We examine the NFC champions, the 2017 Super Bowl winners Philadelphia Eagles...
Head Coach: | Nick Sirianni |
General Manager: | Howie Roseman |
Owner: | Jeffrey Lurie |
2024 Record: | 14-3 (NFC East champions) |
Last Super Bowl Appearance: | 2022 season |
Super Bowl Wins: | 1 |
Into his fourth season as head coach of Philadelphia, Nick Sirianni has defied critics and doom-mongers to lead the Eagles to a second Super Bowl appearance and he will be looking to go one better on this occasion.
The Jamestown native has been one of the most successful head coaches in the NFL since his appointment, reaching the playoffs in every season and boasting a .706 winning percentage which ranks him top amongst active head coaches.
His antics have frequently been the subject of conversation - he came to blows with former Eagle Zach Ertz for a high-five in December and made a foul-mouthed comment towards Chiefs supporters during the 2023 season - but Sirianni's passion for the sport is unmatched.
As if this year's Super Bowl matchup wasn't tantalising enough, Sirianni's former allegiance to the Chiefs only sprinkles further spice to the encounter.
Formerly a former wide receiver at Division III Mount Union, Sirianni progressed from Indiana University of Pennsylvania to Kansas City coach in 2009, which was his first job in the NFL.
He held an offensive quality control position for three years with the Chiefs before moving to the San Diego Chargers, where he started to make inroads on the leadership ladder.
Hired as offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts in 2018, Sirianni enjoyed a productive stint at the Lucas Oil Stadium with the Colts offense ranking in the top 10 for two of his three seasons, despite their inconsistencies at quarterback.
Facing the daunting task of succeeding Doug Pederson, Sirianni has cultivated a winning machine in Philadelphia.
For his immense talent, the jury remains out on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles quarterback has a gilt-edged opportunity to silence his doubters in the Super Bowl.
Initially a back-up option after being selected in the second round of the 2020 Draft, Hurts seized on an opportunity presented by the benching of Carson Wentz to establish himself as Philadelphia's primary quarterback and he's not looked back since.
The Eagles have reached the playoffs in every season that Hurts has started and his .697 win percentage is the fifth-best by a starting quarterback since the league was merged in 1970.
A dual-threat with his rushing prowess, Hurts ranks third on the all-time list in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (55), reiterating his ability to drive the Eagles on the ground if not through the air.
Philadelphia's passing game has underwhelmed in 2024 but when Hurts and his targets are in sync, they're a formidable unit.
Formerly a New York Giant, one of Philadelphia's NFC East rivals, the Eagles capitalised on Saquon Barkley's availability in free agency.
They didn't table the largest offer but the running back's sole priority of claiming a Super Bowl ring sent him to Lincoln Financial Field on a three-year, $37.75m contract.
It's been a match made in heaven. Barkley rushed for over 2,000 yards in the regular season and he's maintained those phenomenal numbers into the postseason. He was the difference in a tightly-contested Divisional showdown against the Los Angeles Rams and he was merciless against Washington, dissecting the Commanders with uncontainable joy.
What accentuates the remarkability of Barkley's season is that he only needs 125 yards from scrimmage and 148 rushing yards to surpass Terrell Davis as the NFL’s single-season leader in both categories (regular season and playoffs combined), despite being rested for Philadelphia's final match of the regular season.
For all the plaudits Barkley has received, it's ultimately the Eagles' defense that have ensured they're in with a chance of winning their second championship and no player typifies their staunch rearguard better than Jalen Carter.
A 6ft 2in, 142kg defensive beast has hounded and hassled quarterbacks throughout the regular season and playoffs to establish himself as one of the leading pass-rushers in the league.
Ranking third in tackles for loss and third in QB pressures, Carter thrives in the big moments and wreaks havoc on his opponents pass and run games. What's frightening is that Carter is only in his second season.
The origins of the Philadelphia Eagles dates all the way back to 1899 with the organisation of the Frankford Athletic Association. When Frankford went bankrupt and folded in 1931, the building blocks were assembled for the Philadelphia Eagles to join the NFL, which officially come to fruition in 1933.
The 1940s saw a period of a Philadelphia domination and claimed back-to-back NFL Championships in 1948 and 1949 but injuries eventually put paid to their supremacy.
In1961, the Eagles fell just short of another NFL Eastern Conference Championship and didn't reach the playoffs again for 18 years until 1978. Under the auspices of Dick Vermeil, Philadelphia reached the postseason in four consecutive seasons but had no Super Bowl triumph to show for their efforts, beaten in XV by the Oakland Raiders.
Andy Reid, a name now synonymous with the success of the Kansas City Chiefs, assumed stewardship of the Eagles in 1999 and transformed Philadelphia into one of the NFC's most authoritative teams.
From 2000 the Eagles won the NFC six times, appeared in the postseason nine times and made a trip to Super Bowl XXXIX, but the success they desperately yearned still evaded them. That all changed in 2017.
For the first time in 13 years they claimed the NFC title and facing the adversity of losing their starting quarterback Carson Wentz in the Super Bowl, backup Nick Foles led the franchise to their first ever Super Bowl title with a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots.
Another Super Bowl appearance followed in 2022 but it was heartbreak for Philadelphia, succumbing to a 38-35 defeat against the Chiefs.