Late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s NFC Championship game, the jumbotron faced Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts at Lincoln Financial Field. At first, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback had a huge smile on his face. Then he caught himself. “One more thing,” Hurts murmured into the camera, returning to his usual serious expression. The crowd erupted.
The Eagles beat the 49ers 31-7 on Sunday and are headed to the Super Bowl to face the Chiefs. The actual game itself was a bit of a dud as the 49ers were wiped out by quarterback injuries. Brock Purdy suffered an elbow injury during San Francisco’s first possession and Josh Johnson suffered a concussion in the third quarter. For a brief stint in the first half, it looked like the 49ers could still fight thanks to their strong defense and a lively performance from Christian McCaffrey in the second quarter. But a snack on defense, pinched by a couple of Eagles touchdown drives, gave the Eagles a 21-7 halftime lead, and they never looked back.
The ingredients that have contributed to the Eagles’ success all season were on display once again: Hurts showed exactly what the moment called for, Nick Sirianni aggressively managed the game and gave the Eagles an advantage with his game decision making, the offense grinded off and eventually found answers, and the defensive took advantage of an underpowered opponent.
It wasn’t the Eagles’ cleanest game, and it didn’t have to be. Hurts threw for a season-low 121 yards, but he didn’t turn the ball around and had to be considered in the running game, especially in the second half, and the Eagles improved to 16-1 with him that season as a starter.
After the game, Hurts joined his teammates for a victory cigar at his locker. Smoke filled the room and coughing interrupted the players’ sentences as they spoke to reporters. As Hurts told the crowd at the Linc in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t the final move, but it was definitely worth celebrating.
Sirianni went to the defenders, found cornerback Avonte Maddox and safety Marcus Epps and hugged them. Sirianni coached this game like he coached every other game this season: without fear. On the Eagles’ first drive of the game, with the offense facing a fourth and three, Sirianni went all out. The offense converted (thanks in part to the 49ers not challenging a DeVonta Smith catch) and scored a touchdown. Later, with six minutes and 39 seconds remaining in the second quarter, the Eagles faced a fourth and a 1 of their own 34. Sirianni got aggressive again and kept the offense on the field. Hurts converted on a QB sneak, and the Eagles would eventually finish that drive with a touchdown to take a 14-7 lead.
“I don’t know how Sirianni walks around with his cojones bro,” left tackler Jordan Mailata said after the game. “This is crazy. How’s that man walking around? Fourth deficit in a big playoff game? Dude, kudos to him. But big cojones, this guy.”
On the other side of Mailata’s locker room was Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, who has long advocated incorporating analytics into in-game decision-making. He believes the data can give the Eagles an advantage. In Sirianni he has found a coach who is willing to be aggressive, even when the stakes are high.
“He’s outstanding,” Lurie said of Sirianni. “A lot of the off-season is spent with all these situations and he’s not surprised by what he has to do. He knows exactly what he’s going to do, and he knows it before the third down so he can plan for the third down. It’s a great benefit. But again, it’s not the sort of thing you want to talk about a lot. The same goes for Doug [Pederson]. There are certain things built into our culture and Nick is very intelligent. He’s comfortable being aggressive and I think that’s how you have to be in the NFL today.”
When Lurie hired Sirianni two years ago, he told him he was excited about the coach he could become. The message was clear: The Eagles didn’t expect Sirianni to be a finished product. They were willing to ride with a coach who could grow into the job. But now in his second season, Sirianni has the Eagles in the Super Bowl sooner than anyone could have expected.
The truth is, NFL organizations don’t always know when their championship windows open and close, and it’s understandable. There’s so much coincidence. You make the decisions that give your team a chance and hope for a bit of luck. That’s what happened to the Eagles this season. They had all 22 of their regular starters healthy and on Sunday against a Niners team whose depth was severely tested at quarterback.
Outside of Hurts, there was perhaps no more important Eagle on Sunday than Haason Reddick. General Manager Howie Roseman, the architect of one of the NFL’s most talented rosters, signed Reddick from free agency last offseason, following the organization’s philosophy of investing in offense and defense. Against the 49ers, Reddick forced a sack fumble on the 49ers’ first offensive possession, taking his season total to 19.5 sacks in 19 games. Reddick failed to make the playoffs in his first five years with Arizona and Carolina and is on his third other team in six NFL seasons. He’s now one win away from a Super Bowl ring.
“I would say the biggest thing I preached was just, ‘Enjoy this opportunity. Enjoy this moment,’” Reddick said of his conversations with younger teammates. “Because it’s very rare. You don’t get that often.”
Offensively, this game was a grind for the Eagles. They opened the game with a touchdown drive and then hit a cold spell. But just like they’ve been doing all season, they eventually found answers. The Eagles finished with 25 first downs — the second most from an opposing offense against the 49ers in a game this season.
Taking on DeMeco Ryan’s best defense proved to be a chess game, according to Mailata. The Eagles returned to the sidelines after each of their drives, communicated about what the 49ers were doing and tried to come up with solutions. The key, Mailata said, is leaning on the message that offensive line coach and run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland is constantly preaching.
“How often can we come across a look that we want?” asked Mailata. “Never make a play look bad.”
The Eagles used run-pass options to achieve that goal, putting the decision making in Hurts’ hands. Mailata called Stoutland “a hot mess” during the week. Stoutland was even more intense than usual, yelling at players and calling them out in meetings. The Eagles knew they were facing strong defense and Stoutland wanted to make sure the players were prepared. But on the touchline during Sunday’s game, Mailata saw another guy. Calm and composed, Stoutland focused on finding ways to help his players solve problems on the fly.
“He comes in, takes all the info, and we change the script, try to change the technique that we’re doing, change the calls, man,” Mailata said. “We’ve got a hell of a coach, man. I don’t know what else to say.”
The Eagles ended up running for all four of their touchdowns. Miles Sanders hit from 6 yards and 13 yards. Boston Scott added a 10-yard touchdown. The Eagles couldn’t rely on explosive plays against the 49ers. Instead, they stringed together three drives with more than 10 tracks.
As the fourth quarter began, the big screen inside the stadium scanned the crowd and showed a fan holding up a homemade “We talkin’ about cactus” sign, a nod to the team’s next destination, Glendale, Arizona. Eagles fans went into this game with unusual confidence. They feel like they know this team well, and the coach and quarterback have earned their trust. The supporting actors always seem to give them a chance.
Next up is a trip to the desert to take on the Chiefs. The challenge on defense will be different with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes on the other touchline – rather than a combination of Josh Johnson and a significantly restricted Brock Purdy. But the Eagles will go into this game with the same recipe they’ve used all season. They will lean on their offensive line to control the Chiefs front line. They will rely on their pass rush to get to Mahomes. They’ll walk in knowing the moment won’t be too big for hurts. And Sirianni will call the game with a fearless mentality.
If they tick the same boxes they’ve ticked 16 times in 19 games, they stand a good chance of pulling up the Lombardi for the second time in five years.
“I know we’re not done and the boys are still hungry,” said Brandon Graham of defence. “Like Jalen said, we’re starving. We hunger for it.”
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