For The Eagles, It's Business As Usual
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Eagles are one win away from the Super Bowl. For the players, it's another day at the office.
The Eagles will host the Vikings Sunday at the Linc in the NFC Championship game. Doug Pederson's squad will look to advance to the third Super Bowl in the history of the franchise while preventing Minnesota from playing the Super Bowl in its own stadium.
The hype is in full force in the Delaware Valley and the media attention is growing by the day. For Guard Brandon Brooks and the rest of his teammates, it's simply another step in the process.
"We're 60 minutes from an opportunity to win it all," said Brooks. "It feels good to put ourselves in this position but obviously, we're not looking past this week. We're 60 minutes away but at the same time, we've got to win those 60 minutes in order to get there. That's what we're focused on."
Part of the reason for the players' focus is the message from the coaching staff throughout the season. Doug Pederson and his assistants have talked about "staying in the moment" which is a big reason why the Eagles finished the regular season at 13-3.
That tunnel vision continues in the playoffs for the Eagles and Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz says Sunday's game is simply another hurdle to clear to reach the ultimate goal.
"It's the next game for us to play," Schwartz said. "I think that our guys do a good job of keeping it right there. I think that we talked a lot last week about it's still a game and everything's still the same as a regular-season game. You've still got the same thing. You want to try to score more points than you give up."
It will be a difficult hurdle for the Eagles to clear. Minnesota also finished at 13-3 and the Vikings have the top-ranked defense in the NFL.
For Offensive Coordinator Frank Reich, the challenge will be to find a way to give Nick Foles time to throw the football against the fierce Minnesota pass rush while also finding the right scheme to open holes for his running backs.
"I think they are the best defense we've faced this year," said Reich. "I think one of the reasons why is they can get pressure with four and cover with seven. Any time you can get pressure with four and cover with seven, that's kind of been the key to our defensive success. That's a winning formula. That's been a proven winning formula for a long time, so I think this week is a good test of that."
If the Eagles are victorious on Sunday, their next step will be the last. A trip to the Super Bowl would leave the Eagles one win away from ending a 57-year championship drought.
However, the Eagles are wise not to look ahead. Minnesota is perhaps the best team the Eagles will face at this point of the season. Second year Cornerback Jalen Mills has already proven he can handle the pressure of the playoffs with a strong performance last week against the Falcons.
For Mills and his teammates, the Vikings are simply the next assignment.
"It's always going to be that much tighter," Mills said. "But the grass is still green and the numbers on the hashes are still the same. The ball is the same size. It's just another game. You just go out there and be yourself."