3 reasons the Philadelphia Eagles can win the Super Bowl and 1 reason they won’t

Why the Philadelphia Eagles won’t win Super Bowl: Secondary is a liability

Did the offseason departure of defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, now the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, have more impact on the defending NFC champions than was anticipated? One thing is certain, the team’s numbers this season when it comes to stopping the pass don’t resemble the unit that impressed a year ago.

Keep in mind that the Eagles owned the league’s top-ranked pass defense in 2022. Some of that was due to a mediocre run defense (tied for 16th in the NFL). Much of that was lost yards by opposing teams thanks to a pass rush that produced a league-high 70 sacks in 17 regular-season outings.

What a difference a year makes. Only four teams have allowed more passing yards than Philadelphia this season. In 14 games, the Eagles have already allowed 39 offensive touchdowns, 30 through the air. During the 2022 regular season, Sirianni’s team gave up 22 TD passes in 17 games. Five times this season, the Eagles have given up at least three touchdown passes in a game.

Monday night’s 20-17 loss at Seattle was indicative of these issues, and this came with Matt Patricia and not Sean Desai taking over as the defensive play-caller. Seahawks’ quarterback Drew Lock drove his team 92 yards in 1:24 and capped the 10-play march with a 29-yard scoring strike to rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 28 seconds to play.