With unbeaten record intact, HC Nick Sirianni says Eagles still challenging themselves to get better

PHILADELPHIA -- Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is all about embracing challenges, so following the biggest win of his young career -- a 26-17 defeat of the rival Cowboys on Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field -- he wasn't about to back down when asked to perform the famous handshake from one of his favorite childhood shows, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Sirianni had just returned to a largely empty locker room, and there in the middle of it was DJ Jazzy Jeff, a character from the 1990s sitcom. It was debatable who was more excited to meet the other, and after a few minutes, someone asked the second-year coach if he could do the handshake that Jeff and Will Smith regularly shared.

Hesitating only long enough for onlookers to set their phones to record, Sirianni slapped right hands with Jeff, then in one motion leaned back and threw up a hitch-hike gesture. It was a cool ending to a memorable evening for Sirianni, whose team showed the playmaking and resolve that speak to its stature as the NFL's only undefeated outfit, at 6-0.

After surrendering 17 consecutive points to nearly squander an early 20-point lead, the Eagles put together a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter that removed any remaining suspense. The performance, in many ways, highlighted the resiliency a team staffer spoke about before kickoff, when he said the club was built for the moment of a prime-time national game against a bitter NFC East rival who was seeking to move into a first-place tie atop the division.

Yes, the Eagles were undefeated, but they were not untested. Three of their first five games had been decided by one possession, including two by field goals. So when Dallas (4-2) made a game of it early in the fourth quarter, after looking like it would be run out of the stadium early, Philadelphia barely blinked.

Like their young quarterback, Jalen Hurts, the Eagles calmly took over at their 25-yard line and converted on three consecutive third downs to set up a 7-yard touchdown pass from Hurts to DeVonta Smith. Then, fittingly, the defense ended any threat with its third interception of the night and second for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

"I think being 2-5 (to start last season) did a lot for this team," Sirianni said in the privacy of his office, his mom at his side and his dad across the room. "Not everybody was involved with that 2-5, I get it, but a big part of the meat and potatoes of this team was involved in that, and they just kept coming to work. All we wanted to do was improve daily, and get better, and get better, and get better. You do that by practicing harder. The best teams that I've been on have the common denominator that they practice hard, they walk-through hard, they meet hard; then you get this trajectory of where you're building and building and building."