When you win a championship, the season many times unfolds with Disney movie storylines. The Eagles Super Bowl 52 outcome couldn’t have spelled that out any clearer. Winning a title with Nick Foles at quarterback and losing numerous starters is dramatic enough to prove that point. Instead, the 2024 Eagles championship will be seen differently. This team won with brute force. They played two of their best games at the most important time. Scoring 95 points in the NFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl combined is an epic performance.
Those offensive outbursts aren’t the only reason that this championship will be remembered historically. I look back at five things that happened over the course of the off-season and season itself that made this a memory that will last a lifetime. They were unlikely and they were spectacular!
5. Finding arguably the best linebacker performance in the NFC off of the Saints scrap heap
What the Eagles found in Zack Baun was truly an incredible storyline. Who actually “found him” is a story that is more complicated. It was definitely a collaborative effort between DC Vic Fangio and GM Howie Roseman. Fangio was the one who converted his position and him from a special teams player. It was the greatest out of left field story from an NFL veteran player this season. Will he convert that into a long term contract here? That is a storyline for the off-season and will be interesting to follow.
4. The Eagles having 21 of 22 starters available in SB59 after they had 22 of 22 starters available in SB57
Two seasons ago it was incredible that the Eagles showed up in Arizona for Super Bowl 57 with their original starters all healthy. After a tumultuous 2023 season the fortunes of good health played in their favor once again. To have all of your starters available except for Nakobe Dean was very fortunate. The Eagles have shown how being healthy makes all the difference come January.
3. Drafting two defensive players in the Top 40 picks and having them both be finalists for DROY
For the Eagles to have grabbed Cornerback Quinton Mitchell with the 22nd selection and Cooper DeJean with the 40th selection after a trade up with the Commanders on draft night. Howie Roseman has completely changed the discussion on his drafting prowess. He has secured 12 dynamic players with his first three picks in each of the last four drafts. The Eagles have to pay players coming up and drafting well helps make that seamless.
2. Going from the 30th-ranked defense to the 1st-ranked defense in one off-season
When Vic Fangio was hired I was very high on him coming to the staff. I thought that this time around the Eagles would have an adult in the room who could bring a group together. What I never believed (and you didn’t either) was that he could take a team from 30th overall to 1st. They had a slow start in September but quickly started to gel using his scheme. They became the storyline for this teams success. The turnovers became an avalanche and that helped the offense to capitalize.
1) Only 4 teams in the NFL had a worse 1Q point differential than the -42 Eagles. They were the 2nd best team in 2Q point differential only to the Lions +64. They led the league in 4Q point differential +60
The Eagles were the 2nd worst team in the NFL in first-quarter point differential. They were consistently starting in a hole in the first half of the season. After Thanksgiving that all seemed to turn. They were quick to respond in the second quarter as they went from 31st to 2nd in point differential. Their fourth quarter dominance had them atop the NFL. Why this team was so poor out of the gate is a mystery that might never be understood!