During the regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles had one of the best defenses in the NFL, as they ranked second in total yards allowed.
Going into the Super Bowl, they were slight favorites, and some felt they would humble Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who had just won his second regular season MVP award.
But after taking a 24-14 lead at halftime, they gave up 24 points and lost in heartbreaking fashion, 38-35, as Mahomes played brilliantly and won his second Super Bowl MVP.
Fox Sports 1 personality Skip Bayless, a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan, said that not only is the Eagles’ defense in need of improvement, but it’s simply “not that good.”
Are the Eagles set up to dominate the NFC moving forward?
“Jalen Hurts will work to get even better than he was this year. I believe in him, but last night he proved that the Eagles defense was not good.
— @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/GHKXkn3kKX— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 13, 2023
Bayless cited a Christmas Eve game when the Cowboys torched the Eagles, scoring 40 points and totaling 442 total yards of offense in a six-point win.
Granted, the Eagles had Gardner Minshew II at quarterback, as Jalen Hurts was out with an injury, and although he threw two interceptions, he had just about nothing to do with their poor defensive outing.
What made the loss even worse for Philly was the fact that it led by 10 points in the third quarter, just as it did on Sunday versus Kansas City.
Statistically, it’s one big weakness defensively is defending the run, as it gave up 158 yards on the ground to a Chiefs team that ranked 20th in rushing yards during the regular season.
Moving forward, not only will the Cowboys be a threat to the Eagles’ attempts to get back to the big game, but so will the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers.
All three teams feature Pro Bowl-caliber running backs, and the Niners, under head coach Kyle Shanahan, love to rely on their running game as perhaps their main offensive weapon.
It is rare for a team that loses in the Super Bowl to ever make it back there, let alone to win it, and Philly will have to address the holes in its defense during what will be a long, painful offseason.
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