Losing the Super Bowl is the loneliest fate. After two weeks of accumulation, there is no parade waiting for the losing teams when they arrive, their championship jerseys are dispersed in remote locations around the world and the feeling of a lost ring can be persists throughout the season. Worse still, my Deadspin colleagues Criss Partee and Eric Blum and I had to add salt to the wound by debating whether the losing team, the Philadelphia Eagles, could make a comeback to reach this top again. or not. They’ve done it before in a similar environment to the Eagles and with their considerable advantage in midfield in the NFC with no passers at the top, they’ll be a formidable opponent to contest. again, but we’ll take a look at what their odds are in 2023 and beyond.
Eric Blum: Has anyone noticed how much easier the Philadelphia Eagles’ road back to the Super Bowl is compared to the Kansas City Chiefs?
Criss Partee: It won’t be. We say every year about a team and it rarely happens like that. Bucs is supposed to return… and the Rams… So are Bengalis… can go on and on. With very More revenue in the league is never as easy as we like to think. Right now we’re still caught up in the moment and people are saying all sorts of crazy things. So I doubt they will be back next year. Damn, the Captains should have won three or four more games after the first one and they won again. They came back but it wasn’t “easy”. So I don’t believe Philly can go back and do it again so easily. So it won’t be easy for both, Honest.
DJ Dunson: In defense of the Captain, they have returned to the Super Bowl twice since that 2019 season. Philly is just easier in the sense that they have an all-universe QB. Apart from Aaron Rodgers, who may soon be gone, the cabinet has no NFC. Mahomes features Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence andand Tyreek Hill’s new favorite Tua Tagovailoa (who has the best QBR when healthy) I mean, who’s second best midfield in NFC?
G/O Media can receive commission
BUNDLE AND SAVE
Samsung Presidents Day Appliance Sale
Save on refrigerators, washers and dryers, and more
The Samsung Presidents Day Sale event features price cuts and promotions on refrigerators, washers and dryers, vacuums, and much more. Unsure which pieces are worth your time? We’ve got a great selection here to choose from so you can pick up what best speaks to you before the sale ends on March 1.
Eric: Justin Herbert is in that group too. But for the NFC, it’s gross, but it’s Kirk Cousins. No one in the NFC South has a shot. As much as Daniel Jones improved this season, he’s still far from a reliable choice. Justin Fields showed potential, but his team has the No. 1 overall pick for a reason. It’s a severe drop, that’s for sure.
Criss: Probably a healthy Stafford.
DJ: Maybe. But that still doesn’t say much about the conference. Jalen was slinging that ball all over the field on the biggest stage all over the field and will get all his weapons back on offense. Elite quarterback play is the best predictor of repeat success.
Criss: Yeah, but I still just don’t think it’s that easy because a team like Philly or Minnesota always comes outta nowhere every year. Meaning a new team we didn’t expect or something like that. I just think there are too many variables. And the Eagles are gonna lose guys because they’re gonna pay Hurts soon. He had a really good team this year. That matters. So I’m not ready to just anoint them automatically knowing the turnover we see every year. And you’re looking just at QB, I’m looking at teams overall. That still matters as we saw last night. Hurts played a phenomenal game and didn’t receive the same support he had all year.
Eric: The only team set up well enough to compete with a mediocre QB is San Francisco. That defense is great, a solid offensive line, Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and more? They could succeed with Taylor Heinicke at quarterback, much less someone who could be mediocre.
Partee: He played a little better than mediocre. Purdy wasn’t just handing the ball off and falling back. He made plays when the 49ers called on him and Kyle Shanahan trusted him to make passes he didn’t trust Jimmy G to make. He benefited from a great team but most winning QBs do. So, I can’t say Brock Purdy was only mediocre.
DJ: Elite QB play is 75 percent of the equation and Jalen proved he can rise to the occasion. Mahomes just has a higher ceiling. He also has more comp in the AFC too. Most of Philly’s secondary is returning. Haason Reddick will be back to bulldozing passers this fall and first-round giant Jordan Davis barely played this year. Obviously nothing is a guarantee, but Hurts puts them in the driver’s seat to get back and they’re a mile ahead of the field. The NFC is weaker than it’s ever been. No Brady, possibly no Rodgers. The 49ers’ QB position is up for grabs. The Rams have a lot of work to do. If anyone is going to sneak up on them, it’ll be those two, but COMPARED to the AFC, Hurts has a red carpet laid out for him.
Criss: The Eagles aren’t invincible. I never thought they were that good honestly. So I can’t say it’s gonna be that easy. They could prove me wrong but I doubt it.
DJ: Invincible? Nice unintentional Vince Papale Authority to solve. Philadelphia got off to a good start in the game thanks to their back four along with their highly effective defense. Eagles is a Bentley parked in a rough area of town before free agency takes place, at least. The Chiefs are Jay Z at Roc Nation’s brunch. It may be their show, but there are other heavyweights around.
Eric: Philly is rude, but give me the Eagles or 49ers to represent the NFC in next year’s Super Bowl on the field. It’s the team with the best quarterback or the team with the only lineup that can match the Eagles outside of those who are catching up. The Vikings have a whole bunch of defense problems regardless of Brian Flores coming in, Dallas will be Dallas and will fall back on attack in ’23, and who else even has an actual long shot? The Eagles will no doubt look different next season, but they have enough great pieces to make them the second best team in NFC.
Criss: Remember when NFC East was considered the least? Oh yes, that was just last season. That’s all I’m saying. It flips too fast because of parity you can’t say it is easy for anyone, Actually.
DJs: You’re absolutely right. NFC East is a parody. But the Eagles flew away with that division. Their only competition may be the Dallas Cowboys, but the Eagles’ depth chart is far superior. painful’ rookie contracts expire next season, so they’re running out of time to retain most of their talent, so things could get a little more complicated once they run into 2023.
Criss: And that’s where I’ll go with it – that because of the contract situation along with too much revenue in the league in general, Returning teams has never been as easy as we thought. It’s hard to repeat as conference or division champion year after year. I don’t think it’s ever easy. We are so ahead in crowning people or giving them “flowers” that we lose track of our competitors and how hard it is to be so good over the years. Is there a reason we usually don’t watch dynasties all the time or even more than one in an era.
DJs: Talking dynasty is powerful. I think it’s safe to say they’ll win and lose several NFC Championships over the next few years. Philadelphia has plenty of options including New Orleans’ 10th pick in the upcoming draft. I just credit Howie Roseman around Hurts with cheap, young talent like he has been for the past two decades. And in the immediate future, Hurts was the factor that made the difference for me in that conference.
