It's on: Doug Pederson says Eagles will win vs. Dallas on Sunday
The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are currently tied atop the NFC East standings with modest 3-3 records.
How they got to that mark differs: Philadelphia slid back to .500 after wins in Weeks 4 and 5 with Sunday’s 38-20 loss in Minnesota, while the Cowboys have lost three straight, including a 24-22 disappointment against the previously winless New York Jets.
Sole possession of the division lead is on the line, and Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson is ready to revive the NFC East bad blood-type rivalries of years past.
‘We’re gonna win that football game’
On Monday, Pederson was a guest on Philadelphia radio station WIP and predicted victory for his team.
“I know the sky’s falling outside; it’s falling, and I get that. And the fans are reeling just a little bit,” Pederson said. “But we’re going down to Dallas and our guys are going to be ready to play and we’re going to win that football game, and when we do we’re in first place in the NFC East, we control our own destiny, we’re right where we need to be.
“Has it been perfect or beautiful or all that? No. But all we’ve gotta do is try to be 1-0 this week, beat the Dallas Cowboys and we’re in first place. And listen: they’re reeling too, they’re struggling too, they’ve dropped their last three games. So this will be an exciting football game.”
When the host noted that Pederson sounded very confident, Pederson said, “I have to be. I am. I see — when I watch the tape and I put the tape on and I go, ‘OK, there’s coachable moments and there’s teachable moments on the tape that we can get better at as an offense and a defense and I’m also optimistic that some of the injured players in the secondary will make a return this week and we’ll see. But I’ve got to stay positive, not just for me but for the guys in the locker room.”
‘I didn’t guarantee a win’
But just a couple of hours later, Pederson backtracked.
Meeting with Philadelphia media, he said he didn’t guarantee a win but rather was just expressing a belief in his squad.
“As the head football coach, I’m going to stand here and show confidence in my football team because that’s what I have. I have confidence in my football team,” Pederson said.
Just own it, Doug! Players will love that you have their backs.
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