Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Jimmy Kempski’s Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl LIX pick – PhillyVoice
The Eagles are the better team, and they are going to win comfortably on Super Bowl Sunday. The Chiefs get a late garbage-time TD and two-point conversion to make the score look closer than it is, the Eagles recover an onsides kick, and the Birds hoist their second Lombardi Trophy in front of the art museum. Grease the poles.
Super Bowl 2025: Chiefs-Eagles picks, key stats, predictions – ESPN
The Eagles will win convincingly. Even when we exclude Week 18 (both teams rested players), the Eagles hold a solid-to-sizable edge in offensive, defensive and overall EPA. The 2024 Chiefs are infamous for their knack of finding ways to sneak by with wins, but the Eagles have had about the same success in the win column after a slow start (both are 15-1 in their past 16 games, excluding Week 18) and have done so in a more convincing fashion.
The Ringer Staff’s Kansas City Chiefs–Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl Predictions – The Ringer
Sheil Kapadia. Winner: Eagles. Score: 24-21. MVP: Barkley. Does it feel good to pick against Mahomes? Of course not. But I think that the Eagles will be able to get off massive runs with Barkley, and their defense majors in not allowing explosive plays. This seems like it will be a tightly contested back-and-forth game that’s not decided until the fourth quarter—or later. I think that the Eagles offense will get the ball at the end, needing a few first downs to ice the game, and they’ll come through, never giving Mahomes a final chance to steal it.
Super Bowl 2025: Eagles offense vs. Chiefs defense is fascinating chess match – SB Nation
Welcome to part two of the Super Bowl LIX breakdown from Establish the Fun. Read our film review of the Chiefs offense vs. Eagles defense. Now let’s dive into the other side of the ball. Now, you’re probably expecting me to start off with something here about QB Jalen Hurts and the passing game. YOU THOUGHT WRONG! As up and down as Hurts and the Eagles’ passing game has been this season, they do so well at avoiding these situations because they’re one of the best rushing teams in the sport. Kansas City will have to be much better in their defense on the ground than they were in their win over the Bills in the AFC title game against this Eagles team, but how both teams get to their run schemes is much different. While the Bills majored in duo, mid zone, and then throwing in tackle dart on occasions, the Eagles are more of a counter team and use inside zone as their changeup. Because of how athletic Philadelphia’s offensive line is, they specialize in GT Counter, where both the guard and tackle pull.
Super Bowl LIX: DVOA Preview – FTN Fantasy
The numbers from the season would give a slight edge to the Eagles, but I can’t get away from a couple of things in my mind. First, the fact that those Saquon Barkley explosive runs are so important to not only the Eagles’ offensive success but to their offensive mindset. The Chiefs seem very much built to prevent those runs. I can’t imagine Barkley going the entire game without a 20-yard gain but I don’t think there will be three or four of them. Second, Steve Spagnuolo’s ability to create unexpected pressures with blitzes against a quarterback who has had trouble with blitzes. No Barkley explosives will put the game in Hurts’ hands. Spagnuolo and the Kansas City defense will then get their opportunity to throw him off his game. I think this is more important than Patrick Mahomes doing magical Patrick Mahomes things. He will still do them, but this is a very strong Eagles defense and they are going to keep him from doing the mundane good things that put him in position to do the magical things.
Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley, Tom Brady among Super Bowl LIX’s 25 key people – NFL.com
Saquon Barkley might have broken the narrative about RB value in today’s NFL with what he has done this season. Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs also were clear success stories as major acquisitions at the position, helping reshape their respective new teams’ offensive identities, and we can’t forget the Lions’ terrific RB duo, but Barkley operated on a near-MVP level this season. In last year’s Super Bowl, the Chiefs faced a different — but equally impactful — type of back: the 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey. Kansas City held CMC in check as a runner (80 yards on 22 carries) but allowed him to catch eight passes for 80 yards and a score. Barkley hasn’t been utilized heavily as a receiver this season, so you can bet the Chiefs will do everything they can to try to bottle him up on the ground. That’s easier said than done. Barkley was held to less than 4.2 yards per carry twice this season, in games against the Browns and Steelers, and he was fighting through an injury against Pittsburgh. The Rams were determined not to let Barkley beat them singlehandedly for a second time in two months in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, and all he did was run for 92 yards and a TD on plays when the Rams stacked the box with eight or more defenders. He’s a bad, bad dude.
Reasons to Worry About Sunday – Iggles Blitz
Saquon Barkley was the most dynamic runner in the league this year. He’s 3 TD runs of 60 or more yards in the playoffs. The Chiefs have struggled against the run in recent weeks, but one thing they don’t do is give up long runs. The longest run allowed by KC this year was just 34 yards. They only allowed 7 runs of 20 or more yards. If the Chiefs can limit Barkley to reasonable gains, that takes away a key part of the Eagles offense.
