After an amazing season capped off by the Philadelphia Eagles first-ever Super Bowl title, what more is there to look forward to for Eagles fans? Well how about hoisting the Lombardi again in the 2018-2019 season? Winning back-to-back Super Bowls in the NFL is incredibly hard to pull off. In fact, it has only happened eight times in the history of the Super Bowl era NFL. Most recently it was the New England Patriots when they won Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX (38 and 39).
However, with minimal changes to last years championship team, the Eagles are set up to win it all again. Not just because I think it is going to happen, but because they are a young team that should only improve in coming years and especially because of these four reasons.
The defensive line is the best in the NFL
Howie Roseman, General Manager of the Philadelphia Eagles, has invested a ton of capital into the defensive line in Philly and it has paid off in spades. With all due respect to those great defensive lines in Los Angeles and Houston, the Eagles have the best defensive line in football. The amount of pressure that they put on the quarterback to make quick reads and get rid of the ball is what makes the whole defense work. The best part is that they only got better this offseason.
Vinny Curry is gone after being released to save cap room, but the presence of Micheal Bennett should more than make up for his absence. Curry had only three sacks last season. Michael Bennett was credited with eight and a half sacks. Now clearly eight and a half is better than three but his impact goes beyond even that. On obvious passing downs Bennett possesses the ability to slide inside which allows the Eagles to put all their best pass rushers on the field at once. What quarterback is not going to be scared by a lineup of Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Michael Bennett and Derek Barnett?
I haven’t even mentioned defensive end Chris Long and pass rushing defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan who have been stellar in their own rights. In addition to all that, Derek Barnett is bound to progress in year two after a very promising year one in which he recovered the game-changing fumble in Super Bowl 52.
Carson Wentz will be back on the team that just won a superbowl without him
Nick Foles was great in the playoffs, there is no disputing that. However, adding Carson Wentz back into the mix gives the Eagles an added dimension in their offense. As well as some creativity after the play breaks down that is some of the best in the league. Before Wentz went down with an ACL injury last season, he was leading the MVP race, and even though he missed three games, he still threw the second most touchdowns last season with 33. To make that even more impressive he only threw seven interceptions. Wentz might be a little rusty his first couple games back but he will be back to MVP form in no time.
The offensive line is the best in the NFL
The Eagles finished last season rated as the best offensive line in football according to Pro Football Focus. Right guard Brandon Brooks did not allow a single sack all season. Heading into last offseason, Jason Kelce was considered a potential cap casualty because many were worried his play was declining. He bounced back with a vengence, having a career year and finishing as Pro Football Focus’ highest graded center. All of this without happened nine-time pro bowl left tackle Jason Peters, who was lost for the season with a torn ACL and MCL. Pretty impressive.
Doug Pederson has shown himself to be a wonderful play caller
Winning a Super Bowl is hard enough, winning a Super Bowl with a backup quarterback is insane. Much of the credit for the Eagles’ victories after the Wentz injury should go to Head Coach Doug Pederson. He was able to change his offense on the fly and make it suitable for a very different quarterback in extraordinary fashion. The way he implemented run-pass options into his offense among other things that Foles was comfortable with, is what won them the Super Bowl. Nick Foles is not a bad quarterback, but he certainly is not as talented as Carson Wentz. Yet, after some modification, the Eagles offense ran just as smoothly with Foles under center.
All in all, actually winning the Super Bowl is much easier said than done. However, at this point, the Philadelphia Eagles have to be considered the favorite to win the Lombardi again in Super Bowl LIII.
Leave comments below and remember to follow The Game Haus on facebook and twitter for all your up to date sports news.
https://twitter.com/tghsports?lang=en
https://www.facebook.com/thegamehaussports
http://facebook.com/jacob.gilbert.71271