Though the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs' athletes play in the Super Bowl, no one can discount the importance of each team's coaching staff. Two elite field generals take center stage in Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes. The sidelines are going to be just as fascinating. ,
Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio and the NFL’s offensive mastermind, Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid will enjoy their version of chess. Reid, a former Eagles coach, calls his K.C.'s plays and is considered one of the greatest innovators in the game's history.
Reid and Fangio are familiar with one another having faced off last season. Fangio was the Miami Dolphins' defensive coordinator and took his shot at the Chiefs; high-powered offense in November 2023.
Reid and Fangio pretty much played each other to a draw. A Chiefs fumble recovery wrote the finish as a 59-yard 'scoop and score' gave the Chiefs a 21-14 win.
Patrick Mahomes was held to 185 yards passing. You have to feel good about Philly's chances if similar feats are accomplished on Sunday.
A winding road leads to an Eagles
The Eagles' 38-35 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII evidences how critical the defensive coordinator is to winning and losing. The last time Philly was in the big game, they brought Jonathan Gannon along. We all know how that turned out.
Eagles fans haven't forgiven him for leading his unit into ruin. Philly's defense gave up 24 points in the second half including 17 in the fourth quarter.
Gannon then left to coach the Arizona Cardinals, Nick Sirianni wanted Fangio as J.G.'s replacement at that time. He'd have to wait as Vic had already signed with the Dolphins.
That wasn't a good fit. Players complained of his old-school style, and he was relieved of his duties. He's been a much better addition in Philadelphia. We're truly appreciative following a year of Sean Desai and Matt Patricia last season.
The Eagles need a better performance from their defensive coordinator than they saw in their last Super Bowl appearance.
Fangio can be expected to stay with the tactics that made the Eagles the number-one defense in the NFL this season. He likely will rely on his ferocious front-four defensive line to pressure Patrick Mahomes while his smothering secondary prevents the long ball and big plays.
Fangio can pretty much bank on how to prepare for Reid’s chief play, screen passes. The former Eagles coach has relied on 100 different screen passes this season, with complex blocking schemes that carried the Chiefs to an NFL-best 15-2 record, tying them with the Detroit Lions.
“The screens are Andy’s baby,” former Chicago Bears tackle Kyle Long said last season on the “This is Football” podcast. “If you watch the way this offense has a feel for screens, it looks like a really good basketball offense.”
Fangio should be up to the task. He has turned the Eagles defense around, allowing 125 fewer points this season than Philly gave up last year.
Here's some advice for Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
The battle will be no less intriguing when the Eagles possess the ball. Eagles Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore will face the solid defensive mind of Steve Spagnuolo. The latter is a former Eagles defensive assistant, defensive backs coach, and linebackers coach.
Moore’s offense has sputtered at times throughout the season. Fans have criticized the team’s inconsistent passing game, but the Birds scored 55 points against the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game, the highest total ever scored on Championship Sunday.
Moore can expect intricately designed blitzes from Spagnuolo. The latter will also rely on man-to-man coverage in the secondary.
Let's make long stories short. The battle of the coordinators in the Super Bowl on February 9 promises to be yet another epic chess match.