1. The fumble by Jalen Hurts in the first half. With Philly driving down the field up 14-7 and with a chance to go up two scores, Hurts fumbles on a fluke play and KC recovered for a touchdown. If you take that away, Philly might score and then KC would be in comeback mode. Comeback mode usually means dropping back and passing more than they normally would. This play was huge and tied the game up at 14.

2. The Kansas City punt return with the score 28-27 turned out to be another big play in this game. With all the momentum and just scoring a touchdown KC returned the ball to the Eagles 5 yard line and would set up a touchdown to go up 8. For Philly, there is no reason for the punter to kick a line-drive punt directly to the punt returner. Kick it high or out of bounds make it hard for them to do what they did. KC would go up 35-27 which put the Eagles backs against the wall.

3. Patrick Mahomes QB sneak with the score tied at 35. Mahomes, bum ankle and all, scrambled 26 yards to put them into field goal position, and would set them up for the game winning field goal. Mahomes presence of mind to escape the pocket and run for 20 yards is superman like! That play personified why Mahomes deserved the MVP for his talent and toughness.

4. The penalty against Philly at the end. With the score tied 35 and the Eagles at 3rd and 7, Philly was called for a holding penalty against James Bradberry. The call was the right call, but it was in such an important moment, I could see them not calling it. The Chiefs would go onto win the game on a Harrison Butker field goal.

These plays turned out to be huge in Super Bowl 57. Fortunately, for the Chiefs they went there way and is a huge reason why they won.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Philadelphia Eagles secondary certainly has a Rocky Balboa-like attitude heading into the 2022 season. Philly showcases Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Jaquski Tartt, Anthony Harris, and Avonte Maddox in their secondary. Bradberry, who went from the Big Apple (NYG) to the dark side (PHI), is the Eagles x-factor in my opinion. He ousted 4 interceptions and 17 pass deflections in 2021. Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports nicely noted that the former Giant had a strong Saturday practice – as he notably had a superb pass break-up on Brown deep down the field.

Bradberry inked a one-year deal worth $7.5 million dollars with the Eagles, so he will seek to unleash havoc in 2022 and break the bank in the next off-season. Avonte Maddox was one of the players of the day yesterday – as he had a memorable interception against Jalen Hurts. Maddox had a fine 72.8 grade by PFF in 2021. He can be reliable and effective against potent slot WRs like Cooper Kupp and Chris Godwin next season.

The Eagles will also anticipate their safety tandem in Harris and Tart to be consistent veteran pieces moving forward. They will expect Harris to be effective in his second season as an Eagle. The safety that snagged six ints in 2019 wasn’t exactly sexy in 2021. PFF awarded him a 61.6 grade for his 2021 performance. He resigned to the Eagles on a one-year deal worth $2.5 million dollars. Tartt isn’t a top-notch safety, but he is a well-rounded defensive back. He is also in a contract season.

The Eagles ranked 11th in passing yards allowed last season and 21st in interceptions (with 12 ints). With that said, I certainly expect them to be a Top-8 unit in passing yards allowed and a Top-15 unit in interceptions with the int magnet in Bradberry in 2022. The Eagles may have made a lot of noise for adding A.J. Brown, but their secondary could be a pivotal reason in upsetting the Ivan Drago-like persona, Tom Brady.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Philadelphia Eagles may not possess their once Super Bowl-featured defense with Malcolm Jenkins and Jim Schwartz, but they certainly possess a mean green fighting on the defensive side of the ball in 2022. With that said, I’m going to untwine why the new-look Eagles defense could improve into a Top-5 defensive unit next season.

New pass rushers

The Eagles proudly ranked 11th in passing YPG allowed, but they sadly ranked 31st in sacks last season. It was clear that their secondary wanted a jolt from their front seven. Well, the Eagles nicely brought in former Temple pass rusher Haason Reddick (11 sacks last season) and they also traded up to select the behemoth Jordan Davis in the first round. Fletcher Cox and Davis will have exciting match-ups inside all the time. The Eagles legend Brandon Graham also played in a mere two games last season and it’s refreshing that the 2020 Pro Bowl pass rusher is back and healthy.

