Final 10 Thoughts from Eagles Loss in Super Bowl LVII

Here's more from a disappointing defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, 38-35

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The season is officially over now after the Eagles fell, 38-35, to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.

Here are 10 final thoughts about the game before turning the page to the offseason:

CHANCES OF A SUPER RETURN

The Eagles talked bravely about next year and trying to get back to the Super Bowl.

Easier said than done.

The only teams to lose a Super Bowl then return the following year and win it are:

• The Dallas Cowboys, who lost to the Colts in 1971 then returned and beat the Dolphins in 1972.

• The Miami Dolphins, who followed up that loss to Dallas by winning the Super Bowl in 1973 to cap their undefeated season.

• Technically, the New England Patriots did it when they lost to the Eagles in 2017 and then came back to beat the Rams, but the Patriots had won the title in 2016 before losing to Philly. Even with Tom Brady at QB, however, New England lost in 2008 to the Giants and didn’t get back again until four years later.

Kansas City won its first trip in 2019 but lost in 2020. Now they are champs again.

Next year, the Super Bowl will be in Las Vegas.

OVERTURNED CATCH

As if the holding call on James Bradberry wasn’t controversial enough, there was this one: a 35-yard completion to DeVonta Smith that was ruled a catch but overturned after several minutes. 

It appeared the Eagles were celebrating that a catch would be upheld but referee Carl Cheffers surprised them by saying the call was overturned.

The play would have gone for 35 yards to the KC 13 with 55 seconds to play in the first half. Instead, the Eagles had to ultimately settle for a 35-yard Jake Elliott field goal with four seconds to go until halftime.

Smith appeared to complete the catch, taking three steps in bounds before being pushed out. He may have bobbled the ball for a moment, as he went out, but he had already completed the catch. Also, there didn’t seem to be any replay that showed he dropped the ball.

A catch there and maybe the Eagles finish with a TD and a 28-14 lead at the break instead of 24-14.

FANGIO EFFECT

News broke Sunday morning that Vic Fangio signed a two-week contract to help the Eagles prepare for the Chiefs. Whether he was used to help the offense or defense didn’t matter, he was 0-6 against the Chiefs during his three seasons as the Broncos’ head coach, and his team lost by an average of 28 points per game.

Fangio is off to the Dolphins to be their DC.

A NEW NO. 3

The Eagles are set with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. They were brilliant all season long and were again in the Super Bowl, with Smith making seven catches for 100 yards and Brown getting six receptions for 96 yards, including a 45-yard TD.

An upgrade at No. 3 may be in order.

Quez Watkins, who struggles to fight for the ball on contested throws, dropped a dime from Jalen Hurts inside the 10-yard with just over six minutes to go in a game the Eagles led 24-21.

Granted there isn’t much traffic for a third WR, and he is signed through 2023, so he’ll return, but maybe a more dependable one could make the lower end of the top-five needs list.

THIRD-DOWN WOES

The Chiefs were 0-for-3 on third down in the first half as they fell behind 24-14, but, in outscoring the Eagles 24-11 in the second half, they were 4-for-5 on third down.

ISAAC SEUMALO PENALTY

It shouldn’t get lost in all that happened, but the right guard’s false start when the Eagles were lining up for the Jalen Hurts tush push preceded Hurts’ fumble that led to a scoop-and-score 36-yard TD.

It’s a play that never would have happened had the penalty not occurred.

PAVE THE LANE

The right tackle extraordinaire will have surgery later this week to repair a torn adductor. Johnson played through the injury in the playoffs, and he still did not allow a sack. He has not surrendered one in two years now.

IRONY

Jalen Hurts set a new rushing record for QBs in a Super Bowl with 70 and Patrick Mahomes won a Super Bowl as the regular-season MVP. 

The last time that exacta hit in the Super Bowl was the 1999 season when Steve McNair put up 64 yards on the ground for the Titans. It came in a losing effort to the Rams, who were led by Kurt Warner, the last regular-season MVP to win a SB until Mahomes on Sunday.

CHURCH PLAY

Jerick McKinnon slid down at the 1-yard line rather than score a TD with 1:36 to give the Eagles a shot to tie the game again.

“We term that church mode,” said Reid during his Monday press conference in Phoenix. “We relay that to Patrick, Patrick relays it to the huddle. We knew they didn’t have timeouts. We knew we could run the clock down to eight seconds if we did it right and still stay within that five, six-yard area where your field goal percentages are 99 percent.

“We practice this every Friday. You don’t get to use it very often but on the biggest stage we were able to use that.”

TERRIBLE FIELD

That’s it. Enough said. Except this – shame on the NFL for not having the field in better playing condition.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.