As the Eagles prepare to face the Patriots in Super Bowl 52, they're focused on just one thing — themselves.
Coach Doug Pederson said Thursday if his team starts to think about the championship legacy created by its Super Bowl opponent, then the Eagles are in trouble.
"These guys have been there. They've done it. They've proven it time and time again," Pederson said of the Patriots, who are the defending Super Bowl champions and have won five championships since 2001. "My biggest focus with the team is, 'Let's just focus on today. Let's just win today. Let's get better today,' and we'll worry about that when we get to the game.
"Obviously, it's a credit to what the Patriots have done and their careers and their history, and everybody is trying to win championships like that, but we've just got to focus on today."
Watch now as #Eagles head coach Doug Pederson meets with the media. https://t.co/jvCT367tJm
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 25, 2018
The Eagles (15-3) and Patriots (15-3) were the top seeds in each conference, marking the fourth time in the last five seasons the No. 1 seeds have reached the Super Bowl. The Patriots are in the Super Bowl for the third time in four years.
"You know what? If I make this all about them, we're in trouble," Pederson said. "Honestly, we're in trouble. Everything's going to be written about it — everything has been written about it — talked about it, debated, and it's about us. I'll keep saying that. It's about what we do and how well we execute, and I can't worry about that."
Although the Eagles rolled to a 38-7 win over the Vikings in the NFC championship game, Pederson said no lead is safe against the Patriots. He cited the AFC championship game, when the Jaguars jumped out to a 14-3 lead and held a 20-10 advantage in the fourth quarter. Pederson said he has to ensure that his team remains "smart and aggressive" against Bill Belichick's team.
"Here's a team that gets down in a game early, and there's no panic," Pederson said of the Patriots. "They just stay the course. They execute their game plan. Defense is creating turnovers. They're getting three-and-outs, they're getting the ball back to their offense, and that's what they're doing.
"It's just an efficient group. That's why it's important for us that we make sure that we continue to detail what we do in practice, we execute our game plan, guys are focused that way, and you just can't get caught up in what they do. It's more about what we do in this game."