Some super Eagles question marks: Sirianni vs. Reid; Roman numeral nonsense; Nolan Smith for MVP?
Let's take a closer look at some of the biggest questions ahead of the Super Bowl on Feb. 9.
![Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid (left) and Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni are two of the best when it comes to game planning with extended time.](https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/v2/IH62L33TZVGERGBVBSRYHV4VNM.jpg?auth=2bf64e28bfc4bf598616b14939d019318c0ed0868cf9f9b31374f1502e9aa463&width=760&height=507&smart=true)
The numbers need no introduction. Surely, you’ve heard them before. They are the rarest of the rare.
The back of the trading card is a boring place for most NFL coaches. A few notable achievements, a recap of some memorable games, and a list of personal tidbits. Enjoys country music and cheeseburgers. Middle school Punt, Pass, and Kick champion. That kind of stuff.
Most coaches don’t have numbers that the average fan can recite. But, then, most NFL coaches are not legendary game-planners, renowned for their ability to dissect an opponent and craft a play sheet that exposes all of their weaknesses. Give a guy like that extra time to prepare, and he’ll eat you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The numbers serve as proof.
A .900 winning percentage in games in which his team has two-plus weeks to prepare.
The best record in the NFL in season openers.
The best record in the NFL after regular-season byes.
One career postseason loss with an extra week to prepare, that coming in a Super Bowl that he nearly won.
All of which raises the biggest question of this Super Bowl matchup between the Eagles and the Chiefs.
How will Kansas City cope with the indomitable genius of Nick Sirianni?
It is a puzzle, no doubt. You’ll hear Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady talk about it all night. If there is one thing Sirianni is known for, it is his mastery of game preparation and his keen sense of how to attack an opponent. He has won all four season openers in his career. He has won all four games after his regular-season bye week. His team dominated in the 2022 divisional round coming off a bye. All told, he is 9-1 in those situations, including a 38-35 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, where the Eagles offense was nearly perfect.
» READ MORE: Hayes: Nick Sirianni has earned another week, another year, and many more. The Eagles should extend him immediately.
In fairness, the other guy is pretty good too. Andy Reid’s 21-4 career mark after regular-season byes will be hard to replicate, even for Sirianni. In his 12 years in Kansas City, the Chiefs are 27-7 when they have more than one week to prepare for a game. That includes a 10-2 record in season openers, a 9-3 record after regular season bye weeks, and an incredible 10-2 record in postseason games that followed a bye week (5-1 in the divisional round, 3-1 in the Super Bowl).
Still, over the last four years, one man stands alone.
Best records with two-plus weeks to prepare among NFL head coaches since 2021
1. Nick Sirianni: 9-1
2. Mike Tomlin: 7-1
T3. Andy Reid: 10-2
T3. Mike McDaniel: 5-1
5. John Harbaugh: 7-2
6. Sean McDermott: 7-2
7. Kyle Shanahan: 7-3
Do the Chiefs really stand a chance?
Other pressing questions as we prepare for New Orleans. . .
At what point will the NFL realize that there is a good reason Roman numerals went out of style?
Everyone knows their X’s I’s, and V’s. But I refuse to believe that there was anybody in ancient Rome who could actually count up to LIX. Don’t get me wrong. Super Bowl LIX is a great name, phonetically speaking. But if you think 7 out of 10 Americans can tell you what that number means, I have a plot of wheat fields in Elysium I can sell you.
Super Bowl 60 sure has a nice ring to it. Make it happen next year, Rog.
Is Nolan Smith as good as his postseason numbers say he is?
If you think he is, then my advice is to whack the Birds at +1.5. Bet the alternate line, actually. The crazy thing about this Super Bowl is that the Eagles clearly are the more talented team. By far. At every position except one. Obviously, quarterback is a big position. A lot of people in the Eagles’ building thought they were more talented two years ago. That clearly wasn’t true. Jalen Hurts played one of the best games of quarterback in the history of the event. The Eagles lost because their defense was 75% less talented than it is this season.
But this game won’t necessarily be a reflection on Hurts. He is a different quarterback now than the dynamic scrambler/playmaker we saw back then. The Chiefs also are much better on the defensive side of the ball, especially with the emergence of George Karlaftis on the edge and the symbiotic growth we’ve seen between defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and his young, homegrown unit.
The Chiefs’ greatest vulnerability this season has been their pass blocking on the edges. Joe Thuney is doing the best he can after moving out to left tackle, but Jawaan Taylor has continued to be a complete disaster. The fact that he is still there at right tackle after two abysmal seasons is a case study in how difficult it is to fix a leaky offensive line in today’s NFL. It’s also a great example of how overwhelming a competitive advantage the Eagles enjoy courtesy of their own offensive line.
» READ MORE: Murphy: Eagles turned the NFC championship into a game of ‘mental warfare.’ Turns out, the Commanders were unarmed.
The big question is how thoroughly the Eagles can exploit the Chiefs’ Achilles' heel. Smith’s four sacks have been the postseason’s most pleasant surprise. But there really hasn’t been a moment this season — playoffs included — where the Eagles edge rush has looked consistently dominant. This is going to be a rare strength-against-strength game for Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis against a couple of excellent interior offensive linemen in Chiefs center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith. Between the raw ability of those two players and Reid’s ability to scheme it up, the Eagles may not be able to count on the pressure up the middle they’ve enjoyed throughout this season.
I’m mentioning Smith simply because his upside is more unknown than Josh Sweat’s. Maybe Sweat ends up being the guy. But if Smith really is a budding star, and he is transforming into a player who can alter a game, the Super Bowl would be an ideal game for it to show up.
The opportunity is there, and that alone might make you take a long look at those 250-to-1 Super Bowl MVP odds.
We’ll find out in XII days.