Certainly one of my favourite soccer technique quotes comes from the good coach Chris Vasseur: “Soccer is an easy recreation made advanced by coaches”.
Typically instances, we’re left greedy for some main advanced or unique purpose why one workforce beat one other, when the sport actually is straightforward: when you can win up entrance, you’re greater than seemingly going to win the sport.
That was on full show in New Orleans, because the Philadelphia Eagles throttled the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs en path to a Tremendous Bowl victory. It marks one of many worst performances of the Chiefs Andy Reid period and QB Patrick Mahomes’ profession, nevertheless it wasn’t too unique in any respect. Actually, when you’re taking a look at some advanced factor that befuddled the Chiefs’ offensive braintrust, you’re going to be in search of a really very long time.
The Eagles simply whooped their ass up entrance, easy and plain. College of Georgia head coach Kirby Sensible talks so much about how stopping the run and investing within the correct our bodies up entrance to dictate the sport help you do no matter you need on the again finish of the protection, and the Eagles embodied that on Sunday. Mahomes was pressured on 38% of his dropbacks, sacked six instances and had the worst EPA per play of his total career–almost all of it coming with out blitzing or utilizing a single excessive shell.
The Eagles’ dominant defensive efficiency is a end result of the work GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni put in to continuously enhance 12 months over 12 months. Seven of the Eagles’ defensive starters within the Tremendous Bowl in 2022 aren’t on the roster anymore, and the line of defense has continuously retooled and reworked itself to get thus far. Including in DC Vic Fangio clearly helps, however this was simply concerning the Eagles having extra dudes than the Chiefs. There’s not a lot out-scheming you are able to do if you don’t have the dudes. The Eagles didn’t even want a monster efficiency from DT Jalen Carter! He was comparatively quiet, whereas EDGE Josh Sweat stole the present. That depth and talent to simply trot out waves of linemen who can get after the QB is sort of unprecedented within the NFL.
Let’s get to the Fangio side of this. If you play as many two-high shells because the Eagles did on Sunday, you’re banking on each your entrance dominating the run recreation, whereas additionally constricting the yards after the catch within the RPO/fast recreation. There are various methods to chop a sandwich, however the Eagles had been capable of each shut down the run (when the Chiefs truly tried to run it) and constrict house on all of the RPO stuff the Chiefs tried to do. Having DBs that had been prepared to make tackles in house can elevate a protection from nice to elite, and Philly inserting CBs Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell into the lineup was large for his or her defensive outlook. Kansas Metropolis had no person who might separate when Philly went to man protection, and DeJean was the star of that, harassing TE Travis Kelce all recreation.
Individuals will search for schematic tells or unique blitzes and fronts to try to discover a purpose why the Chiefs received throttled, however the recreation is straightforward: when you can win up entrance, you may win loads of vital soccer video games.
