The Eagles have won their second Lombardi Trophy!
This season was a perfect storm of new coordinators, the signing of an all-world free agent RB, a fantastic draft, coupled with a change of philosophy to start and play the rookies, and a masterful job of coaching at every level. The Head Coach to the position coaches. The cohesion and culture HC Nick Sirianni brough to the organization was discounted by outsiders, but it is his greatest triumph and the result is a World Championship.
The Eagles had the better roster and outcoached the Chiefs on the biggest stage. I never understood why the Eagles were underdogs. They have more talent and were improving every week this postseason. They were coming off a blowout win versus the Commanders in the NFCCG, and I expected the same versus the Chiefs. They delivered.
Philadelphia’s defense was the best in the league during the regular season and postseason. On the offensive side, their run game was virtually unstoppable. This postseason, the Birds rushed for 817 yards, an NFL record and a testament to their dominance. They also scored 145 points in a single postseason, which is also an NFL record. When the team needed a big 3rd or 4th down conversion play through the air, they delivered. This is the greatest Eagles team of all time, and the celebration matched the triumph!
The locker room was one of the most joyous celebrations ever. There was beer, champagne, and Nolan Smith was popping bottles, while Saquon was shotgunning a beer. This was not just business, this was a family celebrating together. You could see the love, togetherness, emotion, and joy the players and coaches had for themselves, but more importantly, one another.
Jalen Hurts stated the attitude of the Eagles perfectly after their big win!
“When it’s all set and done for me, I won’t measure my success off of any number or statistics. I measure it off of rings and championships.” (Via GMFB)
This team is set up for a run to compete for many more.
Eagles Offense:
The best two offensive gameplans of the season were deployed in the two biggest games. Jalen read the defense perfectly, and the offense had a scheme and play dialed up for every look. Kellen Moore cooked in his new home stadium.
Jalen Hurts played a near-perfect game and became the first QB in NFL history to lose an SB to a team and come back to beat them in a rematch. Jalen was 17 of 22 for 221 passing yards and two touchdowns. He posted his 3rd highest completion percentage of the season at 77.3 percent. Jalen added another TD on the ground and 72 yards, which broke the record for most rushing yards in a Super Bowl game by a QB. His scrambles were drive extenders for the Eagles’ offense and backbreakers for the Chiefs.
His six postseason wins at 26 years old are impressive. He has been the best player on the field in both Super Bowls he has been in, and Hurts has outplayed Patrick Mahomes all 3 times they have faced one another. Jalen Hurts is on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
Saquon Barkley was the focal point of the KC defensive gameplan and their desire to force Jalen Hurts to beat them. Saquon kept pounding the rock to keep the Chiefs in that defensive alignment and then put on a clinic of how to play pass pro as an RB. He drilled players all night long to keep Jalen Hurts’s jersey clean. Saquon is the ultimate professional, and even on a night when the opposition sold out to try and take him out of the game, he found a way to make a huge difference! He finished with six receptions for 40 yards and added 57 more on the ground.
AJ Brown scored a touchdown to make the score 24–0 and finished with three receptions for 43 yards and a 1 Lebron James silencer celebration.
DeVonta Smith became just the 5th player to win the Heisman, a National Championship, and a Super Bowl. He also continued his onslaught of Chief DBs with another touchdown versus them with 4 catches for 69 yards in the Ceasars Superdome.
Jahan Dotson scored a touchdown versus the Packers in the Wild Card round and came a yard short of doing it again in the Super Bowl. The 3rd round investment proved his worth this postseason and showed what he can do when he is part of the gameplan.
“It is everything I ever dreamed of, it it everything I came here to get”
Dallas Goedert hauled in a nice deep crossing route that started the offense. He was also elite in run and pass blocking. Goedert has made a difference for the offense since returning from injury and has shown everyone his value.
Cam Jurgens, who had missed a large portion of the NFCCG, played well in the Super Bowl. The entire offensive line had to adjust the last 2 games due to injuries, and they all performed admirably.
Landon Dickerson missed most of the second half of the Championship game and came back in the SB playing as if he never missed a snap. A true testament to their dedication and conditioning.
Lane Johnson is a 2-time Super Bowl champion and has no desire to stop there. He acknowledged he has a lot more football left to play, and he is still the best RT in the NFL.
Jordan Mailata became the first Australian to start and win an NFL Super Bowl. The all-pro left tackle was a force to be reckoned with all season and again in the Super Bowl. His rise is one of the more unique stories in NFL history.
Mehki Becton left the game early, and Tyler Steen took over and played very well in relief. The offensive line allowed 2 sacks in the game, but Hurts navigated without a lot of pressure for most of the game. Next man up is not just a phrase in Philly.
The Defense:
This was the best defensive performance in Eagles history. They annihilated who many believe to be one of the best offensive minds and Quarterbacks of all time. KC had 7 possessions in the first half that ended with 5 punts and 2 interceptions. This would be impressive against any Super Bowl team, but versus Mahomes and Reid, it is next-level. The score was 34–0 late in the third quarter. At halftime, the Eagles had 24 points, the Chiefs had 23 yards.
