The Eagles’ locker room was filled with festive music following their Christmas Day 33-25 victory over the Giants at the Linc.
With two games left in the 2023 regular season, the Eagles have improved to 11-4, but it’s obvious they’re not playing their best football. Devonta Smith, one of their offensive captains, wasn’t holding back.
“Eleven prevails?” stated Smith. “Right now, we’re not playing very good football. We’re not where we want to be, which is offensive. I’m not happy. Indeed, we’ve won eleven. I’m not content. It must be more conducive to my goals, our shared goals, and our aspirations as a group. Well, I’m not happy, but we’re nowhere near that.”
Many Eagles felt the same way following a victory that ended a three-game losing streak. Getting a W brought some relief, but it wasn’t strong enough to allay the worries that had been growing over the past month.
Actually, it was exactly the kind of victory the Eagles have shown us time and time again this season.
Smith remarked, “I think that’s probably pretty much anybody in here, man.” They’ll most likely inform you of the same thing. We are aware of our potential and that we have not yet reached it. We are quite busy.
For the second consecutive season, Smith reached the 1,000-yard receiving mark on Monday. Following the game, he was questioned twice regarding this accomplishment. He responded in essentially the same way each times: “We ain’t play how we’re supposed to play.”
Smith’s dissatisfaction was not unique. A.J. Brown, another captain, turned down several interview requests a short distance from Smith’s locker stall. This is unusual in the NFL following a victory. The Eagles’ offensive players were obviously quite frustrated, as evidenced by several.
Throughout the 2023 season, quarterback Jalen Hurts has talked about the importance of winning but also of playing to their standard. He’s talked about it so much this season because there have been a lot of wins where the Eagles haven’t played their best football but found a way to sneak by.
It’s clear that games like this leave the Eagles’ quarterback slightly conflicted.
“It’s like a double-edged sword of what’s more important, winning or the standard? It’s a very manipulative thing to the mind sometimes,” he said. “I can play to the standard and lose and be sick. I can go win and not play to the standard and be like, ‘We have more work to do.’ It’s that fight we balance as competitors.”
If the Eagles do have some magic switch that would allow them to play a complete game, now would be the time to flip it. Because they’re running out of time.
