On November 20th, 2023 the Eagles were flying high after defeating the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs 21-17, vaulting their season record to 10-1. Fast forward to January 7th, 2024 and this same Eagles team limped into the playoffs after losing five of their last six games enroute to a memorable late-season collapse. Adding further insult to injury, the team was dismantled a week later by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card round, with a humiliating final score of 32-9.
One year later, the Philadelphia Eagles are Super Bowl Champions after dominating the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, with the final game score of 40-22 failing to capture the blowout score of 40-6 the game held midway through the 4th quarter. So, how exactly did the Eagles go from an 11-6 team last year which barely made the playoffs and was bounced in the first round to a 14-3 juggernaut that scored the most points ever in a postseason run (145) enroute to an impressive Super Bowl triumph? There are plenty of reasons for their success, but here are the most important ones.
Vic Fangio hiring pays massive dividends
If you watched the Super Bowl this year and you still don’t believe that defense wins championships, then I really don’t know what to tell you as the Eagles defensive line dominated the Chiefs offensive line all night long in holding them to “22” (6) points.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio took over a defense that last season ranked 26th in total defense, 30th in scoring defense, and 31st in passing defense and he transformed the unit into one that ranked 1st, 2nd, and 1st in those stats this season.
Now, the team did add a few starting defensive players in veteran LB Zack Baun and rookie CBs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean during the offseason, but the core of that defensive line (Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, etc). remained mostly unchanged. Elite coaching matters, and the Eagles made the right hire at defensive coordinator.
Free agent signings become contributors
Zach Baun led the team in tackles last season, while Saquan Barkley set the NFL’s single season rushing record, & Mekhi Becton stabilized the team’s offensive line. What do these players have in common? They signed with the team last offseason. These players (and other signings) played critical roles in the Eagles’ team success.
Going from good to great is never easy in the NFL, but adding new players to the team who make an immediate impact is a way to aid in the success of that process. GM Howie Roseman conducted a masterclass of an offseason, and it didn’t end with the free agents that the team signed either, as several rookies also made an impact.
Rookies make an immediate impact
CB Cooper DeJean was Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded cornerback last season, and he showed why PFF valued him so highly on the game’s biggest stage as his pick-six against Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl iced the game in favor of the Eagles. His rookie running mate at cornerback, Quinyon Mitchell, wasn’t far behind him in the PFF rankings as he ended up being ranked in 8th place amongst all NFL corners.
Rookies aren’t supposed to come into the NFL and immediately become All-Pro level players, but that’s exactly what happened for the Eagles as both DeJean and Mitchell spearheaded the team’s defensive renaissance in a historic season for the franchise. Now after mentioning the players who spearheaded the team’s defense, it would be remiss of me not to mention the guy who revitalized the team’s offense this season.
Kellen Moore gives the offense a new identity
Last but certainly not least, Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore deserves a ton of credit for orchestrating a dominant offensive unit that leaned heavily on the rushing talents of RB Saquan Barkley while mixing in big plays in the passing game. The offensive line didn’t miss any beats following the retirement of franchise center Jason Kelce in the offseason either, injecting third year C Cam Jurgens into Kelce’s former role while also adding RG Mehki Becton to fill the team’s void at right guard.
Moore basically knew what he had in Barkley and he decided to design the offensive unit around him, which led itself to an offense that held the fewest passing attempts (448), 2nd fewest completions (303), and 3rd fewest passing yards (3,517) amongst NFL teams, but the formula worked out quite well with championship rings for the franchise and a new head coaching position for Moore with the New Orleans Saints. This was a rare win-win hire for both the franchise and the coach even though the relationship only lasted one year, proving that the Eagles made the right call at OC.
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