Philadelphia Eagles vs Minnesota Vikings in Week 2
The Philadelphia Eagles were beaten in Super Bowl 57 by the Kansas City Chiefs in a thriller in Arizona. Jalen Hurts put forward one of the best performances by a quarterback in the Super Bowl, battling Patrick Mahomes and company all the way.
Hurts made a costly mistake in the third quarter to hand the Chiefs a vital touchdown to swing momentum in their favor, but he did bring his side back into contention. A controversial pass interference call allowed Kansas City to take time off the clock before kicking a game-winning field goal, securing their second Vince Lombardi Trophy in four years. Although the Eagles were beaten, the franchise have a lot to be hopeful for in the future, especially their prospects of an immediate return to the Super Bowl.
Eagles’ fans can back their side using a free bet from FanDuel to go one better next season and, given the level of competition in the NFC Conference, their confidence should be sky-high. There are no dominant sides waiting to pounce as the depth of quality between the two conferences is heavily weighted towards the AFC. The path is seemingly clear for the Eagles to win the NFC Conference for a second year in a row.
The Eagles have managed to keep the majority of their roster intact, although they will feel the losses of Javon Hargrave and CJ Gardner-Johnson on their defense. Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, James Bradberry and Jason Kelce have all returned, offering vital experience for another surge towards the Super Bowl. The Eagles have been savvy in free agency, adding good players on low-cost deals and can also control the 2023 NFL Draft with two first-round picks, including the 10th overall selection. This gives the Eagles flexibility to take the best available player without having to draft for need.
Philadelphia did lose both their offensive and defensive coordinators to head coaching positions. Shane Steichen left for the Indianapolis Colts and Jonathan Gannon was hired by the Arizona Cardinals. Given that head coach Nick Sirianni is the driving force behind the offense, the loss of Steichen should not be too detrimental to the franchise and Hurts.
Philadelphia’s defense came under fire at times last season for Gannon’s approach. He has been replaced by Sean Desai, who has experience at several teams and still retains an exuberant approach at the age of 39. Unlike other teams, the Eagles have had a solid succession plan in place, so they should be able to hit the ground running once more.
Hurts took a significant step forward last season and could have arguably ended the campaign as MVP and Super Bowl MVP. Instead, both awards were rightly won by Mahomes. Now that Hurts has a taste for the Super Bowl, he will want to lead his team one step forward to claim the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The issue that he may face is that teams will have studied the Eagles’ offense and his game for deficiencies to attack in the 2023 season. It will be up to Hurts to sustain his levels of brilliance, although he will be aided by the outstanding AJ Brown and Devonta Smith.
The two receivers are standouts in the NFL and will continue to give opposing defenses nightmares. The running game will not lose its potency, led by Hurts out of the backfield. He does need to learn how to avoid the big hits, but he was electric in the Super Bowl. Mistakes will naturally happen and he needs to limit them, especially on the major stage. But, there’s no reason why the Eagles offense can’t be even better in the 2023 season.
One of the main reasons why the Eagles should be so confident is the lack of competition in the NFC Conference. The San Francisco 49ers will have a quarterback battle in training camp between Sam Darnold, Brock Purdy and Trey Lance, and have had major problems keeping their starting quarterbacks healthy. The Dallas Cowboys can never seem to get out of their own way in the playoffs, and the New York Giants may not be able to take the step forward in their second season under Brian Daboll.
The Green Bay Packers are poised to lose Aaron Rodgers, while the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings have proved very little in terms of playoff caliber. All four teams in the NFC South appear to be on course to have another poor year, unless the Carolina Panthers can find a lightning in a bottle with the first-overall pick. So, from the outset, there’s nothing for the Eagles to fear.
Expect another Super Bowl charge from Sirianni and his team.