Regardless of whether or not the Philadelphia Eagles are victorious in Super Bowl LVII, there's a compelling case to be made that the 2022 team has been the most complete roster in franchise history.
Of course, the 2017 Eagles won the first Super Bowl title in franchise history, and are the default answer when many think of the best squad that the organization has ever produced. Surely, though, that answer will change to a percentage of fans and pundits if the Eagles defeat Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to win their second Super Bowl title.
For his part, Fletcher Cox -- one of the few remaining holdovers from the 2017 team -- said Friday that if he had to pick one, he believes the 2017 Eagles would beat the 2022 team:
It's worth pointing out that Cox likely didn't spend a ton of time pondering this question, and also that he has been around long enough to know that this will get back to some of the members of the 2022 Eagles and sharpen their focus ahead of Super Bowl LVII.
But from a sports radio perspective, pinning the 2017 Eagles against the 2022 team is certainly an interesting topic.
Both teams had first-round byes as the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, and only lost three regular season games. The 2022 team won 14 regular season games, as opposed to the 13 that the 2017 won in the waning years of the 16-game regular season slate. In 2022, the Eagles finished with a +122 point differential, which falls short of the +162 mark that the 2017 team had.
For some, this discussion may come down to what period of the 2017 Eagles you get. Is leading MVP candidate Carson Wentz at quarterback, or is it Nick Foles? And if it's Foles, do you get him on any given week of the 2017 season, or is he playing at the unconscious level that he did during the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LII? Jalen Hurts is unquestionably better than Foles as a whole, but it would be hard to play at a much higher level than Foles did in the final two games of the postseason run.
Both teams were built around tremendous lines, but from here, the tiebreaker between 2017 and 2022 comes outside. Darius Slay and James Bradberry would each be the No. 1 cornerback on the 2017 Eagles. A.J. Brown clearly tops Alshon Jeffery as the top wide receiver, and the same goes with Devonta Smith over Nelson Agholor.
Ultimately, the Eagles defeated Tom Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. If they can take down another all-time great in Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, this discussion will be worth further examination.
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