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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Super Bowl LIX Cheat Sheet: 25 Things to Know About Chiefs Vs. Eagles – The Ringer
17. If I had to choose just one matchup that I think will determine who wins this game, it would be the Eagles’ passing game against the Chiefs’ pass defense. Let’s start with Hurts and Co. It’s been an uneven season for that group. New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore was supposed to come in and fix the passing game issues, but that didn’t happen. The Eagles ranked 14th in passing DVOA, which was tied for their lowest ranking in any season with Hurts as the starter. Hurts had turnover issues early in the season and then seemed to prioritize turnover avoidance above everything else. He’s been cautious, turning down throws and not even attempting the downfield shots that had led to success in previous seasons. It hasn’t necessarily been a bad passing game. It’s just been a mediocre passing game. But there have been glimmers of hope, such as the Eagles’ offensive performance in the NFC championship game, in which they scored eight touchdowns. The Eagles leaned on RPOs and schemed up easy completions that had Hurts playing more decisively and got the ball out of his hands quickly. He took shots downfield to guys like A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert. It was a reminder that the passing game doesn’t need to be a juggernaut; it just needs to be efficient enough to properly complement the run game. That will be the key in this matchup against the Chiefs.
Eagles-Chiefs analysis: Five big questions one week from Super Bowl LIX – Inquirer
Speaking of Spagnuolo, the imminent challenge the veteran defensive play-caller will present for Jalen Hurts in obvious passing downs will be instructive as well. The Chiefs finished the regular season fourth in blitz rate, sending extra rushers 31.6% of the time. Spagnuolo’s group was fifth in pressure rate as well, illustrative of how effective their rush packages have been throughout the year. Even teams that aren’t as effective as the Chiefs are with blitzing have been able to stress the Eagles offense with pressure looks this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Hurts is completing just 33% of his passes when hurried this postseason and has taken 11 sacks on 36 pressured dropbacks. By comparison, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is completing 62.5% of his passes against pressure and has taken five sacks on 25 hurried dropbacks. It’s fair to point out that not all pressures are created equal — Hurts has dealt with a handful of free rushers as a result of interior offensive line mix-ups — but those are exactly the types of blitzes Spagnuolo will try to recreate. Finding answers against those pre-snap looks will go a long way toward determining which side of the Eagles’ Jekyll and Hyde passing game shows up at the Caesars Superdome.
Super Bowl preview: How did the Eagles and Chiefs fare against common opponents in 2024? – BGN
The Eagles and the Chiefs will be meeting in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, and though the teams did not face each other this past regular season, they did face eight common opponents in 2024: Atlanta, Baltimore, Carolina, Cincinnati, Cleveland, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. The Chiefs went 8-0 against those teams, while the Eagles were 6-2.
Chiefs’ ball security is paramount against the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX – Arrowhead Pride
And he’s not talking only on special teams. As a whole, the Eagles have forced nine fumbles this year in the playoffs alone. “When you watch the defensive tape, you see guys getting up off the ground,” continued Toub. “And they go in and try to get the ball out right then at that point and punch it out. And they’re really good at it… once you have success at something it kind of builds…That’s what’s happening with them, with the turnovers.” That’s precisely what happened to Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler late in the third quarter of last week’s NFC Championship game. Ekeler leaked out of the backfield and caught a pass from quarterback Jayden Daniels, going to the ground as he caught the ball, and as he turned to get back up, Eagles linebacker Oren Burks punched the ball out.
Ranking Super Bowl’s best players for Chiefs-Eagles 2025 rematch – SB Nation
2. Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles. The missing piece the Eagles never knew they needed. Saquon Barkley has been such a profound difference-maker to the Philadelphia offense that it’s a wonder they were able to win a Super Bowl without him. The past running game for Philadelphia hinged on a gimmick, albeit an effective one — the infamous “Tush Push.” It forced the team to routinely grind out short plays through Jalen Hurts as the primary short rusher, and all the explosive plays to come in the passing game. Barkley has changed all that. Not only has it ensured the Eagles are a more balanced total offense, but can generate explosive plays on the ground without risking injury to Hurts. It helps when you’re also the best running back the NFL has seen in almost five decades, with Barkley coming within a whisper of breaking the NFL’s all-time rushing record. If the Chiefs can’t stop Barkley from eating then it’s going to be a long Super Bowl for them.
The Eagles were only in one of those situations this season in which the offense needed to win the game: The Eagles got the ball at their own 31 down 5 with 2:03 to go against the Saints. That ended up being an Eagles win. I probably trust the Eagles’ defense more than I trust Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ passing game, but you’d have to be high to prefer putting the ball in Patrick Mahomes’ hands in that kind of game situation. We’ve all seen him lead late game-winning or game-tying drives, including in the last two Super Bowls.
