Are Eagles 'Way-Too-Early' Super Bowl Contenders After Coaching Changes?

The Philadelphia Eagles make the list of contenders who could advance to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans.

Super Bowl LVIII is rapidly approaching, and it's a bittersweet Sunday for many NFL fans whose teams fell short. This includes the Philadelphia Eagles, who were unable to defend their NFC crown and instead ended an embarrassing late-season stretch with a 32-9 Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes hopes to defeat Brock Purdy's San Francisco 49ers to be crowned back-to-back Super Bowl LVIII Champions in Las Vegas, Sports Illustrated decided to look ahead to the top 10 non-championship teams that have the best odds of playing in the Super Bowl next season.

The Eagles make the list of contenders who could advance to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. Here's why:

Jalen Hurts / USA Today

"The Eagles were a disaster down the stretch for multiple reasons, including poor coaching from Nick Sirianni & Co," SI writes. "But Sirianni will likely be back in ’24 with a revamped coaching staff and hopes of returning to the Super Bowl. (He also deserves the benefit of the doubt for guiding his team to three consecutive playoff appearances and an NFC title, which is a lot more than anything the Cowboys have done in recent memory.)"

To fix a defense ranking in the bottom of the NFL down the stretch of 2023, the Eagles hired Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator. Philadelphia also hired Kellen Moore, former Chargers and Cowboys offensive coordinator, to run the offense and call plays. Both hires are widely-considered "home runs" as Moore is a bright up-and-comer while Fangio is a veteran who has proven he can turn units around. 

"With Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown, the Eagles should be fine offensively," SI writes. "But they have a lengthy list of issues on defense, especially in the secondary and at linebacker. Plus, the Tush Push might no longer be a weapon for the Eagles if center Jason Kelce decides to retire." 

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Surprisingly, the team at the top of the list is the Cincinnati Bengals, who finished fourth in the AFC North this season. The reasoning is that a healthy Joe Burrow gives the Bengals the best case for advancing to next year’s Super Bowl.

Next up for Philadelphia is the Pro Bowl. The Eagles are sending seven players to Orlando. Hurts and Darius Slay were elevated from first alternate status to participants... joining right tackle Lane Johnson, center Jason Kelce, left guard Landon Dickerson, running back D’Andre Swift, and edge rusher Haason Reddick.