With Super Bowl LIX just days away, the Philadelphia Eagles are preparing to take on the Kansas City Chiefs, a rematch of the dramatic Super Bowl nail-biter just two years ago.
Interestingly, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman admitted that the Chiefs have been occupying his mind in the lead-up to the big game.
“They’re the best of the best,” Roseman said of the Chiefs. “First you’ve got to think about your division, then you’ve got to think about your conference, then you’ve got to think about how you’re winning a world championship.
“I used to, before everything got automated, have the final four teams in my office. And I used to, some days, look and I’d go, how do we compare there? Now I think it’s like in my head, you know, the Chiefs are in my head.”
Roseman continued, acknowledging the supreme challenge that lies ahead.
“I think you have to think about how to beat the best. It’s hard. It’s really hard, as you’re putting something together,” he said.
Of course, a key connection between the Eagles and Chiefs is head coach Andy Reid.
Roseman’s time with the Eagles began while Reid was still the head coach in Philly, and while the two exchange regular calls, Roseman revealed that they won’t be speaking ahead of the Super Bowl.
“When I’m talking to him, I’m not necessarily thinking, ‘How do we beat you in the Super Bowl?’ But I do recognize that they’re the standard,” he added.
The Eagles are looking for redemption after losing that heartbreaker to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts, who played a stellar game despite the loss, is focused on making sure his team handles business this time around.
“It’s about efficiency. It’s about winning at this point. It’s always been about winning,” Hurts said.
“But, you know, when you’re able to win in a number of different ways, it’s just about mastering whatever the plan is in that particular game and in that particular moment, and just making sure everyone is on the same page when we go out there and execute.”
The roster may have changed for both teams since that dramatic Super Bowl showdown two years ago, but the sting of the 38-35 loss still resonates for Hurts.
In Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles fought tooth and nail but the Chiefs ultimately drove down to kick a game-winning field goal in the final seconds.
Hurts rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another, but a lost fumble played a role in the heartbreaking defeat.
Looking back, Hurts sees the loss as a valuable learning experience.
“It’s had a great driving force,” he revealed “It lit a flame, lit a fire in me, and to have this opportunity again is exactly what you work for.”
As the Eagles look ahead to Super Bowl Sunday in New Orleans, Hurts and the team are determined to finish the season right this time around.
As for Roseman, of course he was (semi) joking when he said the Chiefs are in his head. Having said that, do you think deep-down he should be worried that the Eagles will come up short once again?
Or do you have confidence that Hurts and company will successfully derail KC’s dreams of a historic three-peat???
