The Monday following a gut-wrenching Super Bowl loss, Philadelphia Eagles fans are dealing with a feeling they haven’t felt all season, heartbreak and anger. Philly’s defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, is in the crosshairs. Sure, the losses on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day were tough, but this loss to the Kansas City Chiefs feels worse.
This feels like that final loss at Veteran’s Stadium to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in that NFC Championship Game. The only thing that was missing was a Ronde Barber pick-six. There’s just one problem with that entire theory. This wasn’t a conference title game. Again, this was the Super Bowl.
Philly took a 24-14 lead into halftime. They were outscored 24-11 in the second half. Jalen Hurts, despite an early fumble, played the game of his life. The Eagles’ offense did enough to win. 35 points by a losing team on football’s biggest stage is an NFL record.
It’s for that reason that much of the blame for this loss has fallen on the defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon. If you’ve been paying attention to the fallout from this one, it wouldn’t be a stretch to state that Eagles fans may never forgive him.
Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is feeling the heat following Philly’s Super Bowl loss due to the inefficiency of his defensive unit.
That vibe that we celebrated all season is gone. There’s a feeling of disappointment, and much of the reason for that is everyone believes, had Philly gotten one or two stops in the second half, they would have won the Super Bowl.
They didn’t get any, and now, thanks to the ease with which the Kansas City Chiefs offense moved the ball on Gannon’s unit, the spotlight is on Philly’s D.C. Here’s some of the reaction from Twitter.
At least we can end the Jonathan Gannon discussions, right? Is everyone finally done trying to defend this fraud?
— The Birds Blitz (@TheBirdsBlitz) February 13, 2023
Andy Reid embarrassed Jonathan Gannon.
— Brenden Deeg (@BrendenDeeg_) February 13, 2023
Maybe they could sneak Jonathan Gannon on the plane and the Colts wouldn’t notice. https://t.co/1UxMDEZt9y
— Glen Macnow (@RealGlenMacnow) February 13, 2023
35 points is the most points ever scored by the losing team in the Super Bowl.
— Philly Nation (@Philly__Nation) February 13, 2023
Jonathan Gannon masterclass pic.twitter.com/dm3pG5xN6s
There’s a statement that coaches make all of the time. Put players in the best position to make plays. Gannon didn’t do that.
K.C.’s offensive skill players ran free for the entire second half. J.G. was outcoached by Andy Reid. What we witnessed on football’s biggest stage was embarrassing.
Maybe we’re emotional, but at this juncture, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where he returns as Eagles defensive coordinator in 2023. He may have overstayed his welcome, but we’ll see what happens.
Per Adam Schefter, Gannon is scheduled to meet with the Arizona Cardinals for their vacant head-coaching job. There are many Eagles fans that hope he gets the job, but only because they want him off of this coaching staff. He’s done some good things during the most recent season, but again, Birds fans will never forget him for what happened in Super Bowl LVII.