'Benchmark Games For Us': Gut-Check Time For Eagles As They Embark On 3-Week Road Trip
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Philadelphia Eagles are prepping for a tough stretch of their schedule as they hit the road for three straight games where, so far this year, they have a 1-1 record. The next three weeks are a real gut-check for the Eagles as they play at the Minnesota Vikings, at the Dallas Cowboys and at the Buffalo Bills.
"You know this is the start of that run you're talking about for us. If you want to get where you want to get to at the end of the year, these are the games that are benchmark games for us," Eagles head coach Doug Pederson told reporters.
"These next four weeks is basically going to define this team and define this locker room. There is a time that we always come together and we know what we got ahead of us. Right now, the main thing is to focus on the game on Sunday," defensive tackle Fletcher Cox said.
"I think if you're focused on three games ahead or some road trip you're fired up for, you're losing track of what's important," center Jason Kelce added.
Two of these games take place in a dome. The Birds lost their only dome game this year against the Atlanta Falcons.
But Pederson says a strength of this team is its ability to communicate and crowd noise will not dictate quarterback Carson Wentz's autonomy at the line of scrimmage.
"I feel confident dropping back and going through the progressions quickly. I feel confident in that the guys we have and that they'll be where they need to be and I'll be on time," says Wentz.
Pederson was asked if he feels any sense of nostalgia heading back to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota, where the Birds won their first Super Bowl two years ago.
He said simply "no."
