ClutchPoints
For the second time in three years, the Philadelphia Eagles are going to the Super Bowl.
That’s right, all the players’ hard work paid off, the new coaching staff meshed perfectly, and the depth Howie Roseman assembled proved more than adequate, with reserve players like Fred Johnson, Tyler Steen, Moro Ojomo, Jalyx Hunt, and Oren Burks all playing key snaps for the team. Philadelphia rode an incredible series of performances from their top offensive stars like Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, and DeVota Smith on offense, while defenders like Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Nolan Smith, and Zack Baun all stepped up in a major way alongside established stars like Darius Slay, Josh Sweat, and Jalen Carter.
And yet, just like in February of 2023, the Eagles will have to take on one of the best teams fans have seen in recent years, the Kansas City Chiefs, who have won the last two Super Bowls due to the potent trio of Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce.
Widely considered the favorite to win it all for the third straight year, it makes sense that some Eagles fans feel rather worried about the final outcome of the 2024 NFL season’s grand finale, but should that be the case? While the Chiefs are a darn-good NFL team, having won the most regular season games in franchise history at 15, that doesn’t mean the Eagles can’t take them down, as they won 14 regular season games, which ties a franchise record, and have the firepower needed to hang with pretty much any team in the NFL.
Will it be easy? No, playing the Chiefs never is, but there is a path for Philadelphia to pull out a win in New Orleans, as they have multiple different ways to give their foes fits in the big game.
When it comes to the Eagles in 2024, it’s hard to talk about the team for too long without touching on the team’s unique ability to run the ball down an opposing team’s throat.
Averaging the most rushing attempts and second-most rushing yards in the NFL over the course of the regular season, with 29 rushing touchdowns to put those efforts over the top, the dynamic duo of Saquon Barkley plus Jalen Hurts, plus supplemental runners like Kenenth Gainwell and Will Shipley consistently found ways to get things going on the ground, with Philadelphia averaging an incredible 179 rushing yards per game.
From zone runs between the tackles, to outside zones where offensive linemen become lead blockers in the open field and the team’s signature play, the RPO, Jeff Stoutland’s offense has powered through the NFL’s best-rushing defenses with ease, with only one team, the New York Giants in Week 18, surrendering less than 100 rushing yards on the season.
Who didn’t play in that Week 18 contest? Well, Barkley, Hurts, and the majority of the Eagles’ top players, for that matter.
In the playoffs, the...
