The Philadelphia Eagles let the dogs out after their NFC divisional-round victory Saturday.
The Eagles, who were the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, were still rated as three-point underdogs in their game against sixth-seeded Atlanta, ESPN reported. So, after Philadelphia held on for a 15-10 victory, the dog masks came out.
Defensive end Chris Long and right tackle Lane Johnson, poking fun at the fact that the Eagles were the first top-seeded team to be an underdog in its first postseason game, had bought German shepherd masks earlier in the week. After a final goal-line stand that probably left the Eagles panting in anxiety, a relieved Long and Johnson donned their masks as Philadelphia advanced to the NFC Championship Game.
“Me and Chris Long were talking (at lunch), and everybody's calling us underdogs, so hey, let's go get us a dog mask,” Johnson said. “That's what we did.”
The Eagles will host next week’s conference title game against the winner of Sunday’s contest between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings. Even though the Eagles have home-field advantage, it is likely they will be underdogs as they try to advance to their third Super Bowl in franchise history, ESPN reported. The Eagles lost in their two other appearances, falling to the Oakland Raiders 27-10 in Super Bowl XV and losing 24-21 to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX.
“I would imagine we're probably not going to be favored next week, either,” Johnson said. “At this point in the season, it really don't matter; it's anybody's game.”
