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The Philadelphia Eagles are getting no respect.
Despite finishing as the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Eagles are heading into Saturday’s Divisional Round game against the No. 6 seed Falcons as underdogs. It’s the first time in NFL playoffs history that a No. 1 seed isn’t favored to win.
The lack of respect for the Eagles is also apparent in the updated Super Bowl 52 odds.
The Eagles began the 2018 NFL Playoffs tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the fifth best Super Bowl odds at 10/1. Now that Wild Card weekend is over, the Eagles’ odds have dropped to 14/1, which puts them sixth out of the remaining eight teams. Only the Jaguars and Titans have longer odds.
Odds to Win Super Bowl 52
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) January 8, 2018
1) Patriots 2/1
2) Vikings 15/4
3) Steelers 5/1
4) Saints 11/2
5) Falcons 7/1
6) Eagles 14/1
7) Jaguars 18/1
8) Titans 50/1
Now, it’s obvious why the Eagles aren’t getting more respect. Carson Wentz is injured and the Eagles are starting Nick Foles, who struggled in his final regular two season games, at quarterback. It’s not completely unreasonable for people to be skeptical about Philly’s chances.
With that said, this kind of public doubt could serve this team well. The Eagles are in a very rare spot where no one believes in them despite the fact they have home field advantage. It’s up to the coaching staff and the team to truly foster an “us against the word” mentality.
That mindset alone won’t win the Eagles a playoff game. It won’t get them to the Super Bowl. But Philadelphia is in a spot where they need any extra edge they can get. It’s time for this team to use that extra motivation to prove their doubters wrong.