The Eagles started the process of cleaning out their lockers on Tuesday, officially ending the 2022-23 NFL season, along with the beginning of several what-ifs in regard to Super Bowl LVII.
Philadelphia suffered a heartbreaking 38-35 loss, inflicting wounds on themselves with fumbles, blown coverages, and a punt when they should have gone for it on fourth down.
Regular season MVP Patrick Mahomes took home the Super Bowl LVII MVP as well after he finished 21 of 27 for 182 yards with three touchdowns. Kansas City scored a touchdown on its first three drives of the second half after trailing at halftime 24-14.
With all eyes turning towards the scouting combine and NFL free agency, here’s what we learned from the Eagles’ 38-35 loss to the Chiefs.
Eagles have to make adjustments in the secondary
The @Chiefs won #SuperBowlLVII because they PAID ATTENTION 👏👏@ArrowheadPride @Espngreeny @GetUpESPN pic.twitter.com/7PiTrWqD4Q
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) February 13, 2023
Kansas City paid attention to the Eagles’ schemes and coverages and then used those tendencies against Darius Slay and the cornerback group.
Doug Pederson, Reid's former protege, used the same short motion KC did twice in the SB for a TD against the Eagles earlier in the season pic.twitter.com/tMa2gmNQgC
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) February 13, 2023
The idea of man vs. zone can be debated all day, but the Eagles’ defense will get a ton of zoom motion and other scheme changes in 2023.
Eagles need Jordan Davis in the lineup
Isiah Pacheco, the Chiefs’ rookie running back, rushed for a game-high 76 yards on 15 carries, and they were physical carries.
Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh saved the Eagles when Jordan Davis was out with a high ankle sprain, but it’s now time for GM Howie Roseman to build around the massive, yet athletic defensive tackle.
Jalen Hurts is the king of Philly
Hurts again proved he was a franchise quarterback and has about 25 other teams around the league wondering why they didn’t select him in the first or second round.
The former Alabama and Oklahoma star broke multiple Super Bowl quarterback rushing records, including most touchdowns (three), touchdowns in a first half (two) and overall rushing yards (70).
More importantly, he was dynamic as a passer after finishing with 304 yards while completing 27 of 38 passes for one touchdown and zero interceptions.
Hurts’ three rushing touchdowns established a new Super Bowl record for quarterbacks and tied the all-time mark of Hall of Famer Terrell Davis, Super Bowl 32’s MVP for Denver.
The highest-graded QBs of the 2022 season pic.twitter.com/NoOsO75Ygy
— PFF (@PFF) February 14, 2023
Eagles have dynamic duo at WR
It was a disappointing night for the Eagles, but Philadelphia is set at wide receiver going forward after the Super Bowl LVII loss.
DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown were both spectacular for the Eagles, combining for 196 yards receiving, including an amazing 45-yard grab for a score by the former Ole Miss star.
DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown combined in the Super Bowl:
13 catches
196 yards
1 TDA dominant performance. This duo is just getting started. pic.twitter.com/bltN9YEPWa
— Brenden Deeg (@BrendenDeeg_) February 13, 2023
Eagles defense will look different
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman signed an extension last offseason and he’ll now be tasked with retooling a Super Bowl-caliber roster without taking a major step backward.
Roseman will no longer have the second-round discount of Jalen Hurts’ rookie deal, and he’ll need to make a free-agent decision on eight defensive starters or key contributors who’ll be hitting the open market.
With Jordan Davis in the fold and other key younger contributors in place, could Roseman look to let Javon Hargrave, Kyzir White, Marcus Epps, and a few other guys walk while retooling with Nakobe Dean, Reed Blankenship, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and two plus defenders from the draft?
After watching his high-priced defense get shredded in the Super Bowl, we learned Roseman could decide to let the NFL’s most explosive offense stay in tact while revamping the defense.
Miles Sanders is out of here
The Pro Bowl running back had 1,200+ rushing yards and 10+ touchdowns this season but was unproductive on the biggest stage.
Sanders had seven carries for 16 yards on the evening and the Eagles’ offense was still explosive without his production.
His inability to establish himself as a true three-down running back has opened the door for Kenneth Gainwell to become RB1 in 2023 for salary cap purposes.
Sanders had 509 receiving yards as a rookie, but he’s only had 433 receiving yards total over 3 seasons since and he’ll look for a solid deal on the open market.
