Sometimes, there's no greater validation than the fear of your enemy.
For the Washington Commanders, everything is coming up rosy in the past week. Only days after reaching a deal on a new arena to be constructed at the RFK Stadium site, it was announced that the 2027 NFL Draft will be held on the National Mall in D.C.
This, of course, is all coming off the heels of a season in which Washington was the toast of the NFL, going 12-5 and reaching the NFC Championship game.
Philadelphia Eagles fans have taken notice, and they don't like it.
Insecurity is loud. One would think that after going 14-3 and winning the Super Bowl, Philly fans would be loving life. They should be.
Eagles fans are threatened by Commanders' return to the NFL's top table
They have a loaded roster at virtually every position. They made the Kansas City Chiefs, the back-to-back defending champions, look like they didn't even belong on the same football field. Good for them. Seriously. They earned it.
Instead, there is an extremely high amount of negative energy being sent Washington's way on their end. Why? Because they feel threatened by the Commanders.
They're worried that their run at the top is going to be short-lived. They're worried that one of the league's doormats for the past quarter of a century will knock them off their throne from within their division.
Last season, the Eagles only lost one game after September. That was in Week 16 against the Commanders, when Jayden Daniels completed a masterful game-winning drive and found Jamison Crowder in the end zone on the final play from scrimmage.
It's worth noting that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts missed the majority of the action that day with a concussion. Nonetheless, the Commanders accomplished enough to make their presence felt.
The same can be said about the NFC Championship game. Though Washington ultimately lost, this was a winnable game well into the second half. The Commanders had the ball driving at midfield late in the third quarter with a chance to climb within one possession, but their third fumble ended any comeback hopes.
Washington accomplished this with a roster that was not built to make the playoffs, let alone compete for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. Eagles fans have to know that their team is currently maxing out its potential, while the Commanders only have all the more room to get better. That thought scares them.
More than anything, what eats at them is that the Commanders can no longer be their punching bag. Gone are the days when FedEx Field would turn into Lincoln Financial Field South when the Eagles were in town. Gone are the days when Washington was where former Philadelphia quarterbacks went to die. After years of being helplessly pushed around by the bullies, D.C. is pushing back.
And bullies don't like it when you push them back.
For some people, their success isn't enough to make them happy — others must also suffer. The fact that Washington is returning to its place as a premier NFL franchise both on and off the field is enough to send Eagles fans squirming into the fetal position.
That should be the ultimate vindication of the direction the Commanders are headed.