I have previously written about how the Eagles were increasing their usage of cover four during this postseason, they used it 59.5% in the Super Bowl. The 3rd highest rate by a team since 2018 per Next Gen stats. When you can defend the run as well as the Eagles with a four-man front and pressure the QB with the same, it is extremely difficult for a Quarterback to throw on defenses with a 2 high safety look. It befuddled Mahomes all night.
The Eagles also learned from blitzing Mahomes in the first Super Bowl that it was a mistake. Vic Fangio and the Eagles were not credited with a single blitz during Super Bowl 59, and they had six sacks.
The Eagles had a dominating +12 turnover differential in the playoffs.
Jalen Carter is the best defensive player in the league. He swats grown men down with a bear-like club swing. It is comical to watch the wreckage in his wake as he pursues ball-carriers and Quarterbacks with a speed nobody on the field anticipates. Despite being double-teamed, he still managed two impactful quarterback hits.
Milton Williams played the game of his professional life. He had two TFLs and two sacks while being an unstoppable force penetrating the backfield. After the game, he mentioned the Chiefs talk of a three-peat as extra motivation.
Jordan Davis shut down everyone he opposed and had his best game in an Eagles uniform on the biggest stage. He finished with a TFL, a QB hit, and a sack. The first-round pick from Georgia played like the champion he is.
Nolan Smith was one of the most dominating players on the field! He abused the KC o-line all night and disrupted passing lanes and the running game by driving the players into the backfield. He had two quarterback hits on Mahomes and was a game-wrecker. Trey Smith has seen better days than the one he did versus Nolan.
His future is bright, as he will only continue to improve. He partied like it was 1999 in the locker room after the win.
Jalyx Hunt has exceeded what anyone thought he would bring to the team as a 3rd round draft pick. He contributed with the second most pressure on the night,5, a QB hit, half a sack, and applied constant pressure during the 41% of defensive snaps he was on the field. The former safety showed off his speed all game. Jalyx has a bright future and is a Super Bowl champion as a rookie.
Brandon Graham made it back from a season-ending triceps injury to play in what is likely his last game. I mentioned in an earlier story that he wasn’t coming back to be a cheerleader. He played 13 snaps and was active for every one of them. He mentioned the risk he took by being on the field, but the rewards of finishing his career in a Super Bowl and having a storybook ending outweighed that. Kudos to one of the best, B.G.!
Zack Baun led the team in tackles in the SB like he has for most of the season. He had a pass defense, a Quarterback hit, and an interception. He and Nick Morrow manifested the turnover earlier in the game.
Oren Burks stepped up all postseason in Nakobe Deans’ absence. The depth, and maybe more importantly the linebacker coaching, has been impressive and a game-changer for the defense. In 47 coverage snaps in the SB, Oren allowed only 27 yards.
Quinyon Mitchell was locked down like he has been since the first time that the rookie first took the field in week one. He has been a revelation at the cornerback position and stuck like glue to every receiver he was on all night. It did not matter what routes the Chiefs tried against Q. His play was a big reason why Mahomes had such a frustrating night.
Cooper DeJean turned 22 and celebrated his first interception in the NFL by taking it to the house for a pick-six! A game-changing play on the biggest stage that will go down as one of the greatest all-time Eagles plays. Watching Patrick Mahomes run after him in the background was a great moment, and seeing the excitement and joy from Nick Sirianni was even better.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson made his presence known and lived up to his reputation of being the most annoying player in the NFL by harassing Travis Kelce and the Chiefs. He and the defense gang tackled and kept every play in front of them most of the night. He also had one of the funnier moments of the game.
Avonte Maddox had a pass breakup on a fourth-down play, and it was nice seeing the longtime Eagles make a play on the biggest stage. You could see how much it meant to him.
Special Teams:
Jake Elliott was perfect in the Super Bowl. He made all four field goal attempts and added four PATs, which was good for 16 points. He had a sub-par season by his standards but fought through an issue to be there for the team when they needed him. He is the first Kicker to make three field goals of 48 or more yards in a Super Bowl. He was having a great time after the game, deservedly so.
Braden Mann had 2 booming punts for 96 yards, and Kansas City never started a possession on the Eagles’ side of the field.
Kenneth Gainwell made an important tackle on a kickoff return in the first half that may have gone the distance. He had been questionable to play after suffering a concussion versus Washington and made a strong tackle to keep the Chiefs off the board.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr was playing against Andy Reid in Super Bowl 59, and his father, Trott Sr, played for Andy with the Eagles in SB 39. Twenty years later, Jr made a tackle on the biggest stage and displayed their patented ax chop celly.
Looking Ahead:
The Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl Champions! The skies are blue, the sun is shining, and it is nothing but smiling faces and “Go Birds” chants in the City of Brotherly Love.
The Eagles celebrate their victory parade on Valentine’s Day, February 14.
As always, thank you for reading.
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REUTERS/Mike Segar
