The Eagles’ run all the way to Super Bowl LII has captivated football fans all across the nation given the obstacles they had to overcome just to get there. They have one last hurdle to clear to become unlikely world champions, but it is easily the biggest obstacle they will have to get over, under, through or around to achieve this loftiest of goals.
This is the same team that only won seven games last season with rookie head coach Doug Pederson at the helm and rookie quarterback Carson Wentz under center. The outlook for the 2017 season was positive, but Philadelphia was the third-favorite just to win the NFC East behind Dallas and New York. The Eagles got tripped up in Kansas City against Andy Reid and Co. to open their schedule at 1-1, but the next loss did not come until Week 13 against Seattle and the rest is history. Meanwhile, the Cowboys faltered in the absence of Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott to finish 9-7 and the Giants never even got out of the gate with a 3-13 record on the year.
The loss of Wentz to injury and the subsequent ascension of former Eagles’ starter Nick Foles to the man running the show on offense was supposed to result in an early exit from the playoffs as the top seed in the NFC. I was the one that proclaimed Foles the Eagles’ franchise quarterback of the future following his breakout season in 2013, but little did I know that then-coach Chip Kelly had alternative plans for that position. Fole's NFL career faltered over the next few seasons until he returned to the nest this past offseason. Wentz has obviously stepped up to fill that role for hopefully the next decade and beyond, but I could not be happier for Andy Reid’s third-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
All told, the Eagles have a chance to finally win that elusive Super Bowl title in their third trip to the NFL’s biggest stage. They never showed up against Oakland in their trip to the Super Bowl following the 1980 season after head coach Dick Vermeil had that team wound tighter than a two-dollar watch. The Super Bowl appearance in the 2004 season looked good on paper with a 24-21 loss to New England, but the eventual outcome of that game was never really in doubt.
The odds have been stacked against Philly throughout the postseason and the underdog role suits this team well. The one encouraging thought about facing Bill Belichick’s Patriots with future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady under center is the fact that this duo’s only two losses in the Super Bowl along with their five victories came against a NFC East team that was given no chance to win either game. If Foles can take a page out of Eli Manning’s two magical Super Bowl performances against New England, then the third time just might be the charm.
No comments:
Post a Comment