Jan 5, 2025 - Sports

How the Eagles stack up with their 2022 Super Bowl squad

Isaac Avilucea

Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, left; Miles Sanders and Hurts in 2022. — The 2024 duo Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, left, is better than the 2022 version that featured Miles Sanders. Photos: Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images; Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

The Eagles enter the playoffs with perhaps their best chance to hoist a Lombardi Trophy — and that's saying a lot given the team's success under head coach Nick Sirianni.

Why it matters: This Birds team is arguably better — and more balanced — than the one that narrowly lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl in 2023.

Driving the news: The second-seeded Eagles host the No. 7 Green Bay Packers in next week's opening round of the playoffs.

The Birds finished 14-3 on Sunday after a 20-13 win over the Giants in a game where they rested their starters, denying star running back Saquon Barkley the chance to eclipse Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record.
The Birds matched their win total from the 2022-23 Super Bowl season.

Catch up quick: Sirianni entered 2024 in the hot seat after last year's stunning late-season collapse, including a first-round playoff loss to the Buccaneers.

That seat only got hotter after the team's 2-2 start. But the Birds reeled off 10 straight wins en route to reclaiming the NFC East.
They relied on Barkley, who finished 101 yards shy of breaking Dickerson's record. He broke Eagles records for rushing yards in a season and yards from scrimmage.

Zoom in: Barkley's acquisition in free agency gives the Eagles an even more potent ground attack than they had with Miles Sanders in 2022-23, who finished with more than 1,200 and 11 TDs during the Birds' last Super Bowl run.

Barkley bested Sanders' totals by more than 730 yards, two more rushing touchdowns and a monstrous 5.8 yards per carry average (compared to Sanders' 4.9 average).

The intrigue: The Eagles haven't relied as heavily on QB Jalen Hurts and star wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith this season.

Yet, Hurts posted the most efficient passer rating of his career, despite tossing for fewer yards and TDs than he did during his MVP-caliber season in 2022.
Brown still topped the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yards, and Smith finished with more touchdown catches this year (8) than the seven he had in 2022.

Plus: The Birds, anchored by defensive end Jalen Carter and cornerback Darius Slay, finished with the top-ranked defense in the league, allowing opponents an average of only 280 total yards and 18.1 points per game.

Compare that with the 2022 Eagles, who were ranked eighth overall and gave up 301.5 yards and 18.9 points per game.

The bottom line: Fingers crossed.

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How the Eagles stack up with their 2022 Super Bowl squad

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