In the pulsating realm of the National Football League (NFL), the Philadelphia Eagles have not merely been contenders but rather, as of late, they've emerged as a dominant force to be reckoned with. Their ascendancy to the upper echelons of the league can be attributed to a meticulously crafted combination of strategic leadership, player talent, and an organisational commitment to excellence. After coming agonisingly close last year, losing in the Super Bowl but only three points, the Eagles look to ensure that they can win the Vince Lombardi Trophy this season.
A major factor that contributes to the success of the Eagles is the teams’ resilience. As seen in their win in the Super Bowl 57 rematch against the Chiefs this Monday, after a very poor performance in the first half they managed to complete another big comeback win. After being down 17-7 in the first half, the Eagles came out after the half a completely different team. Managing to completely shut the Chiefs out allowing no points against them in the second half and with Hurts scoring two rushing touchdowns winning narrowly late in the game. This isn’t the only time that the eagles have shown their resilience late in the game with that win on Monday, Hurts recorded his seventh straight victory when his team trailed by 10-plus points. Since the stat was first tracked in 1991, Hurts is the only quarterback with five straight victories when his team trails by double digits (streak at seven). This shows that even if they are down in the fourth quarter it wouldn’t be smart to bet against them.
An obvious reason for the Eagles continued success is their player talent. Having an MVP calibre quarterback normally results in success of an organisation, this being the case for the Eagles helped largely by other outstanding players around him. Hurts seemingly leading the race for MVP at the moment and a large part of why this team is currently 9-1 at the top of the NFL standings. Hurts has now won 26 of his last 28 regular-season starts showing he knows what it takes to win, and perhaps more impressive is his now 13 straight winning game streak against teams with winning records- becoming the longest streak by an NFL QB since 1950. An important stat going into the playoffs as they take on the best teams in the NFC in their attempt to return to the Super Bowl. Jason Kelce is also a big reason for the Eagles continuous success, after 13 years with the teams and two Super Bowls he understands what it takes for them to win another championship. Kelce is widely considered the best centre in the league this season and a guarantee future Hall of Famer. Jason Kelce is hugely important to the teams winning record allowing the Eagles running game to be so good and also allowing their passing game to thrive due to the elite blocking and protection that he delivers. The Eagles depth stands out a lot and the ability of their role players to step up and make a play. This is what sets the eagles apart from other teams like the Chiefs, as seen in the recent matchup between the two teams the Eagles knew if they could contain Travis Kelce that the Chiefs would struggle offensively. Whereas, with the Eagles when the main offensive option in A.J. Brown struggled last Monday only managing a total of 8 yards and 1 reception all game the depth within their team allows other options such as DeVonta Smith to come up big going for 99 yards in the game.
Nick Sirianni the Head Coach (HC) of the organisation doesn’t seem to get enough credit for role in the success for the Eagles. Sirianni isn’t even being mentioned in the conversation for NFL Coach of the Year. He is an emotional HC who wears his heart on his sleeve and receives a lot of criticism for his side-line antics, which were back in the spotlight again on Monday night’s win yelling at Chiefs fans and screaming ‘Bye’ as he excited the field. This could be the reason that many people overlook the outstanding job that he is doing with this team. Sirianni is just the sixth NFL head coach since 1970 to lead his team to a 9-1 start or better in back-to-back seasons. His 32-12 record is the highest winning percentage (.727) by a head coach in team history. The play calls made have also been hugely successful, it would feel wrong talking about the Eagles success without mentioning their trademark play ‘the Tush Push’. The play is a glorified sneak where the quarterback is pushed forward by teammates lined up behind him. It has been wildly successful for the Eagles since they made it a regular part of their offence since last year. Last year they ran the play 37 times in the regular season and gained a first down or scored a touchdown on 34 of those attempts for a success rate of 92% and the play has continued to be very effective for the team.