Heading into the Philadelphia Eagles’ Wild Card matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, the legendary quarterback Tom Brady assessed the home team after what many would view as a roller coaster of a year.
Looking to repeat as Super Bowl Champions, the Eagles had it far from easy.
The offense was off, the coaches were often criticized, and the drama reached new heights with this unit as the season started going sideways.
“It’s a tough city. It's a hard-nosed city. The fans, they expect a lot every year,” Tom Brady said of Eagles fans on NFL on FOX.
Brady, a former member of the New England Patriots dynasty, knows the kind of pressure that gets placed on a team that has several Super Bowl appearances within a decade. The expectations are high, and winning every matchup seems like a must.
“The reality NFL is you don't win every game,” Brady said. “The competition is really tough.”
But it’s not just about the level of competition going against the Eagles in Brady’s eyes. It’s about meeting personal expectations after anomalies. Saquon Barkley did something that not many running backs do by rushing for over 2,000 yards.
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AJ Brown is a No. 1 wide receiver who has to share the field with DeVonta Smith, who could serve as a No. 1 target for many other teams in the league. Everybody eats over time, but it’s not always going to be perfect. There was a lot of negative noise surrounding the offense that certainly struggled, but Brady isn’t convinced the Eagles are much weaker than they were one year ago when they won it all.
“The Eagles, they still got a great football team. If their drama and they're sitting in the position they're in, I'm sure Coach Sirianni would take the drama every single week the way that he ends up approaching his management of the team. But I think they are as dangerous as a playoff team as there is alive right now.”
The 49ers are coming off an impressive season and are looking to get revenge for their playoff loss against the Eagles a few years back. While there is little confidence in the Eagles’ offense heading into the playoffs, Brady’s assessment proves they are still a major threat, whether they are in the midst of record-breaking seasons or not.
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