In Roob’s Observations: The greatest Eric Allen play ever wasn’t what you think – NBCSP
2. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are the first defensive backs from the same team to make the top five in voting for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year in 41 years. In 1983, Chargers cornerback Danny Walters finished third and corner Gill Byrd was fifth. Byrd had 42 interceptions and made two Pro Bowls in a 10-year career. Walters had 12 INTs in his first three years but only played 14 more games and never picked off another pass. Mitchell was second and DeJean fourth in this year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year balloting, announced Thursday.
Super Bowl 59: The best matchups at every position – PFF
Eagles RB Saquon Barkley vs. Chiefs LB Leo Chenal. Amid his historic first season in Philadelphia, the statistic that stands out the most for Saquon Barkley is his league-leading 54 explosive runs of 10 or more yards. This season, Barkley has made a habit of ripping off game-breaking long runs that have either turned games upside down or finished his opponents off in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs’ run defense has been one of the league’s most reliable units this season, ranking 10th in team run-defense grade. They have allowed the eighth-lowest rate of explosive runs (11.3%), the fourth-fewest yards after contact per attempt, and they have missed tackles in run defense at the sixth-lowest rate. All this is to say that Barkley won’t have an easy task running through this Kansas City defense. Saquon Barkley will have to contend with linebacker Leo Chenal, who has been one of Kansas City’s most reliable run defenders. Chenal leads the Chiefs and ranks fourth among qualified linebackers in run-defense grade (90.2), having missed just one tackle in run defense all season. Beyond his consistency, Chenal’s versatility makes him a key piece of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, as he can line up at linebacker or edge defender, depending on the game plan. He also has Super Bowl experience in this role and earned an 82.9 run-defense grade in the previous matchup against Philadelphia. If Barkley hopes to break off explosive runs, he’ll likely need to find a way around Chenal, who has been one of the Chiefs’ most effective run-stoppers all season.
Evan Silva’s Matchups: Super Bowl LIX – Establish The Run
My favorite Patrick Mahomes-related Super Bowl prop bets concern his rushing output. It’s no secret by now that Mahomes tends to run more in the playoffs, while Sunday’s matchup with Philly’s arguably league-best defense may necessitate Mahomes forcing more on his plate in an environment where Kansas City risks struggling to generate consistent down-to-down offense. Designed runs have had no place in HC Andy Reid’s playbook throughout Mahomes’ career, but I believe Mahomes’ needle-moving 10-yard rushing score in Kansas City’s AFC Championship win over Buffalo could encourage Reid to get more aggressive in that capacity here. I took “ladders” on Mahomes to run for 25+ yards (-167), 40+ yards (+155), 50+ yards (+257), and 60+ yards (+428) plus Mahomes to come within 9.5 yards of Jalen Hurts’ rushing total (-115) and Mahomes to outrush Hurts straight up (+135). For a longshot, I also sprinkled Mahomes to rush for 10+ yards in each quarter at 25-to-1 odds.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ secret weapon is Christian Parker – Go Long
An astronomical jump powered by what’s been ballyhooed as one of the greatest offseasons in NFL history, right on par with the 1994 San Francisco 49ers three decades ago. One rookie cornerback from Toledo, Quinyon Mitchell, is locking down wide receivers. One rookie slot cornerback, Cooper DeJean, is both Caucasian and walloping Marvel superhero, Derrick Henry. No, that epic collision was not an AI deep fake. And while Howie Roseman is entering a Rocky/Dr. J/Iverson/BDN/Bobby Clarke sports-god stratosphere in Philly, no general manager can merely wave a magic wand with transactions. This sort of stunning turnaround on defense is only possible with special coaching on the day-to-day level. That’s where the vibrant Parker comes in. He’s the man pushing these defensive backs toward greatness, and he also happens to be younger than a corner in his own room: veteran Darius Slay. “I try to make sure the relationship piece is important,” Parker says, “that we tell the truth to each other at all times. We’re very direct. We also have fun in the process. There’s a balance. So being able to set those boundaries, we can be in whatever mood that we need to be in and go out and win on Sundays.”
Barkley turns 28 on Super Bowl Sunday. For the Eagles to win, he probably has to be the focal point, Jalen Hurts notwithstanding. A lot has been written and said this week about the exotic pass rush pressures Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo likes to summon. Many observers foresee Spagnuolo confusing and limiting Hurts. Trying to stop the run, though, doesn’t tend to be all that exotic. You can run blitz, but as Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland noted Thursday, that’s a good way to get a view of Barkley’s backside receding in the distance, as he blazes past your secondary. “I think it’s dangerous. People that have tried that on us over this past season have found out, if you crease one, it can go,” Stoutland said. The Eagles have an exceptional offensive line, and a running back who sparks talk of “best ever” comparisons. It sure seems like this ought to be every bit as relevant Sunday as Spagnuolo, Patrick Mahomes, or the Andy Reid-Nick Sirianni comparison. “The game is won up front,” Barkley said. “That’s whether it’s 2024 or 1962. That’s how football’s played.”
