Among the things that The Philadelphia Eagles are known for, not overthinking the NFL Draft is certainly one of them. In 2022, the Eagles drafted Defensive lineman Jordan Davis with the 13th overall pick in the draft, who was fresh off of anchoring the defensive line for the National Champion Georgia Bulldogs. In the 3rd round of the same draft, the Eagles drafted linebacker Nakobe Dean off of the very same record setting Georgia Bulldogs National Championship winning defense. Georgia would go on to win another National Championship in 2022, being led by yet another stellar defense. In the 2023 NFL Draft, the Eagles would continue to follow a very similar draft strategy as they did in 2022: draft players off of a National Championship team that had one of the best defenses in the country. The Eagles would draft standout defensive lineman Jalen Carter AND Linebacker Nolan Smith in the 1st round, and cornerback Kelee Ringo in the 4th round. It was a sound strategy: draft the best players off of the best team.
Flash forward to the 2024 NFL season, and all 5 players are starters on one of the best defenses in the NFL. Linebacker Nakobe Dean would get injured during the 2024 season, but all 4 of the other “Philly Dawgs” will start for the Eagles in the Super Bowl, assuming Jalen Carter makes it over the sickness that he is currently dealing with.
Many think that Super Bowl LIX will be one of the best in some time, with both teams being the respective best in their own conference. When you start to talk about the players that will have the biggest impacts on the game, it is the offensive players that automatically come to mind. After all, the Kansas City Chiefs, who the Eagles will be playing, will be going for their 3rd straight Super Bowl win, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes having won Most Valuable Player in the previous two. With the MVP award slightly favoring the quarterback, it stands to reason that if the Chiefs win the game, the likely MVP will be Patrick Mahomes. But who is the most likely candidate to win MVP if the Eagles win the Super Bowl? The easy answer in 2024 Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley. The reasoning behind the Barkley prediction over Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts for most, is that it is thought that if the Eagles want to have any chance to beat the back-to back champs, Saquon Barkley will have had to have a career game, which I do tend to believe as well. The problem with this theory is that the chiefs have not allowed a 100 yard rusher in 18 straight games, and have not allowed a 100 yard rusher in the playoffs since defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo joined the team in 2019. In Super Bowl 55, Patrick Mahomes only Super Bowl loss, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit quarterback Patrick Mahomes 10 times, resulting in 3 sacks and 2 interceptions thrown. This has to be the key for the Eagles defense in this game: GET TO THE QUARTERBACK.
With “Philly Dawgs” on every level of the Eagles defense, it stands to reason that one of these players, who represent one third of the Eagles starting defense, will be the benefactor. Andy Bunker and Randy McMichael discuss Super Bowl LIX further, and what each team will have to do to come out on top.