Throughout this season, the Philadelphia Eagles have been the proverbial underdogs as many analysts did not believe that they were a good football team. Despite losing second-year quarterback Carson Wentz in Week 14 the Eagles proved their doubters wrong and clinched the NFC’s number one seed behind veteran backup Nick Foles.
However, when the playoffs began, the doubters and oddsmakers came out and full force once again. Las Vegas pegged the Eagles as underdogs against the Atlanta Falcons in the divisional round and in the NFC championship game versus the Minnesota Vikings.
But just like they did all season, the Eagles proved everybody wrong outside of the city of Brotherly Love, defeating both Atlanta and Minnesota to make it all the way to Super Bowl 52.
On Monday night, Super Bowl 52 Opening night press conferences kicked off and the Eagles continued to carry the underdog moniker with pride.
Safety Malcolm Jenkins was one of the players asked about the team’s underdog mentality and gave this outstanding response:
“Everybody’s just starting to label us underdogs since we got in the postseason,” Jenkins said via NFL.com. “But to be honest, we felt like underdogs our entire lives and all season. Most of the guys who’ve come here have been cut, traded, or drafted too low, and everyone’s had a chip on their shoulders. Really, we’ve been given the short end of the stick the entire year.”
Jenkins makes a valid point as when the Eagles started off the season with one loss, many analysts were not giving them the proper respect that they deserved. Those analysts said that the Eagles did not play anybody on their schedule and would not prosper with Foles starting at quarterback.
Then not to mention, they had players such as second-year cornerback Jalen Mills, who was drafted in the seventh round, former first-round pick wide receiver Nelson Agholor going down as a bust, and the Dolphins trading away running back Jay Ajayi at the trade deadline. It’s all a recipe for potential success that the Eagles have fed off this season.
The Eagles have one more game on Sunday to prove the doubters wrong once again, which would truly be a storybook ending.
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