3-and-Out: Clint Hurtt shares the underrated aspects of Jalen Carter’s game – PE.com
How has the rest of the defensive line aided Jalen Carter this season? “Milton Williams, Jordan Davis, all of the guys outside of Jalen, they all should be recognized even more because it’s one thing to have a great player who can command a lot of attention like Jalen, but are those guys performing at a high enough level to take advantage of the opportunities that have been provided and the answer to that is a resounding yes. They have done that. Huge credit to Milton and to Moro Ojomo to Jordan Davis to Thomas Booker when he’s had his opportunities, our edge players, all of those guys have done really, really well. We know it’s about being connected as a team. One thing that Coach (Nick) Sirianni says all of the time that I think is very profound, ‘I can’t be great without the greatness of others.’ It takes a team to get stuff done. We understand that it’s going to come with media stuff and certain guys are going to get more attention than others. But those guys that are getting the attention also realize that if I don’t have the guys next to me performing and they don’t trust me or I can’t trust them, we don’t get here. Our team understands that. Really proud of them. We got one more game.”
PFT’s Super Bowl LIX picks, Florio vs. Simms – PFT
There’s a very underrated, by very real, psychological component to this. For the Eagles players who squandered their 10-point lead to the Chiefs, at some point it will feel like deja vu all over again. The Chiefs will believe it’s their time to take the game, and the Eagles will sense it, too. It’s too much to overcome, in my view. We’ve seen what the Chiefs can do. Even though they aren’t as across-the-board potent as they’ve been in past years, they have the confidence that comes from doing it, over and over and over again. They’ve lost only one game they tried to win since Christmas Day 2023. And that took a Mahomesian effort from Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who turned a fourth-and-two with the game on the line into a 26-yard touchdown run.
Eagles cheerleaders surprise young fan injured in Northeast Philadelphia plane crash – 6ABC
The Philadelphia Eagles surprised a young fan who was injured in the medical jet crash in Northeast Philadelphia. Andre “Trey” Howard was severely injured by debris when the plane crashed on Cottman Avenue last week. Seven people were killed and 23 others were injured. The 10-year-old has since has emergency brain surgery and is recovering at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Two Eagles cheerleaders visited the young survivor as he continues to recover in the hospital.
Xavier Worthy models game after DeSean Jackson – Arrowhead Pride
One of Worthy’s biggest influences, however, isn’t on the Chiefs’ roster. Former Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowler receiver DeSean Jackson — a player Reid once coached and one of his era’s most electrifying deep threats — has been a blueprint for Worthy’s development. “I feel like it was just a perfect fit,” Worthy said of joining the Chiefs. “I feel like Andy Reid had a perfect offense for me to come in and learn. [In] DeSean Jackson — he had a guy similar to me, so he kind of knew how to use a receiver like me.” As Worthy prepares to face Jackson’s former team in the Super Bowl, he hopes to channel that same explosiveness on football’s biggest stage. “I try to emulate my game after DeSean Jackson,” Worthy said. “He’s arguably one of my favorite players of all time, so I try to emulate after him.”
Jayden Daniels got 49 out of 50 first-place votes for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year – Hogs Haven
At Thursday night’s NFL Honors ceremony, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the year. AP reports that he received 49 of 50 first-place votes, with Sam Monson’s vote going to Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and his 2nd place vote going to Daniels. Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse was an overwhelming choice for AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Dallas Cowboys 2025 free agent wishlist: Defensive edition – Blogging The Boys
DT – Milton Williams. Osa Odighizuwa is probably the preferred free agent DT the Cowboys will target via free agency, but we are going to exclude him for no other reason than to look at a different option. Milton Williams is someone Dallas should be familiar with considering they were not only rumored to like him coming out of the Louisiana Tech, but have played him twice a year for the past several years as a division rival with the Eagles. He, like Odighizuwa, is one of the better 3-techniques on the open market and would be a perfect fit in Matt Eberflus’ defense. […] DE – Josh Sweat. Other than Micah Parsons, who is expected to receive a big time extension this offseason, the Dallas Cowboys depth at DE leaves much to be desired. This could be the position they target with the 12th overall pick in the first-round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but free agency would be a good option as well. Josh Sweat is someone who fits what Matt Eberflus likes at the position, and signing him away from a division rival would be an added bonus. Sweat, Parsons, Marshawn Kneeland, and Sam Williams would be a formidable pass rush in Dallas.
I am disappointed Manning will not be part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2025. I am not, though, the least bit surprised. Ever since he retired, there has always been a vocal group of NFL analysts — and Hall of Fame committee members — who believe not only that Manning did not deserve enshrinement in his first year of eligibility, but that he may not deserve it at all. Veteran NFL writer Mike Tanier recently wrote about this on his ‘Too Deep Zone’ substack after speaking with a handful of Hall of Fame voters. Here is what some of them told Tanier.
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