Living On The Edge: Eagles Are Playing With Fire

PHILADELPHIA - The Eagles have turned winning into an art form, but the joys of victory don’t come without the scars of the struggle.

A drained Nick Sirianni was Exhibit No. 1 for that thesis when the Eagles ' head coach arrived at his post-game press conference after a heart-racing 33-26 comeback win over the Los Angeles Rams, looking like a President in his second term.

The payment book for living on the edge took a balloon disbursement on Sunday before an 18-mile-per-hour sprint after a blocked field goal from 330-pound nose tackle Jordan Davis, satiated perhaps the most demanding fan base in the country for one more week.

The prize for keeping the trains running on time is the heat and humidity of Tampa in what has been a house of horrors for the Eagles: Raymond James Stadium.

“It’s an emotional game,” Sirianni admitted after the walk-off win fueled by the sudden change of almost certain defeat being traded for the ecstasy you can’t buy at a nightclub. “What I said to the guys today, and I’m sure you guys will ask this question, is it’s an emotional game. You can tell by our faces after the game how emotional it can be, but we have to keep our emotions in check.”

Quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has now gone a full NFL season of 17 games without losing a game he starts and finishes, wasn't proud but praised the perseverance.

“I know we're going to point the fingers and point our attention to what's going on on the offensive side of the ball, but we won the game. We were gritty in the game,” Hurts said. “We stayed together as a team. We did not quit. Nobody gave up in competitive sports.

“That's what it's about, and I'm very proud of that. I'm not proud of how we started the game; I'm not proud of the flow in which we played the execution and the focus that we had earlier in the game. I am proud of everybody not giving up, and everybody being determined to find a way to win the game.”

Can the historic winning continue to such a small margin of error?

Margin Of Error

The foundation of the Eagles’ 3-0 start is built on the framework of drops by CeeDee Lamb and Travis Kelce, coupled with the fourth-quarter blocked field goals of Jalen Carter and Davis on Sunday.

That’s not exactly the security blanket of tough defense and the running game.

“We talk an awful lot about mental toughness and relentless effort, and there's something dangerous about a team that just doesn't stop coming after you regardless of the circumstances,” Sirianni said. “We got the win today on that, but I was proud of the guys that they just kept fighting.

"I'd have been proud of them if they made that last field goal as well that they just kept fighting. Obviously, this is a better feeling, but we've got a lot to clean up.”

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