PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles have been certainly flying excessive as the perfect within the NFL, boasting a 10-1 document with a No. 1 seed, home-field benefit within the playoffs, and sure, a Tremendous Bowl ring all forward as credible targets.
This season? On the way in which to the Tremendous Bowl on Feb. 9 in a rematch from two years in the past towards Kansas Metropolis?
No, strive 2023, when coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts’ run at a Tremendous Bowl as an alternative changed into one of many extra epic meltdowns in Philly sports activities historical past — and there have been scores of them.
The Eagles have been 10-1 till they have been clobbered by San Francisco at residence by 23 factors in an NFC championship recreation rematch. Dallas beat the Eagles by 20 factors the subsequent week and the losses — and finger pointing — snowballed from there. The Eagles limped to a 1-5 regular-season end earlier than they have been put of their distress in a wild-card loss to Tampa Bay.
Sirianni was on the recent seat regardless of three playoff appearances and a Tremendous Bowl journey in three seasons. Adjustments have been mandated — from the assistants to the sport plan to drafting to repairing the unfastened connective tissue contained in the locker room.
The cruel classes realized from final season fueled the Eagles on their solution to a 14-win common season and three extra wins within the playoffs.
Group proprietor Jeffrey Lurie and basic supervisor Howie Roseman declined to maneuver on from Sirianni and the Eagles made the strikes wanted to convey them again to the highest of the NFL — and they’re one win away from reaching the head.
“It’s been the story of the 2023 to the 2024 Eagles. As dangerous of a sense we had about how final 12 months ended, I feel it makes you who you’re,” Sirianni stated.
Now, it is off to attempt to win simply the franchise’s second Tremendous Bowl.
“That’s fairly dope,” Sirianni stated. “That’s all my focus is on.”
Hurts and Sirianni
Maybe an indication their rapport this season has turned extra cohesive than taxing, Sirianni insisted Hurts was joking when the QB quipped after the NFC title recreation that he had been free of the offense’s “straitjacket.”
Hurts had six wins this season when he threw for lower than 200 yards passing earlier than he threw for 246 yards and accounted for 4 touchdowns within the NFC championship recreation win over Washington.
“We’ve been successful a pair other ways this 12 months. I feel he was simply having enjoyable after the sport,” Sirianni stated. “I do know this, and he’s stated this loads of occasions: He doesn’t care how we win. I don’t care how we win, so long as we win. We do every little thing we will do to have the ability to win.”
The No. 1 storyline in coaching camp this season was simply how thorny was Hurts and Sirianni’s relationship final season and would any points carry over into this one?
Hurts supplied a lukewarm endorsement of Sirianni within the aftermath of the playoff loss at Tampa Bay. He stated days later his tepid response was solely as a result of he was caught off guard by questions on Sirianni’s job standing.
“We’ve been via quite a bit collectively, proper? A number of wins, some down occasions,” Sirianni stated this week. “That’s what sort of forges relationships.”
Whereas among the finest Tremendous Bowl winners in historical past have include strained relationships between a QB and coach, Hurts has backed Sirianni publicly this season — even when it wasn’t at all times a rousing endorsement. They’re, via all of it, solely the primary coach/QB pair in franchise historical past to make two Tremendous Bowls.
“He’s performed an amazing job,” Hurts stated.
The coordinators
Probably the most distressing indicators the Eagles have been in free fall mode final season with no means out got here when Sirianni made former Lions coach Matt Patricia the defensive play-caller and basically stripped defensive coordinator Sean Desai of any true accountability. Desai and Patricia have been jettisoned within the offseason, as was offensive coordinator Brian Johnson. Johnson lasted just one season in Philadelphia and Hurts regressed, throwing a career-high 15 interceptions and together with his passer ranking dropping to 89.1 from 101.5.
The brand new guys could not be higher.
Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore assumed play-calling tasks and has been one of many hottest head teaching candidates within the NFL. The Eagles jumped on hiring 66-year-old Vic Fangio to run the protection and he is made it the top-rated one within the league.
The protection has allowed 10, 22 and 23 factors and has 10 takeaways — together with 21 factors off three fumble recoveries towards the Commanders — within the postseason.
“The gamers need to play nicely to play nice protection, so it’s a mixture of what Vic does and the way he motivates the fellows to get them to play to the best degree that they’ll,” Sirianni stated. “Simply obtained a ton of respect for him and certain glad he’s right here.”
A former backup QB who performed behind Dak Prescott with Dallas in 2017 earlier than changing into his place coach the subsequent 12 months, Moore directed a Philadelphia offense that featured Barkley because the ninth working again in NFL historical past to hurry for two,000 yards within the common season.
“There are various things that we’ve been doing which have actually helped us. There are some issues which are much like what we’ve performed prior to now as a result of we’ve been good at these issues,” Sirianni stated. “After which there are issues which are new to each what we’ve performed and Kellen’s system as nicely. Kellen’s performed an outstanding job of dealing with all these issues, placing our offense in positions that we been profitable in.”
Barkley arrives
Former Eagles working again Miles Sanders ran for a stable 1,269 yards within the 2022 Tremendous Bowl season and Kenneth Gainwell was — and nonetheless is — a serviceable backup.
Hurts was the staff’s main rusher with 70 yards within the Tremendous Bowl and the Eagles had simply 115 yards speeding general.
The Eagles seem to be a complete new franchise at occasions with Saquon Barkley.
Barkley is close to the highest of the quick record of all-time nice Philadelphia sports activities free-agent signings. He ran for two,005 yards, rips off 60-yard scoring runs with the convenience of a Joel Embiid layup and has turned the offense into its most elite twin risk for the reason that halcyon days of Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens.
The Eagles aren’t going to have an opportunity at beating the Chiefs if Barkley is not at his finest — no small feat in a season that is earned him comparisons to Terrell Davis and Eric Dickerson as among the many finest for a working again in NFL historical past.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Copyright 2025 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials will not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.