1 reason each remaining NFL playoff team will and won’t win a Super Bowl
By John Buhler
Why the Philadelphia Eagles will win their second Super Bowl in six seasons
For as cool as the dog masks were six years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles are far from an underdog story this playoff run. Though many people panned the hiring of Nick Sirianni as head coach, it has turned out to be one of the better hires of the last two cycles. His team has a firm identity, which is run the ball and punch you in the mouth. This strong sense of self should serve them very well.
At this stage of the season, all the remaining teams have a strong team identity. However, for as rudimentary as the Eagles’ is, it is the easiest to explain and therefore, it might be more effective. A lot of this has to do with how well the Eagles play complementary football. It is why Sirianni may be sprouting the first two branches off his coaching tree in Jonathan Gannon and Shane Steichen.
This strong team identity is what has gotten the Eagles to this point, so why deviate from that?
Why the Philadelphia Eagles are not bringing the Lombardi back to Broad Street
Of course, there is one major caveat to the Eagles’ overall offensive philosophy: What happens when they have to play from behind? Jalen Hurts can make all the throws, but Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes are better equipped to win a shootout should the Eagles get to the Super Bowl. The 49ers probably need to win a low-scoring game to advance, but they are the hottest team.
While the Eagles could be better at playing catch-up than we would expect, they have not been overly battle-tested in that department year. They have only lost three games this year, but much of that has to do with Hurts getting hurt and Gardner Minshew having to start in his place. The Eagles can blow anyone out, but how sure are we they can go toe-for-foe with the AFC champs?
Here is to being wrong, but are you really taking Hurts over Burrow or Mahomes in a shootout?