From Friday’s media availability, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni:

Q. Are trap games real? Would this one qualify? And if so, how do you guard against it?(Tim McManus)

NICK SIRIANNI: No, I don’t really believe that, because if your preparation is the same each and every week, it doesn’t really matter. We all understand this, that everybody in this league can play. Everybody in this league, if you’re not on your game, can beat you.

We know about this team that we’re playing, whether their record is what it is, but they have been in every single game. I was watching the four-minute tape yesterday. We’re game planning four minute. It was just game after game after game after game, like there is another one-score game. Because sometimes when you watch it, sometimes you don’t watch games until the end of the week; you watch cut-ups.

So, when I’m watching these cut-ups you don’t realize how close all these games have been. You see it on tape. You see, hey, this is a good team. They have players at every level. They have offense, they have defense, I know they’re well coached, so they’ve been in every game.

But as far as a trap game, that doesn’t exist in the NFL. You have to be on your game every single week or it doesn’t matter. You can lay an egg if you’re not on top of your stuff.

Jalen Hurts also mentioned that the Bears, who are 3-10, have played a lot of close games. In the span of three November weeks, they lost to Miami, Detroit, and Atlanta by less than a field goal each time. They were competitive against the Giants and Commanders as well, and didn’t exactly get blown out of the water.

That said, this Chicago team absolutely stinks. They’re ass. Just limit the rushing damage from Justin Fields and the Birds should be good. Philly is a nine-point favorite for a reason. They’ll take care of business in workmanlike fashion, as usual, then it’s Dallas.

I really do believe that. These guys are stoic as shit and they echo the sentiments of their coach and quarterback. “One week at a time” or “any given Sunday” are typically boring platitudes, but I do believe the Eagles hammer home this philosophy and adhere to it strictly. They’re just built different than past Birds teams. There’s very little that seems to shake these guys mentally, and that’s something you can’t understate.