There’s been a collective perception within the NFL this season that whoever wins the AFC will go on to win the Tremendous Bowl. The energy of the Chiefs, Ravens, and Payments stoked common season flames that no person was going to have the ability to take care of the AFC’s huge three — however now the Tremendous Bowl between Chiefs and the Eagles is about it’s proper to surprise why the Eagles aren’t the favourite.
They need to be.
It is a lesson in skewed notion, distorted actuality, and the ever-increasing falsehood that quarterbacks nonetheless run the sport. When you step again from the apparent, that Patrick Mahomes is a significantly better quarterback than Jalen Hurts, then actually nothing else breaks in favor of the Chiefs in relation to on-field expertise.
Philadelphia’s domination of the Commanders is the NFC Championship is the canary within the coal mine for simply how harmful this crew might be. With time, preparation, and a full head of steam, the Eagles are essentially the most fearsome full offensive crew in soccer — with a protection so profoundly proficient and aggressive that they’ll erase their opponents from rivalry with a Thanos snap.
The Eagles are a black gap of pleasure for his or her opponents. The Commanders walked into The Linc on Sunday afternoon, using excessive after their domination of the Lions. Followers had a perception of their coronary heart that something was doable, and this was a yr of future. Throwing off the shackles of Dan Snyder, shifting ahead with Jayden Daniels, followers conjuring photographs of their heads of glory — and the Eagles stole them away.
At no level was the usually unflappable Daniels in a position to take care of the pervasive move rush of the Eagles’ entrance. He was dragged into deep water, and whereas the stat sheet solely exhibits three sacks, he was below unbelievable strain for a lot of the afternoon. When he was in a position to take a shot downfield there was no person to constantly get open apart from Zach Ertz, which took away explosive performs from the massive achieve targeted offense.
Flip the script to the opposite facet of the ball and the NFC Championship was an train within the Eagles lastly placing all of it collectively on offense. Clearly it was the Saquon Barkley present as soon as once more, because the phenom operating again completed with 118 yards speeding at a surprising 7.9 yards-per-carry, including three touchdowns for good measure. Nevertheless, what was totally different is that Barkley didn’t must mitigate errors from Jalen Hurts below middle.
Hurts did precisely what the Eagles wanted him to do, which was mitigate threat. Not solely did he play mistake-free soccer in opposition to Washington, however he excelled within the passing recreation with ruthless effectivity. Lethal along with his arm, an unbelievable dual-threat pairing with Barkley. While you couple these elements with the very best offensive line in soccer it makes for a fully fearsome mixture.
As we sit up for the Tremendous Bowl why is it so protected to think about Philadelphia having the ability to hoist the Lombardi Trophy as soon as extra? Have a look at the head-to-head edge within the main elements of this recreation.
Quarterback: Chiefs
Working again: Eagles
Receivers: Eagles
Offensive line: Eagles
Line of defense: Eagles
Linebackers: Eagles
Secondary: Push
Teaching: Chiefs
There’s little doubt that teaching is the one most necessary consider whether or not or not a crew can win all of it, nevertheless it’s troublesome to look previous what an amazing expertise edge the Eagles have in most phases. It is a Chiefs’ crew operating on moxie and the unflappability of Mahomes — however the one factor the Eagles excel at is taking their opponents out of their consolation zone.
Is that this the sport all of us needed? No. Reality be advised, it’s the least thrilling of the potential matchups we had this season. That mentioned, Tremendous Bowl LIX is shaping as much as be an unbelievable recreation, significantly for followers of hard-nosed soccer and protection. Chiefs vs. Eagles 2.0 could be very totally different than the previous assembly, with each groups now boasting top-tier defenses and reformed offenses.
Let’s bounce across the winners and losers from the NFC and AFC Championship video games
Losers: Sean McDermott and Joe Brady
The ache continues to be recent, however there must be severe speak on whether or not the Payments can ever progress additional than the place they’re at proper now. There are solely so many occasions you possibly can run into the Chiefs, so many occasions you possibly can come up brief in opposition to the identical opponent, so many occasions you possibly can maintain getting out-coached in essentially the most essential recreation of the yr.
Reaching the AFC Championship is chilly consolation for this franchise now. An unappealing comfort prize. Once we get right down to brass tacks the Payments weren’t ready, permitting the Chiefs to attain a season-high in factors in opposition to a protection that ought to have been in a position to cease Patrick Mahomes.
In the meantime, the offensive play calling on the Payments’ closing drive was abysmal, and that’s on Joe Brady, who has been given a lot credit score this season he deserves to take some licks when all of it falls aside. Nothing optimistic throughout this passage of play was due to Brady’s play calling.
It’s too straightforward accountable the loss on Dalton Kinkaid dropping the fourth down move, and certain, he ought to have caught it — however play calling didn’t assist this crew when it mattered essentially the most. If something, it ensured the crew had nothing left however Josh Allen heroics to lean on, and that’s a method that runs out most of the time.
The Payments have some soul-searching, as a result of this established order isn’t working.
Winner: Jayden Daniels
It was not a very good day for Jayden Daniels, however that is in regards to the totality of the second. Regardless of the Commanders not being prepared for the Eagles, Daniels by no means caved — competing till the tip.
We’ve seen Daniels deal with himself higher these playoffs than quarterbacks with a decade within the league. His efficiency is proof-positive that Washington made the proper choose to steer their crew, and the long run is brighter than at any level within the final 20 years.
Commanders followers needs to be proud, even when it hurts proper now.
Winner: Town of New Orleans
On the plus facet, even when we didn’t get the sport we needed, New Orleans gained’t must host Payments followers AND Eagles followers in the identical metropolis on the similar time. That’s a win for the sanity of the town.