Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is OK with being the underdog.
That’s the case for the Eagles as they prepare to face the 49ers on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, and Sirianni believes the City of Brotherly Love has a penchant for catering to sports figures — both real and fictional — with the odds stacked against them.
“Again, not going to get wrapped into what anybody else thinks of us, whether that’s another team, whether that’s whoever makes the spreads, or anything like that,” Sirianni told reporters Wednesday. “We just worry about going to work for ourselves. I think going into the last year and the year before, no one really thought we would be any good. I think it’s OK to be the underdog.
“I said on the radio the other day, before I ever stepped foot in the city, all I knew about this city was Rocky versus Apollo Creed, and the city plays the underdog well.”
The Eagles currently are 3-point underdogs against the 49ers, according to odds provided by PointsBet. Those who have seen the “Rocky” movies, which take place in Philadelphia, know Rocky Balboa also was the underdog against fellow boxer Apollo Creed, and faced 5-1 odds to beat the antagonist in “Rocky II.”
Of course, Balboa and Creed went to find themselves evenly matched — and even become friends. Could a budding rivalry between the 49ers and Eagles turn into mutual respect across divisional lines?
Doubtful, based on some of the trash talk thus far, but 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan agrees with Sirianni on at least one thing. They don’t pay attention to the odds.
“I mean, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I don’t really know how that stuff works,” Shanahan told reporters Wednesday when asked if being the favorites bothers him. “So, I don’t really know why. It is random.”
No matter the odds, both teams certainly will give it their all Sunday as each looks to prove they’re the NFC’s best team.
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