The Philadelphia Eagles put another check in the win column as they took care of business at home versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, 35-13. It was an electric home game coming off of a bye week as Philly fans are riding the high of the Phillies and Union having dominating postseasons.

Now, it’s Houston Hate Week.

Long story short – the Eagles were just the better team in all aspects of the game on Sunday against the Steelers. Instead, let’s talk about how we got here.

Once upon a time, it began on a warm day during training camp.

The Eagles had a lot of improvements that the fans got to see during that time. Of course, we saw our backups make improvements and provide some promise at depth to the QB room. 

Not to mention, we got to see some much-needed defense that everyone was excited for – Georgia powerhouse duo Nakobe Dean and Jordan Davis, as well as the return of Brandon Graham.

Off the field, the Eagles coaching staff got a makeover. Alex Tanney, who can attribute to the success Jalen Hurts is having this season, was promoted in the offseason. 

Last season, we saw the Eagles struggle a lot with the red zone, which is something they spent training camp focusing on and improving. There were hiccups along the way, especially with a few players early on in COVID protocols. Accountability and putting in the work made the team successful.

Since it was summer, of course, the team prioritized the health and safety of its players.

Walkthroughs helped keep the injuries to a minimum. Last season, 30 players were injured on the team at some point. This season, the team hasn’t hit nearly close to that number yet.

Then, preseason came around. The Eagles won one of the three preseason games, and it ended up not needing to be nearly as overanalyzed as it was.

They lost to the Jets in a literal last-minute touchdown.

They won against the Browns.

I even found myself getting annoyed early after not watching the third preseason game.

Regardless, none of that mattered when Week 1 came against the Lions whom everyone expected to be good (and they were.)

After last season versus the Lions, we thought this would be a blowout again. 

It was not. 

Yes, the Eagles won, but the Lions put up points and played equally well on offense. Gannon’s first and last game this season was spent not blitzing. So glad we don’t have those conversations anymore.

The Eagles-Commanders were a GREAT game – thus beginning the Eagles Revenge Ex Tour. Defense got to former Eagles quarterback, Carson Wentz, and the rest is history.

We move on to the Vikings – a game that gave me sheer anxiety. I would count this as a revenge game, but Reagor wasn’t on the Vikings that long before for it to count. It felt more like revenge versus Justin Jefferson following some premature crap-talking.

Honestly, it was such a breeze game. Defense, especially Darius “Big Play” Slay showed up big with a back-to-back deflection and interception in the red zone. This was a game won in the trenches, something that’s going to continue being huge for the eagles as the season progresses.

Sitting at 3-0, I was starting to buy into the hype of the Eagles 2.0. At this point, the Eagles were not clear NFC favorites – yet – but the conversation started.

Then we continued the Eagles Revenge Ex Tour, starting with Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

It was not a pretty win, but it was a win. The Eagles got exposed a little (thanks Doug) but also took advantage of some of the Jaguars’ weaknesses (thanks Doug).

Then, began Cardinals Hate Week. Why? Because the Phillies made the playoffs and faced the St. Louis Cardinals the same time the Eagles would play the Arizona Cardinals.

Again, not the prettiest win but the defense did all the things. Takeaways. Turnovers. Did it all. Also, it was a great day for Miles Sanders and Dallas Goedert, two guys who I was happy to see have success.

Now at this point, the Eagles were the nationally loved team – even though just a season ago (and two seasons ago) they weren’t so liked. This posed a question: would the media still love the Eagles after the loss? Or, would they resort to the Cowboys as an NFC East favorite?

We haven’t reached that point yet, so, it’s whatever.

Then, before the much-needed bye week, the Eagles’ biggest test of the season thus far came against the Dallas Cowboys. When Dak Prescott went down with an injury, Cooper Rush stepped up big – going undefeated until facing the Eagles.

There were some issues with this game, only because some players went down for the Eagles which depleted the offensive line. However, the Eagles pulled out a win. 

That leads us to the game against the Steelers, where the Eagles picked up right where they left off – if not better. A.J. Brown, an absolutely amazing offseason addition, had three touchdowns on the day and still wasn’t satisfied. Toward the end of the game, the starters were even pulled just to rest for the short week.

And now, it’s Houston Hate Week.

That’s right. Phillies versus Astros in Games 3, 4, and 5 of the World Series and Eagles versus Texans in primetime (and locally shown thanks to the Game 3 rain delay).