Barkley, Eagles have chance to achieve rare feat

""Being in this division for the last eight years, we know how tough it is, so to do something that hasn't been done in 20 years is pretty cool," said running back Saquon Barkley. "But that can't be the focus. Obviously, that's the goal. The focus has to be on the little things. We put ourselves in position to do it, now we have to go take advantage of it.""

""I think we're super close [to starting to play our best football] and that's important. Everyone gets caught up in how well teams are playing in the first five games, the first half of the season. None of that matters," Barkley said. "Obviously it does matter because you have to give yourself a chance to compete for the playoffs and compete to win your division, but if you look at some of those teams that were the guys or the teams halfway through the year, they're falling off. " It's a long season, it's hard. Everything that we want is still out in front of us and we can finish the season the way we want to.""

With a win against the Washington Commanders, the Philadelphia Eagles can become the first NFC East team since 2004 to win back-to-back division titles. Running back Saquon Barkley emphasized focusing on fundamentals and taking advantage of the team's current position. The defending champions have endured offensive turbulence but hold a 9-5 record while facing one of the league's toughest schedules and remain heavy favorites over the 6-7-1 Dallas Cowboys. Philadelphia's defense dominated a 31-0 win over the Raiders, allowing just 75 yards while the offense rushed for 183 yards and held possession nearly 40 minutes. Philadelphia is 2-2 versus NFC East opponents.

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