James Bradberry

I love that James Bradberry stayed in the NFC East and decided to join a shiny Eagles defense. Eagles Wire has already pointed out how the Eagles could have a fantastic CB tandem with Bradberry and Darius Slay. The former Giant is still a very good football player, as he unveiled 4 interceptions (career-high) last season. The 2020 Pro Bowl selection will certainly be one of the best CB2s in the NFL next season.

Continuity

The word continuity is the most underrated term in sports.

The Eagles defense will have stronger continuity under Jonathan Gannon in his second season as the DC. The NFL world has witnessed the Saints defense really blossom with talented faces sticking together over the past few seasons and I expect the Eagles defense to elevate their performance with better communication and understanding of the scheme. The Eagles defense will flat out be able to play faster in 2022 under their DC that luckily stayed in town.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Philadelphia Eagles inked the cornerback James Bradberry yesterday and it’s clear Bradberry will be seeking vengeance against ex-team (NY Giants) twice next season. According to NBC Sports, Bradberry was impressed by the Eagles D-Line and the scheme fit in Philly. It’s hard to ignore the greatness of the Eagles pass rush as they carry Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Derek Barnett, Brandon Graham, and OLB/DE Haason Reddick (11 sacks last season).

Bradberry should clearly benefit from the Eagles ability to hit opposing QBs without blitzing. He signed a one-year $7.5 million dollar deal (with $2.5 additional million in incentives), so the 28-year-old CB will aim to impress the league next season and sign a hefty contract from the Eagles or a new squad in the 2023 off-season. All in all, the Eagles addition of Bradberry signifies they are clearly trying to improve from their 9-8 record and their defense that ranked 19th in PPG allowed in 2021. Bradbery will also certainly help an Eagles defense that allowed 41 points to the Cowboys in Week 3 and 51 points to Dak Prescott in Week 19.

The Eagles loaded roster will unequivocally revolve around their third-year QB Jalen Hurts. He was named a dark-horse MVP candidate by NFL.com. Hurts won’t throw 5,000+ passing yards like Tom Brady, but he can simply aim to be an MVP-caliber player by ascending into a very good dual-threat QB and help his team win 13+ games. Lamar Jackson broke the rushing yard record in the 2019 season and led his team to win 14 games, which led him to win MVP in the 2019-2020 season. He was the second QB ever to win every MVP vote (of course, Tom Brady is the other). Hurts may not win MVP next season, but the 23-year-old can realistically strive to win the MVP and a Super Bowl ring with his dazzling roster at some point in the future.

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By: Jake Rajala

The New York Giants have ejected James Bradberry out of the Big Apple and it’s clear they could benefit from signing a free agent cornerback. There may not be a CB as talented as Stephon Gilmore available, but there are certainly free agent CBs that can aid the Giants pass defense at this point in time. With that said, I’m going to untwine three free agent CBs that would be the perfect fit for the NY Giants.

Kyle Fuller

Xavier Rhodes bounced back with the Indianapolis Colts and the Giants should hope to find a rejuventated CB in Kyle Fuller this offseason. The former Bears All-Pro CB (7 interceptions in 2018) could be a nice value pickup, as he would be more affordable than Joe Haden and still filled with modest up-side. The 30 year old should have some gas left in the tank.

Kevin King

Kevin King is the second talented CB that has underperformed on this list. Nonetheless, King did perform better in 2021 than his porous 2020 season. The former Packers CB quietly recorded 5 interceptions in 2019 and he could still be an impact player from a non-starting CB spot. The cheeseheads might want to still sacrifice him for giving up a big play to Scotty Miller in the 2021 NFC Championship, but he is still definitely one of the most popular free agent CBs.

Josh Norman

Josh Norman is truly like Rocky Balboa in the late stages of his career, as he refuses to quit. Norman has been a modest contributor for the 49ers and Bills over the past two seasons. It wouldn’t be sexy if he was pegged as a starting CB in 2022, but he could be a nice CB3 and veteran presence.

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