🦅 Crowning glory | Sports Daily Newsletter

Is this the greatest Eagles team of all time? It’s worth considering after the way Nick Sirianni’s team beat down the Chiefs — the two-time defending champions — in a 40-22 wipeout Sunday night in Super Bowl LIX.

Patrick Mahomes had nowhere to go against Vic Fangio’s snarling defense, which sacked him six times. Rookie Cooper DeJean picked off Mahomes for his moment in the Super Bowl sun, a 38-yard touchdown return. Zack Baun picked him off, too.

The Eagles offense? It was coolly efficient behind Jalen Hurts, who passed for 221 yards and ran for 72 more in an MVP performance. Saquon Barkley had a quiet night, but it did not matter one bit.

The overpowering Eagles made it a physical mismatch on both sides of the ball. The greatest Birds ever? They made a pretty strong case, and Mike Sielski takes it a step further, calling these Eagles the best Philly team of all time.

Read all about it: Make sure you pick up your keepsake print editions of today’s Inquirer and Daily News. Also, coming soon: The Inquirer’s commemorative book on the Eagles' championship season, WHAT A RUN!

— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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Jalen Hurts overcame setbacks, struggles, and suspicions about his ability to play quarterback at the highest level. But he showed the world in his performance two years ago, when the Eagles fell short of beating the Chiefs in the title game, that he was resilient. Now he is a Super Bowl champion and no one can ever take that away from him. Jeff McLane hands out his grades for the game, and Hurts' mark is easy to guess.

With his interception return for a touchdown, Cooper DeJean caused quite a stir in Odebolt, the tiny Iowa town where he grew up.

Patrick Mahomes took the blame for Kansas City’s defeat after he tossed two interceptions and lost a fumble. “When you give the other team 14 points, especially a really good football team, a Super Bowl football team, not a lot of good things happen,” Mahomes said. “That’s why I take ownership of this loss more than any loss in my entire career, because I put us in a bad spot.”

There was one more milestone for Saquon Barkley, who broke Terrell Davis’ single-season rushing record in Super Bowl LIX.

More of The Inquirer’s coverage of Super Bowl LIX can be found here.

In a rarity this season, the 76ers were able to put Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey on the court together Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks. They could not stop the Bucks from launching three-pointers, though. Even with Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined, Milwaukee earned a 135-127 victory by sinking 24 threes.

Josh Harris, the Sixers’ comanaging partner, says he is confident now that the team’s three big stars are healthy. “I’m really optimistic that we are going to make a playoff run now,” he says.

The Flyers picked a good time to end a five-game losing streak. They beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2, Saturday in their last game before taking a break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Trade rumors continue to swirl around Scott Laughton, though. That will be one thing to watch during the 14-day break from NHL action.

Just in time for the end of Eagles season, Phillies pitchers and catchers will report to spring training Wednesday in Clearwater, Fla. Since we’re fresh off the 59th Super Bowl, Scott Lauber gets us ready with 59 things to know about the Phils as they begin anew.

Feb. 10, 1949: Hall of Famer Joe Fulks scored 63 points, an NBA record at the time, to lead the Philadelphia Warriors past the Indianapolis Jets, 108-87.

In the latest episode, Jeff McLane catches up with Carson Wentz to reflect on his Eagles tenure and what’s next. Listen to unCovering the Birds for an inside look at his journey and future. Listen here.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, Jeff Neiburg, Gabriela Carroll, Alex Coffey, Matt Breen, Mike Sielski, Jackie Spiegel, Keith Pompey, Scott Lauber, and Jonathan Tannenwald.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for reading, Sports Daily fans. I’ll see you in Tuesday’s newsletter. — Jim