Before the first game of the season, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins stood in the middle of a huddle and delivered a cheer that has been a popular rallying cry in those pregame and postgame gatherings: “We all we got!” The Eagles won that afternoon and players carried Doug Pederson off the field on their shoulders. It was easier then to formulate the us-against-them, nobody-believes-in-us message that teams often cite.
It will be more difficult now. The Eagles have made a lot of believers with their 5-1 start, from the most optimistic loyalists to the most weathered skeptics. Even when they advanced to 4-1, they had a short week and were underdogs.