red and yellow confetti rained down in Glendale, Arizona, proclaiming the Kansas City Chiefs the Champions of the NFL 2022 season. On the other sideline, the Philadelphia Eagles look on stunned as they dropped the Super Bowl 57 38-35. How could this happen to the team of the destiny of 2022? How could this happen to a roster assembled by the 2022 NFL Executive of the year, Howie Roseman? How could this happen to a 14-3 football team?
This happened because, after all the hype, all the overconfidence from the NFL’s most passionate fan base. The Eagles were not that good after all. They were the benefactors of the topsy turvy down is up 2022 NFL season. They were benefactors of a league gone crazy. This is not to discredit the accomplishments of the Eagles.
This is to put finally into context what the Eagles were in 2022. They were a team that did not face an elite quarterback until the super bowl. This is a team that only faced one legit good quarterback during the regular season. This is a team that played ten teams that finished 2022 with a .500 or over the record and went 8-2. A team that played seven teams with a record under .500 and went 6-1. When you combine the overall records of the teams the Eagles faced this year, you get 103-135-4.
They were simply never tested during the regular season. They weren’t tested through two rounds of the playoffs. They were tested in the Super Bowl, and they failed. Whether you want to blame the turf, the refs, John Gannon, Nick Sirianni, Howie Roseman, etc. The result was they failed. There were three elite teams in the NFL in 2022 the Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs. Not the Philadelphia Eagles.
Drinking the Kool-Aid
Many in Eagles nation were counting on the Super Bowl to validate the accomplishments of the Eagles in 2022. Many were falsely hyping themselves up to believe that yes, we are this good, and this will be the final nail in all the hater’s coffins. Sadly they were wrong, sadly, they were mistaken, and once again, sadly, they were lied to.
On Sunday night, they faced an elite NFL team, and that elite NFL team took apart the upstart Birds after spotting them a 10-point half-time lead. The difference between elite teams and good teams is this. Elite teams adjust and find any way to win. Good teams hang on and stop trying to win and revert to trying not to lose. Elite teams make plays and create opportunities. Good teams blame the turf and referees. Elite teams manage every aspect of the game and exploit every second of the clock. Good teams turn to gadget plays and pray for help from the refs. Elite teams win, and good teams fall short time after time.
What Now
The 2022 Philadelphia Eagles went on a magical ride and took their fans along with them. At the end of the day, the Eagles were no better than the Philadelphia Stars, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Philadelphia Union. All Championship game losers in 2022. Now the offseason is here, and the Eagles will be faced with many questions and concerns. One who should return from this coaching staff. Two, the Eagles have 18 pending free agents, and 15 of them were solid contributors to the 2022 team.
Three Jalen Hurts has won the job as the franchise quarterback with that honor, and the fact that he will be entering into his final contract year in 2023 comes with a payday. Four, the Eagles currently hold two first-round draft picks in this year’s upcoming draft, along with a second and third-round pick. They then don’t pick in the draft until the 7th round.
It hurts to get his close and come up short. It hurts to dominate as they did and come up short. Also, it hurts to lose. In 2022 the Eagles were, in fact, losers after all the hype.
