch one of the three Wild Card spots in the NFC — they beat Washington, San Francisco beat Houston and Green Bay beat Minnesota on Sunday night.
Now, at 9-7, the Eagles are not only guaranteed a winning record but they are heading back to the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. Only five other teams in the NFL have accomplished that. Only two of those teams, including the Eagles, are in the NFC.
Nick Sirianni and the Eagles getting to the postseason is not something many expected prior to the start of the season.
The team's projected win total was 6.5. They were labeled as having one of the worst rosters in the NFL. Fans wants Howie Roseman gone. Sirianni was mocked after his introductory press conference and Jalen Hurts wasn't even given the starting quarterback job until right before the season started.
At 2-5, it looked like most would be right. Instead, the Eagles turned their season around.
The turnaround started with a win in Detroit, a 44-6 blowout that featured a formula they would use to save the season. The Eagles ran the ball, they dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides, they created turnovers and they asked Jalen Hurts to make plays in big spots.
That formula proved to be a winning one, as the Eagles have won seven of their last nine games overall, with their two losses by a combined nine points. They will likely set a franchise record this upcoming Sunday for rushing yards in a season, a fact that would have been unbelievable back in Week 7.
Of course, the Eagles still have plenty to prove. They have yet to beat a team with a winning record. They were not competitive when playing the elite teams earlier in the season.
That, however, was earlier in the season. Back when the Eagles were still viewed as one of the worst teams in the league.
Now, they will get a chance to show how much they have improved — in the playoffs.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