Better Prepared – Iggles Blitz
Sirianni isn’t new to the Super Bowl anymore. Vic Fangio has been before. This will be new to Kellen Moore. There are plenty of key players making a return trip. All of this will help the Eagles to be better prepared this time around. They know what to expect. It is one thing for a couple of people to offer advice on what to do, but it is very different when the bulk of the key people have lived it. They can explain things from the top down and make sure everyone is as ready as possible. Beyond the pomp and circumstance of the game, the Eagles are better prepared in other ways. The 2022 team had an easy route through the playoffs. They had a bye and missed the wild card round. They blew out a mediocre Giants team 38-7 in the next round. Then the Eagles knocked Brock Purdy out of the title game and won that 31-7. Not one legitimate test. If you add in the regular season, the last good team the Eagles played was Dallas on Christmas Eve. The Eagles played the Chiefs on Feb 12th. I think the lack of true tests hurt them. The Chiefs made the critical plays needed to win that game. The Eagles didn’t.
In Roob’s Daily Eagles Observations: An area the Eagles have shown remarkable improvement – NBCSP
2. The more I look at the Chiefs’ run defense, the more I think Saquon Barkley is going to be able to trample K.C. Check out these numbers: The first 13 games of the season, the Chiefs ranked 2nd in the NFL allowing 3.8 yards per carry and 3rd allowing 88 yards per game. In six games since, they’re 4th-worst, allowing 5.1 yards per carry, and 5th-worst allowing 147 per game. That’s an astonishing drop-off. They’re allowing 25 percent more yards per carry the last six games and 40 percent more yards.
Super Bowl Lead-Up Takeaways: How Teams Can Learn From Eagles’ Saquon Barkley Signing – SI
The other thing that was hyped about Barkley was how clean he was both medically and character-wise. On the former count, I had one team tell me that they’d rarely seen a prospect’s medical report like Barkley’s, aside from kickers. Obviously, over time, Barkley has taken his nicks. But on the character piece? That’s been evident in how he’s weathered the storm of injuries, which, again, is why teams spend so much time and resources trying to get to know a kid. That character piece, and what the Eagles knew about Barkley’s workout regimen, was another reason why Philly was comfortable spending to get him. How the Eagles’ personnel and coaching staff felt going up against Barkley when he was a Giant was also a factor—which shows you that even the most analytically driven and advanced franchise relies on instincts to a degree.
Eagles GM not surprised by Saquon Barkley’s historic season – ESPN
Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, reflecting on the offseason signing of Saquon Barkley, said he is not surprised by the star back’s historic season. “[He has been a] huge, huge player and person for this team. And [signing him was] not a hard trigger to pull. I think I’m being consistent with what I said in March — was extremely confident in the player and the person,” he said. “I’d like to say he’s exceeded expectations, but he’s always been one of the best players I’ve ever seen whenever I’ve watched him and I have always known about what kind of person he is because it’s not hard to find that out. So I’m really not surprised by any of this, and I don’t say that in an arrogant way, it’s based on who he is, nothing to do with me, because this is who he’s always been. And I’m just glad everyone gets to see that.”
Cooper DeJean: “I’d say when Q got his first pick. That was my favorite play. Watching him come down with it after he’d had so many opportunities. And then the celebration. That we botched. Still a good memory.”
Spadaro: Howie Roseman’s superpower shines through in latest Super Bowl run – PE.com
The flurry of moves the Eagles made following the 2023 campaign? Roseman had the plan and he executed it. Building the roster turns the engine on for a football team and, well, the coaching staff and the players did their part to win 17 games and reach Super Bowl LIX. “I know that the season really starts with the front office, and that starts with me. So, when we have good offseasons, it usually leads to success during the regular season. I think that’s our responsibility and that’s my responsibility and we’ve seen it. The three best years we’ve probably had as a front office have led to three Super Bowls,” Roseman said, referring to 2017, 2022, and now 2024. “There’s some sort of correlation between how we do our job and the opportunity it allows everyone in the organization to do their job well throughout it. It’s inspiring. Obviously, the resources change from year to year. I think an underrated key to getting back here was that we really had resources and in the draft 2022, ‘23, ‘24 to have some flexibility. “Those are the things I think about moving forward – how can we get more flexibility when you have a lot of good players deservedly so making a lot of money?”
