The Eagles entered play Monday evening with an 8-0 record — the lone NFL team without a loss — and ostensibly holding a two-game edge over the one-loss Vikings in the NFC by virtue of a head-to-head win earlier this year.
A Vikings fan looking for a pessimistic narrative even amid an 8-1 start could mutter, "Yeah, well now that the NFL has seven playoff teams in each conference and just one bye, the Vikings are going to have to win three playoff games because there's not much chance of catching the Eagles."
By the end of Monday, though, the narrative had changed.