PHILADELPHIA – The new guys lost for the first time as Eagles. Losing is something they had seen too much of with their previous organizations, so it’s something they know a little bit about, like how a team responds, how a team practices coming out of a loss, what the mood is like, and more.
So, what did Jaelan Phillips and Michael Carter observe this week after Sunday’s crushing 24-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but still on course to lock down their ninth trip to the playoffs in the last 10 years?
“No flinch,” said Carter. “Everything is still in front of us, everything we want to accomplish, and that was good to see. Everybody is focused and ready to respond in a positive way.”
That may not always have been the case with the New York Jets, who last made the playoffs in 2010.
Carter got his first extended snaps since arriving on Nov. 3, playing 25 of them when Adoree Jackson left to be evaluated for a concussion and Cooper DeJean went from the slot to full-time corner. Now, he may be in position to start, or at least play another fistful of snaps.
**Michael Carter Is Prepared For Bigger Role**
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Eagles CB Michael Carter answers questions for the first time since being traded to the Eagles on Nov. 3. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on Si
“I felt really prepared,” he said about being thrust into action. “I feel like they prepared me. I’ve been in the late-night meetings, early morning meetings with CP (Christian Parker) and (Joe) Kasper, trying to figure things out and asking questions. Just us working together and figuring out a plan as far as, ‘OK, this is what I’m comfortable with,’ or, ‘This is what I’m kind of still thinking about or going through,’ so I felt going in whatever happened, I was ready to play.”
Phillips’ former team, the Dolphins, has had a little more success than the Jets with Carter since being drafted by Miami in 2021. They have been to the playoffs in back-to-back years but didn’t get out of the first round either time.
“It's been cool to kind of see kind of the ups and downs, and everybody remains steadfast and confident, nobody's losing hope or super dejected from the loss,” he said. “So, yeah, feel very comfortable.”
The Eagles will try to prevent their second two-game losing streak of the season against the Chicago Bears on Friday (3 p.m.).
"Yeah, it's been a really good response,” said Phillips. “Coaches say something like, there's reactions and responses. And so it's like, we're proactively responding to this by not letting this get us down or question ourselves or point fingers. …it's, like, no matter what happens in life or in football, you got to take lessons from it, and let that make you better and stronger, so that's what we're gonna do.”
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