GLENDALE, Ariz. − It has been a whirlwind two weeks building up to the Super Bowl.
But here we are, finally, as the Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs to crown an NFL champion for the 2022 season.
And that leads me to five thoughts heading into the big game:
Jordan Davis and the rookies
So I sidled up to Eagles rookie Jordan Davis this week, and wondered what must he be thinking.
Here he is, 22 years old, playing in a Super Bowl, just 13 months after he and fellow rookie Nakobe Dean won the College Football Playoff for the University of Georgia.
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Getting to a championship game must be old hat for him.
“It’s just different.,” Davis said about the NCAA’s championship game and the NFL’s. “(In college) it’s usually the same familiar 5-6 suspects who really have a chance. In the NFL, it’s different. Anyone can make it. And this year is our year.”
But Davis, as a first-round pick, won’t play much. He’s part of a deep and talented defensive tackle rotation that consists of Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph.
The same is true of second-round pick Cam Jurgens, a center, and Dean, the third-round pick at linebacker.
Long roads to the dance for Hurts, Slay
Then I think of Darius Slay, the Eagles’ cornerback who is in his 10th season, and had never even won a playoff game until this season.
And I think about Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. He won the national championship as a true freshman at Alabama in the 2016 season. He was benched at halftime of the national championship game the next season for Tua Tagovailoa, and was a backup the following year.
Finally, Hurts transferred to the University of Oklahoma for his senior season, and got back to the college football playoff.
Now here he is, three years later, playing for a Super Bowl. Yes, it’s a whirlwind, but Hurts has embraced all of it, answering the football questions and the non-football questions.
“You talk about games like this,” Hurts said. “This is a game where this is the last one. It’s the last one that this team will go out there and play together. We had our last practice (Friday). Little things like that resonate with us.”
So many changes to come
And I think about the upwards of 20 free agents on the team. Many of them won’t be back next season. Stalwarts like Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Jason Kelce might be playing their last games as Eagles. The same is true of players like Miles Sanders, James Bradberry and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
Where would the Eagles be without them? It’s so difficult to put together a Super Bowl contender, and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman deserves a lot of credit for finding those players.
And Roseman knows his biggest challenge is yet to come, getting the Eagles back here despite all of the changes that are certainly coming.
Sirianni’s speech (or lack thereof)
I also think about Eagles coach Nick Sirianni. For two seasons, he showed his fiery-ness on the field and in his speeches to the team.
But on Saturday, in the team’s last meeting, Sirianni said he was going to change it up. Instead of speaking, he was going to open the floor to any player who wanted to say something to the entire team. He said that was something he took from his days as a wide receiver at Mount Union, when the Purple Raiders played for an NCAA Division III national championship in 2003.
It’s no wonder why he has earned his players’ respect and admiration.
What a ride
And mostly, I think about how much of a thrill ride this entire season was. When last season ended, Hurts showed up to his postgame press conference in a walking boot, having played a dreadful game on a sprained ankle that would require offseason surgery, as the Eagles were totally outclassed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The questions about Hurts’ future were everywhere, and there was speculation that the Eagles had looked into trading for either Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson.
That seems so unfathomable now. Soon, Hurts and the Eagles will start talking about a mega-contract extension that could pay him somewhere in the $50 million per season range in annual average value.
And now, we’re talking about the Eagles possibly becoming a dynasty in the NFC, much like the Chiefs are in the AFC.
Eagles make special teams changes
Now for some news.
The Eagles could be making a change at punter after activating Arryn Siposs from injured reserve. Siposs had broken his leg against the Giants on Dec. 11. But the Eagles did not waive Siposs’ replacement Brett Kern, mainly because they didn’t have to.
That’s because the Eagles’ roster was one short of 53 players when rookie offensive lineman Josh Sills was placed on the commissioner’s “exempt list” after he was indicted for rape from an alleged case in 2019.
In addition, the Eagles gave wide receiver/punt returner Greg Ward a practice-squad elevation because the regular punt returner, Britain Covey, is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury. Covey was a limited participant in practice Friday.
Ward has not been on the game-day roster at all this season, but he did serve as a punt returner/wide receiver since late in the 2019 season.
If Ward ends up returning punts, it’ll most likely be to fair-catch the ball. Expect DeVonta Smith to get a few chances at returning punts.
The Eagles also gave safety Anthony Harris a practice-squad elevation. Harris had gotten the elevation in the previous two playoff games, but was on the inactive list each game. That will probably be the case again.
Martin Frank’s prediction
In the end, this game will come down to defense, as in which defense can make one stop − and quite possibly only one stop − to win the game. Mahomes is great, and so is his favorite target, tight end Travis Kelce. The Eagles will be tested by those two like they haven’t been all season.
At the same time, Hurts and his receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith will test a Chiefs’ secondary that features four rookies among the top five defensive backs. And make no mistake, Hurts will have to throw, something he hasn’t had to do much of since spraining his shoulder on Dec. 18.
Part of that is because he hasn’t had to. The Eagles have had at least 14-point leads at halftime in their two playoff games. They won’t have that luxury against the Chiefs.
But really, there’s no reason to overthink this. Chiefs coach Andy Reid spent 14 seasons in Philly building the Eagles on the offensive and defensive lines. And that philosophy hasn’t changed for either the Eagles or for Reid.
The Eagles’ offensive line, however, is better, as long as they can neutralize Chiefs star defensive tackle Chris Jones. The Eagles defensive line is also better, although getting to Mahomes won’t be nearly as easy as it was 2 weeks ago against the 49ers QB combo of Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson.
Still, all the Eagles need is one stop. They’ll get it, and the Chiefs won’t.
Score: Eagles 37, Chiefs 33.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.