Eagles Playing Best Football of Season as Finish Line Nears

Playing well in December has its roots in August's training camp and in the attention to detail preached by Nick Sirianni

PHILADELPHIA – The finish line is in sight and based on their last two games, it looks the Eagles have hit the accelerator.

They are playing their best football.

Granted, they have been playing well most of the season, with perhaps the only two exceptions being the game they stole in the fourth quarter in Indianapolis and the one they lost at home to Washington.

These last two games, though, have been about as well as they have played, blowing out the Titans and then the Giants.

“I feel like toward the end of the year and going to the postseason, that’s when you always want to be playing your best ball,” said Eagles linebacker Kyzir White. “You don’t really see good teams playing their best ball at the beginning of the season.

"If you’re playing your very best ball at the beginning of the season something’s probably not right. I feel like we’re definitely peaking at the right time, and we just want to keep taking this thing up and up.”

The Eagles (12-1) play the Bears on Sunday (1 p.m./FOX), and it’s difficult to see a path to victory for a 3-10 team.

Not with the way the Eagles seem to be hitting an extra gear as December grows older.

“I think it’s more taking it step by step and just enjoying the journey and taking it day by day and not cutting any corners,” said White. “You just have to keep going through the process. We definitely want to finish to the finish line but you have to take the proper steps in order to get there.”

Playing as well as they have these past two weeks isn’t something that just happened.

Cornerback and captain Darius Slay said it dates back to training camp.

Remember the angst among fans and media that practices were too soft?

Well, this season should put that notion to rest for good.

“Everybody isn’t going to be their best from Week 1, but we’ve been able to sustain that level and that’s a shoutout to the staff,” said Slay. “They do a great job of taking care of our bodies.

“It pays off in the long run. It’s a long season, man. It’s a lot of beating going on. Coaches do a great job. Whoever they’re talking to, continue to keep talking to them; everybody in the league should be talking to those people.”

Nick Sirianni, who doesn’t seem to be getting enough credit nationally for the job he has done with this team, gets credit from those inside the locker room.

“I have to give credit to coach Nick Sirianni,” said RB Miles Sanders, who has 1,068 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. “He’s changed this whole culture. We followed it and we embraced it and it’s working in all aspects.

“We’re just simplifying it and keeping everything the main thing and coming in here to get better each and every day. It sounds corny and simple, but that’s how simple we keep it as long as we try to get better every day and let Sunday take care of itself.

“We have four games so trying to finish strong, win the division, and get that first-round bye weekend. That’s pretty much what’s on our minds right now.”

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.