The direction pro football has taken since pretty much the late 1970s suggests there's been more emphasis on creating an offensive-minded NFL. That has become more obvious with each passing season to the point where it seems that's all anyone cares about. As such, it feels like legendary defenses are hard to come by these days. Then, came the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles.
We've seen Super Bowl beatdowns in the past, and fans of certain football eras will be quick to point that out. Games like Super Bowl LIX were pretty much the norm before the new millennium. Most of the time, these beatdowns were powered by dominant defensive performances.
Sunday's dominating Eagles performance was a throwback to the 'good ol' days.
Most defensive performances we've seen on the Super Bowl stage won't equal what the Eagles did to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
During most blowout performances, the teams on the losing end were either woefully overmatched or overrun by a tidal wave they couldn't stop. We've seen crushing Super Bowl defeats. What we witnessed from the Eagles is on par with what we saw from the Chicago Bears and the Legion of Boom (the Seattle Seahawks) in Super Bowls XX and XLVIII respectively.
The Bears and Seahawks dismantled the New England Patriots and one of the greatest offenses we've ever seen, Peyton Manning's 2013 Denver Broncos.
What sets the Eagles' win apart, and in our mind, ahead of those is who they played and the stakes that were involved. The Chiefs were playing for a three-peat and were enjoying a historic streak at the height of their power. History was on the line!
The Chiefs entered Super Bowl 59 as the favorites. They were the two-time defending champions. They had only lost one game they had tried to win all season. We won't count that finale vs. the Denver Broncos.
K.C. was armed with the NFL's top tight end, coach, and quarterback on their side. They also fielded a great defense, and the Eagles made them look like an FCS school rolling into an SEC stadium in early September.
One thing that’s lost in the #Eagles defensive line dominance in #SuperBowlLIX is that getting pressure with four without blitzing was their bread and butter in 2022 and everyone laughed when they said the Super Bowl turf that year was a problem. Suddenly doesn’t feel as funny
— Brandon Thornton (@BThornton_33) February 11, 2025
When you add all this together, there is no reason to think this isn't an all-time defense. Sure, they have only one Super Bowl title. We'll revisit this if they win more.
Time will tell if this team goes on a historic run. How many more Super Bowls will they qualify for and win?
Pieces change year over year. There is always roster turnover. Look at the differences between this team and last year's version.
Work must be done about who gets paid to stick around and who leaves. Fortunately, most of the nucleus young and old (primarily our Philly Bulldogs and Eagles Crimson Tide) will remain intact, and here's a big plus. Vic Fangio isn't going anywhere.
The Philadelphia Eagles proved in Super Bowl LIX that they have an all-time defense. It is already one of the greatest of all time. Guess what? There is a chance they are just getting started.