So Close

Posted: February 13th, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on So Close

The Eagles had answers all season. The offense could run and throw. They could throw short or deep. They could pound you up the middle or use speed to run outside. The defense would look dominant at times. When they did struggle, they usually made a couple of key plays to help win the game. In the Super Bowl, they just couldn’t come up with the answers.

The offense had a really good game, putting up 35 points and 417 yards. But they had to settle for a FG in the third quarter and that proved to be huge. A TD on that drive would have changed things in a huge way. The biggest problem was Jalen Hurts second quarter fumble that the Chiefs ran back for a TD. That play turned out to be enormous.

As for the Eagles defense, they did not have a good night. Jonathan Gannon built up a lot of goodwill with the way his unit played in the first two playoff games. That went out the window when they failed to make plays in the Super Bowl. No sacks. No takeaways. And some brutally easy TDs in the second half. Patrick Mahomes only had one incompletion.

Ugh.

Give Andy Reid a lot of credit. The winningest and stubbornest coach in Eagles history beat his old team by running the ball. That’s the cruelest of ironies. The Chiefs ran for 158 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per carry.

Ugh.

Reid also was masterful with his play-calling. He had red zone plays that left his guys wide open. Eagles DBs struggled with motion and the Chiefs burned them badly.

Give Mahomes a lot of credit. He made plays and didn’t make mistakes. He held the ball when he could, but threw quickly when needed. Mahomes ran for 44 yards, all of which were absolutely maddening.

It is incredibly frustrating to lose this game because Jalen Hurts was so good (aside from the fumble). He threw for 304 yards and a TD. He ran for 70 yards and 3 TDs. The Chiefs had no answer for him.

DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown combined for 13 catches, 196 yards and a TD. They were fantastic.

KC did a good job of stopping Miles Sanders (just 7-16) and they also were good against the RPOs. The Eagles ran for 115 yards, but it wasn’t the running attack that looked so dominant at times the past two weeks.

The difference in the game was the fumble return and a 65-yard punt return by Kadarius Toney. The Chiefs were basically gifted 14 points because of those two plays. The PR didn’t go all the way, but put the ball inside the 10. The defense couldn’t get a stop.

A lot of attention will be put on the defensive holding call late in the game. That was brutal, but even if that doesn’t get called, there is no guarantee the Eagles win. They would have needed a game-winning drive. It would have been so cool to see Hurts get that chance, but the zebras had other ideas. Ugh.

The biggest shock of the game was the Eagles pass rush being so ineffective. They were disruptive at times, but didn’t have any sacks and let Mahomes escape on scrambles several times. Those guys did a lot of talking during the week and didn’t back it up at all.

As bad as you may feel after that loss, there is plenty to be happy about. The Eagles just had a great season. They have a bright future with a lot of key pieces in their primes. There will be coaching and player changes, but the Eagles should be a contender for the next several years.

The Eagles have issues to address. They also have a lot to build on.

You know that dude will do everything he can to get the Eagles back to the big game.

*****

One thing everyone can agree on is that the field was a disaster. Players from both teams were slipping and sliding. The NFL should be embarrassed that they had issues like this on the biggest sporting event in the world.

This cannot happen again.

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