Saquon Barkley Is Engaged to Anna Congdon: ‘I Have an Amazing Fiancée’ (Exclusive) – People
Saquon Barkley is engaged! Barkley, 27, tells PEOPLE exclusively that he and girlfriend Anna Congdon, who share two children, are engaged as he and the Philadelphia Eagles head to the Super Bowl in New Orleans and he stars in an advert for tasty snack Flipz. “I can’t be the athlete I am and have the success I have so in my career without the help of her,” says the NFL star. “She’s been super helpful and always has my back, not only in football but throughout life there’s a lot that goes on. But as we continue to grow and mature and go through life together, we continue getting closer and continue to get even better.”
2025 NFL Mock Draft: Penn State’s Abdul Carter goes No. 1, Browns select QB Cam Ward at No. 2 – PFF
31. Philadelphia Eagles: ED Jack Sawyer, Ohio State. Philadelphia’s core philosophy is to generate pressure without blitzing, making high-end pass rushers a constant priority. With Josh Sweat likely to test free agency, the Eagles will almost certainly be in the market for an edge rusher this offseason. Sawyer joins a franchise with a championship pedigree, though he brings a title-winning resume of his own after helping lead Ohio State to a national championship. Over the past two seasons, he has posted an 89.0-plus overall grade each year, positioning him for early success in the NFL.
Packers president Mark Murphy “not a fan” of the QB push play, would like it banned – PFT
Packers president Mark Murphy, who is retiring in 2025, is among those who want to see the tush push out of the league. “I am not a fan of this play,” Murphy said in his monthly Q&A column on the team website. “There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less. The series of plays with the Commanders jumping offsides in the NFC Championship Game to try to stop the play was ridiculous. The referee even threatened to give the Eagles an automatic touchdown if the Commanders did not stop it. I would like to see the league prohibit pushing or aiding the runner [QB] on this play. There used to be a rule prohibiting this, but it is no longer enforced, because I believe it was thought to be too hard for the officials to see. The play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak. That worked pretty well for Bart Starr and the Packers in the Ice Bowl.”
With Kelly on board, the Raiders coaching staff is ready to go and start building for the 2025 season. Hopefully, Kelly not being the head coach will allow him to focus on creating a scheme that can succeed in the NFL. Kliff Kingsbury is an example of a coach who performed better as an OC than a head coach. For the Raiders, they would need the same result. According to the MMQB’s Albert Breer, Kelly will be the NFL’s highest-paid coordinator at $6 million per year.
The latest update on the NFL’s coaching hiring cycle has moved down to the assistant level for the Washington Commanders. There’s only one head coaching job open(Saints), but there are offensive coordinator jobs available. UPDATE: Washington has blocked David Blough from interviewing for multiple other positions. David Blough just completed his first year as a coach after being a backup QB in the NFL for five seasons. He was Washington’s assistant QB coach this season, and is considered a fast-riser who could move up quickly. He has received interview requests from the Bears(pass game coordinator) and the Jets(QB coach). Both teams hired coordinators from the Lions(Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn respectively) as their head coaches, and Blough was on their practice squad in 2023.
Stefon Diggs didn’t have the season he was hoping for this year with the Houston Texans. He played just eight games before tearing his ACL, having his season end prematurely. He finished with 47 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns. While on a one-year, $22.5 million contract last season, he is set to enter free agency. The Cowboys aren’t in a position where they should be signing receivers to this amount of money this offseason, especially after paying CeeDee Lamb the amount they are. But after a disappointing season and suffering an injury, the Cowboys could likely get Diggs at the bargain price they like.
New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka might be a bridesmaid again – Big Blue View
Kafka has drawn significant head-coaching interest during each of the last three offseasons. With the Saints having the last head-coaching vacancy in this cycle, it appears Kafka will again be shut out. It has been telling how the rest of the NFL views the 37-year-old Kafka that he has continued to receive interviews for head-coaching jobs despite the Giants having gone 9-25 the last two seasons. There have been reports that Giants head coach Brian Daboll is under pressure to relinquish offensive play-calling duties. If so, that responsibility, which he held in 2022 and 2023, could return to Kafka in 2025.
Breaking: Browns DE Myles Garrett has requested a trade, team responds – Dawgs By Nature
There is never a dull moment for the Cleveland Browns or their fans and rarely are those moments positive. After making it clear at the end of the 2024 NFL season that he did not want to be a part of a rebuild, DE Myles Garrett has made public his request to be traded. The timing is interesting as Browns GM Andrew Berry shared last week that the team had no intention of trading Garrett or taking phone calls about making a deal for their best defender. In the middle of January, Garrett spoke about the future with Cleveland as if he had bought into the plan after talking with Berry. Now, with a few weeks until the NFL combine kicks off, Garrett made his request known in writing.
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