The Wide World of Dirt

Well, this has been a very hard month.

If you didn’t know or need a refresher, my beloved Philadelphia Eagles were bested by the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl 38-35.

It has not been a kind month for me since then. Simply put, that was the worst loss of my lifetime.

I’m too young to remember those heartbreaking losses during the 00-04 years. 2008 was a fun ride until Larry Fitzgerald continued on his dominant postseason run that year. 2018 hurt, but the Eagles just won a Super Bowl the year prior.

The Phillies fell to the Yankees in ‘09 before having brutal luck in the following two postseason runs. Then after an 11-year drought, they went on a run that was some of the most fun I ever had in my life, only to lose in heartbreaking fashion to the unstoppable Houston Astros.

The Sixers have actually been the root of most of my pain in the postseason. After losing in 7 to the Celtics in 2012, they embarked on “The Process.” After years of tanking, they finally were able to break through.

They lost in 5 to the Celtics in ‘18. The Kawhi shot in ‘19 that was previously the worst loss of my life. Swept by the Celtics in the Bubble. Lost in 7 against the Hawks the next season after Ben Simmons failed to show up, and most recently they bowed out to the Heat in 6 last season. At this point the Sixers have made me numb so I know what to expect from them.

Even with all of those painful losses, this Super Bowl will be something I will unfortunately have to live with the rest of my life. 

This meme pretty much resembles my state of mind. Sure, in time I won’t be as upset. But I will always remember this loss.

This isn’t going to be like my other recaps, because honestly I don’t want to go through and relive that again. It’ll just be my thoughts.

Takeaways

Without a doubt the biggest takeaway is that Jalen Hurts is a superstar. He is an unquestionable Top 5 quarterback in the NFL. He’s earned that right.

Mahomes, Hurts, Burrow, Allen, Herbert. I think those are the top quarterbacks playing right now. I think you have to have mahomes at 1, and any of those guys after him is a valid list. Personally, I think I’d have to go with how I ordered them.

Even if the game sucked, I will always remember that this is the game that showcased everyone that Jalen Hurts has arrived. He’s going to get PAID. And he deserves it.

I am not blaming the refs; it was a clear hold though you can make the argument that it happens every single play. You can’t call that penalty at the moment. The refs, in that instance, completely dictated the outcome which is the one thing they shouldn’t be allowed to do.

Both teams had to play on the same field, but it definitely affected the Eagles more. Their whole success on the defensive side was dictated by their pass rushers. The fact they got neutralized was a clear advantage to the Chiefs. Absolutely embarrassing that on the biggest stage for the biggest game the NFL put out a completely unusable field. Pathetic. 

I will miss Shane Steichen. I will not miss Jonathan Gannon. Cardinals…good luck!

I have said it before: the Eagles really had to win this game. They have a ton of free agents leaving this year and had very minimal injury luck. Everything was peaking in their favor including a 10-point lead at halftime of the Super Bowl.

They blew it.

I trust Howie to find replacements in free agency and the draft, but this defense is not going to be as good as it was. On the bright side, they pretty much have all their star players on offense. They are still going to be good thanks to a terrible NFC.

I will always cherish the 2022-2023 Eagles.

I will never forget those playoff games. However, although they gave me so many fond memories, the biggest memory they will have given me is that they came up short in the end.

I, and Eagles fans everywhere, won’t forget that any time soon.

Go Birds… offseason loading.