Pederson: No one's given Eagles a chance

While the Philadelphia Eagles entered the 2018 season as defending Super Bowl champions, head coach Doug Pederson believes they're somehow sitting under the radar.

Philadelphia slumped to a 3-4 record following Sunday's loss to the Carolina Panthers and trails the Washington Redskins for the NFC East lead.

After Sunday's game, Pederson suggested his team's been discounted despite its pedigree.

"I think no one has really given us a chance anyway," Pederson said, according to ESPN's Tim McManus. "Whether we're putting pressure on ourselves to perform, to play, whatever it is, live up to a certain expectation, I think that's the point where I think that no one has given us that type of - maybe with the amount of injuries or whatever it is - given us much credit going into games.

"And I think sometimes we force issues. We try to press just a little bit ... When the plays come, let's just make the plays that come to us, and right now, we're not doing that. So I think that's the pressure that's off of us, and we just have to get back to playing and executing better."

Although the Eagles surprised the football world by taking down the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, they were the favorites to win their division entering this season.

With nine games remaining, Pederson believes the Eagles are no longer dealing with the expectations that usually surround defending champions.

"Nobody on the outside world is giving us a chance to do much of anything," Pederson said. "Pressure's off, so we can go play, have fun, relax."