February 06, 2025
Matt Kartozian/Imagn Images
DeVonta Smith balled out in the Super Bowl two years ago against the Chiefs. Can Eagles fans expect a repeat performance?
The Eagles are mere days away from a Super Bowl rematch with the Chiefs. Before then, here are five thoughts I currently have surrounding the Birds (and Philadelphia at large...):
Battling through some injuries and given the Eagles' shift to a run-focused attack, DeVonta Smith posted career lows in catches, yards and yards per reception this season. He's done what he's needed to in the postseason so far, hauling in 12 passes for 121 in the Birds' three playoff wins, but he's capable of much more than that.
Smith's talent is undeniable, but he's fallen to No. 3 in the pass-catcher hierarchy over the last month behind A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert without even getting how this offense runs through Saquon Barkley in the ground game.
Smith has played the Chiefs and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo extremely well so far in his career though. Is he a sneaky pick to have a huge game on Sunday?
Here are his numbers against Kansas City:
| Game | Catches | Yards |
| Week 4, 2021 | 7 | 122 |
| Super Bowl, 2022 | 7 | 100 |
| Week 11, 2023 | 6 | 99 |
Smith is an ever-reliable breaker of zone coverage. He just doesn't see the ball a lot. He was tied for 52nd in targets among all NFL players this season, per Pro Football Focus. He was awesome in the Super Bowl two years ago though. The Eagles' offense will go through Barkley in the Super Bowl this time around, but Smith still possesses dynamic playmaking ability.
During a rookie season where he was mostly an afterthought even as a first-round pick, Nolan Smith played just 16 snaps in the Eagles' blowout Wild Card loss to the Buccaneers, but actually picked up a half-sack. Even in a game that Birds fans would love to forget, that was the start of Smith's rise as a playoff sack king for the Eagles.
Smith is up to 4.5 sacks in four career postseason games, recording at least a half-sack in each matchup. He's just a single sack behind Brandon Graham for the Eagles' all-time playoff sack leaderboard:
| Player | Playoff Games | Sacks |
| Brandon Graham | 11 | 5.5 |
| Nolan Smith | 4 | 4.5 |
| Derrick Burgess | 6 | 4 |
| Hugh Douglas | 10 | 4 |
| Carl Hairston | 7 | 4 |
| Reggie White | 5 | 4 |
Pretty good company with the greatest defensive end of all time, a former First-Team All-Pro in Douglas and then a franchise legend in Graham!
It's possible to get after Patrick Mahomes. Yes, the Chiefs have a great offensive line in their own right even when compared to that of the Eagles, but put the ghosts of "The Sodfather" from two years out of your mind right now. Mahomes was sacked five times across two AFC playoff games this season and three times in last year's Super Bowl win over the 49ers.
It takes just one play to change everything, a game, a championship, a player's career, a city. The Eagles had just a single sack in their Super Bowl LII win over New England, but, oh my, was it an important one. Nolan Smith is now The Guy at edge rusher for the Birds already in his sophomore campaign. Is he ready to be The Guy when it comes to his spot in franchise history? Sunday could truly make that happen for him.
No one can attest to a single play, a single sack altering their entire life's trajectory like Brandon Graham. Once thought to be lost for the year, a season that had been billed as a farewell tour for him, it feels increasingly likely that Graham is going to suit up for the Super Bowl, throwing on that midnight green one last time and trying to win his second ring.
Maybe Graham can only go for a short amount of snaps. He was the Eagles' best edge rusher even in a smaller role early in the 2024 season. Youngsters like Smith and Jalyx Hunt have stepped up big time, but the 15-year veteran finishing off his career is still capable of making a game-altering impact on just one snap.
How poetic would yet another Super Bowl strip sack be in his final game?
Tampa Bay crushed the Eagles right before their bye week back on Sept. 29 in a 33-16 loss that dropped the Eagles to 2-2 and sent the entire city of Philadelphia into hysterics. It felt justified and rational in the moment! That was 130 days ago, which, really, doesn't sound like that long ago, but for the way the Eagles have been transformed since, it might as well be 130 years ago.
What happened next?
Saquon Barkley turned in what could go down as the greatest running back season ever, Zack Baun turned into Luke Kuechly and the Eagles have gone 15-1 since.
There's just one recent instance that comes to mind of an eventual Super Bowl winner being counted out to that degree that early in the season: the 2014 Patriots. Kansas City smacked New England in Week 4 to the tune of 41-14, dropping the Pats to 2-2 and everyone was wondering if Tom Brady had lost his magic. Well, we know that answer.
It's time for Jalen Hurts and co. to showcase that they have that same magic on Sunday.
Let's end on something that's not related to the nerve-racking lead-up to the Super Bowl itself.
I had "Rocky IV" playing on the TV when I wrote most of this story last night. Let's rank the "Rocky" and "Creed" films. These are fantastic to watch before Sunday because they can momentarily distract you from the anxiety of the game but the Philly and sports vibes persist throughout still. They're everything you need.
Oh, let me guess. You think "Rocky" is clichéd? Wow, what a unique take. You're morally superior compared to everyone else in the tristate area for believing that.
My rankings...
1. "Rocky"
2. "Creed"
3. "Rocky II"
4. "Rocky IV"
5. "Creed II"
6. "Creed III"
7. "Rocky III"
8. "Rocky V"
9. "Rocky Balboa"
The "No Easy Way Out" montage where Adrian screams, "YOU CAN'T WIN!" right before is kind of like facing Patrick Mahomes, no?
The "Rocky" character most likely to be a deranged Eagles fan who calls into WIP and has wild superstations is obviously Paulie, too.
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