McCaffery

has become the air-quote hot-coordinator and because Howie Roseman made sure to keep adding weapons. But, well, they are 8-1 because their schedule broke nicely. Now what? “Staying in the moment,” Alshon Jeffery said. “Just keep working. Just stay focused. Just staying on top. This is the brotherhood. Just keeping everyone on track.”

If any team didn’t need to take time off after outscoring opponents, 128-57 over three games, it was the Eagles. That moment Jeffery mentioned? It’s over. The tease is behind. The test is next. That’s the jolting reality to the Eagles and their fans. But that should also be a welcome opportunity.

The worst thing about an 8-1 record is that critics will wonder about its validity. The best thing is that the chance remains to respond to every complaint.

If the Eagles are to continue to control their division, they will need only to fight off one possible contender. That will be the Cowboys, and they will play them twice in their last eight games, including Sunday night in Arlington.

And if the Eagles are to be hit with a challenge in the NFC, chances are strong it could come from Seattle or Los Angeles. They will make both stops on one early-December road trip. And did anyone forecast that reality, back when that schedule news broke?

The Rams have the potential to be a particular problem. Their last game was a 33-7 victory over Houston, and they are led by Jared Goff, the quarterback drafted one spot ahead of Wentz. At 7-2, they are basically the Eagles, but not quite as loud. Yet if form holds and the Eagles lose in L.A., then the whole season story changes. Suddenly, the Rams would be the NFC boss. Suddenly, Goff would be the favored, young quarterback. Suddenly, the Eagles will be questioned.

Though not their fault, the Birds have faced plenty of questionable quarterbacks, including fizzling Eli Manning, who can no longer play. But in their final seven games, they will play Dak Prescott twice, Goff and Russell Wilson. Derek Carr, of the Raiders, who will visit the Linc on Christmas, is capable, too.

The Eagles, not a particularly young team, have been good for the past few weeks at refusing to declare satisfaction. “They don’t give awards,” Jason Kelce said, “for that.”

They don’t. But they give awards to teams that start well, improve, and finish with a flourish. The Eagles have completed a third of that challenge already. That’s not enough. “We have to refocus coming off a break,” Doug Pederson said. “We have to get ourselves back to doing the things we did before the break. But the biggest thing is just, it’s a one-day-at-a-time message. It’s win today. Let’s just win today. Let’s get better today. And there’s two types of players, two types of coaches: Those that are getting better and those that aren’t.”

That was as close as any coach will come to acknowledging what the Eagles have run themselves into by winning eight of their first nine: That it is not necessarily an accurate gauge of their strength.

That’s coming. That’s coming soon. Four of the next five are on the road. The Cowboys, Sunday night. Challenges, backloaded.

That’s not to diminish the Eagles. That’s just to analyze the schedule. That’s just to analyze it when it matters. To contact Jack McCaffery, email him at jmccaffery@21stcenturymedia.com; follow him on Twitter @ JackMcCaffery