The Eagles were soaring high last season, with a 10-1 record, the top seed, home-field advantage for the playoffs, and a Super Bowl ring within reach.
However, this season turned out differently. Instead of heading straight to the Super Bowl on February 9 in a rematch against Kansas City, they faced a tough 2023. Coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts’ journey to the Super Bowl ended in one of the most dramatic collapses in Philadelphia sports history — and there have been many.
The Eagles were 10-1 before they suffered a heavy 23-point loss at home to San Francisco in a rematch of the NFC championship game. The following week, Dallas defeated them by 20 points. The losses kept piling up, and the Eagles finished the regular season 1-5 before being eliminated in a wild-card loss to Tampa Bay.
Despite reaching the playoffs three times and going to a Super Bowl in his first three seasons, Sirianni was on the hot seat. Changes were necessary — from adjustments to the coaching staff and game plan, to the draft and improving the team’s locker room chemistry.
The tough lessons from the previous year motivated the Eagles, leading them to a 14-win regular season and three more playoff victories.
Owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman chose to stick with Sirianni, and the Eagles made the necessary moves to get back to the top. Now, they are just one win away from reaching the Super Bowl once again.
“It’s been the story of the 2023 to the 2024 Eagles. As bad of a feeling we had about how last year ended, I think it makes you who you are,” said Sirianni.
Now, they aim to win their second Super Bowl in franchise history. “That’s pretty dope,” Sirianni said. “That’s all my focus is on.”
Hurts and Sirianni
In their relationship this season, Sirianni and Hurts appear to be more in sync than last year. After the NFC Championship win, Hurts joked that he had been “freed from the offense’s ‘straitjacket.’” Hurts had six wins this season in games where he passed for under 200 yards, and in the NFC Championship, he threw for 246 yards and had four touchdowns.
“We’ve been winning a couple different ways this year. I think he was just having fun after the game,” Sirianni said. “I know this, and he’s said this plenty of times: He doesn’t care how we win. I don’t care how we win, as long as we win. We do everything we can do to be able to win.”
The biggest question heading into this season was whether Hurts and Sirianni’s relationship, which seemed strained last year, would carry over into 2023. After the playoff loss to Tampa Bay, Hurts had a lukewarm response when asked about Sirianni’s future. He later explained that his answer was because he was caught off guard by the question.
“We’ve been through a lot together, right? A lot of wins, some down times,” Sirianni said this week. “That’s what kind of forges relationships.”
Despite some rocky moments, Hurts publicly supported Sirianni this season. They are now the first coach-QB duo in Eagles history to reach two Super Bowls.
“He’s done a great job,” Hurts said.
The coordinators
One of the clearest signs the Eagles were struggling last season came when Sirianni made former Lions coach Matt Patricia the defensive play-caller, which took real responsibility away from defensive coordinator Sean Desai. Desai and Patricia were let go in the offseason, along with offensive coordinator Brian Johnson. Johnson only lasted one season in Philadelphia, and Hurts had a tough year, throwing a career-high 15 interceptions and seeing his passer rating drop from 101.5 to 89.1.
The new hires were a huge improvement.
Kellen Moore took over as offensive coordinator and became one of the most sought-after head coaching candidates in the NFL. The Eagles hired 66-year-old Vic Fangio to run the defense, and under his guidance, it became the top-rated defense in the league.
The defense has allowed just 10, 22, and 23 points in the postseason, with 10 takeaways, including 21 points off three fumble recoveries against the Commanders.
“The players have to play well to play great defense, so it’s a combination of what Vic does and how he motivates the guys to get them to play to the highest level that they can,” Sirianni said. “Just got a ton of respect for him and sure glad he’s here.”
Moore, a former backup quarterback who played behind Dak Prescott with Dallas in 2017 before becoming his position coach the following year, directed a Philadelphia offense that featured Barkley as the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in the regular season.
“There are different things that we’ve been doing that have really helped us. There are some things that are similar to what we’ve done in the past because we’ve been good at those things,” Sirianni said.
“And then there are things that are new to both what we’ve done and Kellen’s system as well. Kellen’s done a phenomenal job of handling all those things, putting our offense in positions that we’ve been successful in.”
Barkley arrives
Former Eagles running back Miles Sanders ran for a solid 1,269 yards during the 2022 Super Bowl season, and Kenneth Gainwell was a reliable backup.
Hurts was the team’s leading rusher in the Super Bowl with 70 yards, and the Eagles only had 115 yards rushing in total.
With Saquon Barkley, the Eagles feel like a completely new team at times.
Barkley has quickly become one of the greatest free-agent signings in Philadelphia sports history. He ran for 2,005 yards, can break off 60-yard touchdowns as easily as Joel Embiid scores layups, and has turned the offense into one of the most dangerous dual threats since the days of Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens.
The Eagles will need Barkley to be at his best to have a chance against the Chiefs. That’s no small task for a player whose season has led to comparisons with legends like Terrell Davis and Eric Dickerson, ranking him among the best running backs in NFL history.
