When asked about the dominance of the front four, defensive end Josh Sweat said, “It allows the guys to cover on the back end. We don’t have to add extra guys to do that. It’s just what we look for. We don’t like when we have to send extra guys and stuff. That’s our pride — getting it done with a four-man rush.”
This championship reinforced the wisdom the Eagles displayed in hiring Fangio — and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore — last offseason.
As much as people focused on the impact of running back Saquon Barkley on this offense, the defense was the major weakness for this team last season. That unit surrendered a ton of big plays and struggled to find any consistency in pass coverage. It also didn’t help that the Eagles were relying on younger players like Carter, defensive tackle Jordan Davis and edge rusher Nolan Smith to grow up in a hurry.
Fangio helped this unit find itself as the season went on.
Carter developed into a force of nature on the interior, Baun blossomed into the biggest free-agent bargain of the year and Mitchell and DeJean impressed so much that both players finished in the top five of voting for Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Eagles had only four players appear in this game that were a part of that 2022 team that lost to Kansas City in Super Bowl LVII: Graham, Sweat, cornerback Darius Slay and safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Fangio created a new identity out of a younger, more talented core, one that left an indelible mark on this game.
Those defensive holdovers also said there was extra motivation in this contest because of how that last Super Bowl meeting with Kansas City played out, as the Chiefs won, 38-35. Their defense was dominant that year as well (it amassed 70 sacks) but couldn’t contain Mahomes when it mattered.
“I’m proud of these guys,” Graham said. “Last time this game ended, it was red (confetti) at the end because it was all about the Chiefs. We owed them and I’m glad we got it this time.”
The Eagles got it done in ways that likely stunned anybody who watched this contest.
This game had a real chance of being a Kansas City coronation, as another Super Bowl win would’ve cemented the Chiefs as an unprecedented dynasty.
Instead, it was the Eagles defense that stole the show by shutting down one of the best quarterbacks we’ve ever seen. The players deserve a ton of credit for that, but so does a coordinator who proved to be one of the best hires of the year.
