Philly Front Office

The Eagles won on Saturday and clinched the NFC East. It was a solid win, but not the blow-the-doors-off kind of win we were hoping for. Last year’s Eagles were dominant. They started a little sluggish, but once Cooper DeJean hit the lineup and Nick shaved his head, the race was on. By the end, we were one of the best teams you’ll ever see. That’s not this year’s Eagles. That’s okay.

Eagles vs Commanders: Where Did Washington Go Wrong?

First, the above is no shade on the 2025 Birds. We all want them to come out, “put it all together”, and dominate, but it’s just not happening. The defense is phenomenal, but the other side is a cocktail of bad line play, bad coaching, and bad injury luck. All that said, this team is still not only very good, but battle tested. They survived a gauntlet of a schedule, seemingly decided to take the champs down a peg: no back to back home games, 5 short weeks, and the perils of facing all the division winners. If things get tough in the playoffs, Jalen Hurts and this defense know what to do.

Second, no one has separated themselves from the pack. Any time someone looks like the team to beat, they not only lose but look bad doing it. The Rams blew the Seahawks game, the Patriots blew the Bills game, the Packers blew the Bears game and there is no Chiefs boogieman waiting to take advantage…with one exception, but we’ll get to that. The playoff picture is wide open

One of the killers of the McNabb era Eagles was the failure of attrition. We were right there on the cusp of greatness so often but just never won. Our opponent never made the big mistake, no Eagle made the big play, it never just worked out. Making it worse, our arch rivals in North Jersey were mired in mediocrity that whole time and somehow lucked into not just one title, but two. We couldn’t get lucky and win one? Why? Especially since it happens all the time.

Aside from the Giants in 2007 and 2011, there are plenty of examples of teams getting hot and riding a good defense and a gamer QB to a title with an otherwise mediocre team:

• The 2020 season looked like the Chiefs’ title to lose. Tampa had Brady, got hot in the playoffs, and dominated an injury plagued KC for the title.
• In 2015, Carolina went 15-1 and crushed the NFC in the playoffs, while Denver rode a scorching defense and won despite a barely hanging on Peyton Manning.
• In 2012, the Broncos and the Patriots were the best teams, but the Ravens ended up beating both of them thanks to a legendary Joe Flacco run and the trio of Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, and Terrell Suggs.
• In 2010, the Jets of all teams upset the dominant Pats paving the way for Aaron Rodgers to win his only title with maybe his worst contender at 10-6. Rodgers would never get back despite all of his MVPs and #1 seeds.
• In 2008, the Giants had their best team of Eli Manning’s career, but lost to the Eagles WHO LOST TO THE 9-7 CARDINALS!

You get the idea; the best team doesn’t always win.

Then there are seasons like 2021. This was the Rams vs Bengals Super Bowl season where there were no elite teams. The Packers and Bucs had the best records at 13-4 but won a combined 1 playoff game. It was wide open. Sound familiar? The Patriots, Seahawks, and Broncos are all 12-3 but does anyone feel confident in any of them running away with this thing?

Who Might Trade for Tanner McKee?

When the Eagles lost Super Bowl 57 on a flimsy holding call, it felt like we let one slip away. There was no doubt that Eagles team was a great one. It was better than the SB52 team and probably the best one we’d seen up to that point. Not winning that year was bad in general, but it felt like a missing part of the team’s history. SB 57 should be in the trophy case.

Why did I bring that up? Because winning this year is still very much on the table. The McNabb era had some great teams that probably should have won, but no one is going to give you your first (unless you’re Peyton Manning). Demons like those need to be avenged. That’s what happened in SB 52. We are now in the club of franchises who can casually pick up another Super Bowl win without being the best team.

Are we the best? It’s possible, but it is certainly not a definite like last year. Yet we can make up for that loss by winning this season. It would be the one that maybe we didn’t deserve but won anyway. The ingredients are all here: killer defense, winning QB, battle tested, experience. You can see it happening. Even with uninspired performances, don’t give up hope Eagles fans. We are still in this.