It’s Super Bowl week! For the second time in the last three years the Eagles and their fans can say that and prep for the biggest game of the season. While the week can cause a rollercoaster of emotions, this year’s matchup truly features the top two teams in their respective conferences. The AFC’s top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs are looking to make history by becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to three-peat.
Meanwhile, the Eagles, although the #2 seed, was arguably the best team throughout the course of the season in the NFC, are determined to wash away the sour taste that a majority of this roster still has from their 38-35 loss to the Chiefs just two years ago in Super Bowl LVII.
Yes, this is a rematch and there are similarities between this year’s meeting and when these two teams met two years ago to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Same head coaches, same quarterbacks, same fan bases who strive for championships. However, there are a handful of differences in this upcoming battle.
Eagles Have a Super Star Running Back
This is the most obvious, but it still needs to be stated. The Eagles made a legitimate game-changing upgrade at the running back position this season. Miles Sanders was the lead back two years ago and now the Eagles will rely on Saquon Barkley who should still receive MVP votes, but more than likely will win the AP Offensive Player of the Year Award.
The upgrade is significant and could very well determine if the Eagles win this time around. Barkley turned in a 2,000-yard season, has been sensational all season, including the playoffs and a reliable option for the Eagles. Sanders did not perform when the lights were the brightest two years ago. He fumbled on his opening carry and the Eagles essentially played the game without Sanders or any other running back providing a big contribution, having just 16 carries by a running back for the remainder of the game. Jalen Hurts led the team with 15 carries in the loss.
Another key facet in this matchup with Barkley is that the Chiefs are susceptible to giving up yardage to running backs, allowing 4.2 yards per carry this season. Barkley is averaging a career-best 5.8 yards per attempt this season and 117 per playoff game this season.
Now, under defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the Chiefs have not allowed a 100-yard rusher in the playoffs. However, they still have allowed backs to have success, especially this year. Houston’s Joe Mixon averaged 4.9 yards a carry and finished with 88 yards on 18 carries with a touchdown in the first round. Buffalo’s James Cook had even more success, gashing the Chiefs for 6.5 yards per carry and scored a pair of touchdowns while racking up 85 yards on 13 carries.
Barkley is better than both of those running backs.
Much Improved Secondary for Eagles
The Eagles had the most turnover on their roster on the defensive side of the football from their last Super Bowl appearance to this one. Just three returning starters were on the squad in 2022-23. The trio is CJ Gardner-Johnson, Darius Slay and Josh Sweat. The most noticeable upgrade on the defense is this secondary compared to what the Eagles had two years ago. In Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles had James Bradberry, who did play well that season before taking a nosedive in 2023, Avonte Maddox in the slot, Marcus Epps and Gardner-Johnson at safety.
This year, it’s been a clean sweep across the board in terms of upgrades. Quinyon Mitchell replacing Bradberry has been a major boost for the team as the rookie was one of the top corners in the league and a Defensive Player of the Year finalist. At the slot position, the Eagles went with another rookie in Cooper DeJean who has also been a huge upgrade over Maddox, who provides depth and plays special teams. Oh, DeJean also is a Defensive Player of the Year finalist.
Lastly, Reed Blankenship has been better than Marcus Epps. He plays the position well with a tenacity and nose for the football. Add in CJGJ who brings the edge and swagger to that group, it’s easy to see how this year’s secondary is a much-improved group that should not have a ton of trouble against this Chiefs wide receiving corps.
The Eagles Have Productive Linebackers
The Eagles had T.J. Edwards in Super Bowl LVII and he finished with the second-most tackles in the game with six. Edwards was solid for the Eagles, but this year, the linebacker play has been elevated thanks to Zack Baun and the combination of Nakobe Dean and now Oren Burks due to Dean’s season-ending injury.
Baun is an upgrade from Edwards with what he’s been able to bring to the table. He’s perfected the punchout of the football, forcing five fumbles in the regular season. The former Saint has been stellar in the playoffs, forcing a fumble and recovering two, while racking up 26 tackles over the three games, including 12 in the NFC Championship game. In addition, he ranks first among all linebackers in coverage grade (91.7) according to PFF. He will be looked upon to slow down Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce who had a quiet AFC Championship game, catching just two passes for 19 yards.
Lining up next to Baun will be Burks, who has turned a corner at the right time for the Eagles. After being thrusted into a starting role with Dean’s injury, all Burks has done has produce. Like Baun, Burks was a special teamer and never a full-time starter. Yet, as he gets ready to play in his second straight Super Bowl after playing with San Francisco last year, he will take the field as a starter in Super Bowl LIX.
Burks like this season, was thrown into the game after Dre Greenlaw suffered an Achilles injury but struggled mightily against the Chiefs, being targeted nine times and allowing all nine passes to be completed.
He has a chance to use that experience to his advantage but also has more run time heading into this Super Bowl as he has played significant snaps over the past month as a starter. In the playoffs has tallied 20 total tackles with a sack and two forced fumbles.
Coordinators with Little to No Distractions
Everyone knows the debacle involving Jonathan Gannon and his lack of focus leading up Super Bowl LVII with his interview with Arizona to become their next head coach. The former defensive coordinator publicly blamed himself for the Eagles losing saying, “Our players were prepped. I did not do a good enough job myself to put them in a position to make the play.” “I didn’t do a good enough job to get out of the call what I wanted out of the call. I didn’t give them the tools that they needed to win the down.”
This year, the Eagles are dealing with another coach closing in on taking his first ever head coaching job as offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is the expected favorite to fill the Saints’ vacancy. The good news for the Eagles is that Moore seemingly knows he has the inside track and already interviewed with the team.
According to NFL rules, Moore and the Saints can’t communicate until after the game is played. Now that’s not to say Moore won’t be possibly looking ahead to what his future might be being in what could be his new home city for the foreseeable in New Orleans, but the offense is coming off a historic 55-point performance in the NFC Championship game and it seems Moore is focused on the task at hand.
On the other side of the football, veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been a revelation for the Eagles. He deserves the most credit for how the defense has molded into one of the most dominant units in the league. He replaces Gannon and it’s a huge upgrade. Fangio brings an old-school mindset to a room of young bucks who have taken to the wily veteran as well as anyone could have expected.
It will be the toughest test for that young and hungry defense going up against Patrick Mahomes who seemingly turns into a magician when the game is on the line. However, expect the defense to be up for the task and to make a statement early like they have been throughout the entire playoffs.
Experience
Both teams certainly have experience playing in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs even more so, looking to accomplish the historic three-peat and playing in four of the last five Super Bowls. However, the Eagles also have added experience.
Lane Johnson mentioned how the team didn’t handle the longer halftime in the Super Bowl LVII all that well and resulted in a “meltdown” in the second half. Nick Sirianni said last week he kept notes on what he would do differently the next time he coached in the Super Bowl. A.J. Brown mentioned the pure chaos that comes with all the pageantry and fanfare the week leading up to the game itself.
A lot of key players and veterans on this team now know what is required to navigate through the hectic week to prepare for the game. That bodes very well for the Eagles as they shouldn’t be too overwhelmed this time around.
Hearing what the players are saying, they are certainly hungry and still angry about the way they lost to Kansas City two years ago. The Eagles’ slogan in the playoffs have been “Let’s Hunt”. The “Hungry Dogs” of 2017 got their fill, but the remaining players from the 2022 squad are still on their hunt to get the Lombardi Trophy that they narrowly missed out on two years ago.
Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images
