By Tom Brennan
Hard as it may be to believe, the Eagles somehow still have a shot to win the NFC East.
But they’ve got to start the turnaround Sunday in Green Bay.
The Eagles (3-7-1) trail the New York Giants and Washington by half a game in the division as they play the NFC North-leading Packers (8-3).
”Probably every team in the NFC East is going right now, ‘Hey, we control our own destiny,’ ” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said.
”We’re just trying to win another game. We’re trying to, at the end, be in first place in the NFC East. As crazy as that sounds, we’re right there in the mix.”
While the Eagles are fighting for their playoff lives, the Packers are breezing toward a second straight division title. They own a three-game lead over Chicago and Minnesota in the NFC North and are coming off a 41-25 victory over the Bears.
The Eagles won 34-27 at Green Bay last year, which marked the Packers’ only home loss during a season in which they went 13-3 and reached the NFC championship game.
That makes the Packers wary, regardless of the Eagles’ record.
”It’s our home,” Packers outside linebacker Preston Smith said. ”You never want nobody to come into your home and beat you and have their way.”
This isn’t the same Eagles team that won at Green Bay last year, though.
Quarterback Carson Wentz is struggling behind an offensive line that has gone through several different combinations this season. Even so, the Eagles still have a reliable defense and plenty of incentive.
”This team, it’s a resilient group,” Pederson said. ”They’ve battled. They play hard. We just have to eliminate mistakes – penalties, turnovers, try to keep guys healthy. It’s kind of what you want, right? It doesn’t matter how it looks, as long as you’re there in the end with an opportunity to win your division.”
