The Philadelphia Eagles finished the 2017 season with the top seed in the NFC. While most of the team and staff used the bye week to prepare for the playoffs, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz interviewed for a potential head coaching gig with the Arizona Cardinals.
Schwartz was also expected to visit with the New York Giants over the weekend. However, it seems he is now fully locked in for Philly's matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, according to Zach Berman of phillynews.com
“I think it’s not fair to our players . . . to talk about anything else,” Schwartz said. “I think that’s the respect that that game has from my point of view.”
Despite receiving several questions regarding his meeting with the Giants, Schwartz reiterated that his time off was mostly spent game-planning for the Falcons.
“There was no balancing. We have enough work here,” Schwartz said when asked if he had a balancing act while interviewing last week.
Schwartz's adamancy comes as no surprise considering the task currently at hand. Despite claiming the top seed, Philadelphia enters their matchup with the reigning NFC champs as underdogs due to Carson Wentz' season-ending injury and the recent struggles of backup quarterback Nick Foles.
With the offense currently in a state of flux, the Eagles will rely heavily on their defense against the high-powered Falcons. Needless to say, Schwartz will have his hands full dealing with reigning MVP Matt Ryan as well as star wide receiver Julio Jones.
In wake of the doubts, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox has already expressed the team's extra motivation going into this game after essentially being written off with the injury to Wentz.
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