The regular season is in the books. As the Eagles and the other postseason teams turn their eyes toward a Super Bowl run, I'll share some choice thoughts about the league at large through a midnight green lens…
The Jaguars have fired Eagles legend Doug Pederson
Doug Pederson, whose offense scored 41 points against the greatest coach in football history while having a backup quarterback out there in Super Bowl LII, was fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday. Pederson, who went 4-2 in the postseason with the Eagles during his five years in Philadelphia, lasted just three seasons with the Jags.
After a spirited 2022 that saw Jacksonville pull off a miraculous playoff comeback over the Chargers in the Wild Card round, Pederson's Jaguars never reached their potential even with top-pick quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Pederson's time as an NFL head coach is likely over. I'm unsure what the future holds for him at the pro level. His overall record is a substandard 64-66-1, but the highs he brought Philly in 2017 and 2018 will never be forgotten. Pederson accomplished what no one before him, including his mentor Andy Reid, could do: win a Super Bowl with the Birds.
On his best day, Pederson out-smarted Bill Belichick. In the aftermath of Feb. 2018, I had assumed Pederson would be the Birds' head coach for a decade or more. That's just not the reality of the NFL nor how the Eagles operate.
Pederson's tenure in North Florida will ultimately be lost to time, but with a statue in South Philadelphia and, "Yeah, let's do it," burned into Eagles fans' brains across the Delaware Valley, Dougie P's true legacy remains intact.
Beware the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs
For most of Week 18, the Buccaneers looked as if they were about to choke away their fourth-straight divisional crown, but Baker Mayfield worked his magic and Tampa Bay prevailed over New Orleans, capturing the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs.
They are inconsistent and lose games they should win, but I implore you not to take this team lightly, particularly if you spend every Sunday wearing midnight or Kelly green. They have a late-night home matchup against Washington on Sunday night in the Wild Card Round. There's an intangible element to Mayfield's game. They nearly took down the Lions in Detroit last January. Head coach Todd Bowles has Jalen Hurts' numbers more than anyone.
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The Eagles are the most talented team in the NFC, but I reiterate that I think playing the Lions at Ford Field is a preferable matchup for them than seeing the Buccaneers in South Philly. "They're a warm-weather team playing outside in January!" Yeah, I heard that enough in the early 2000s for a lifetime.
If the Birds take care of business against the Packers and the Bucs beat Washington, Tampa Bay would come to Lincoln Financial Field in the Divisional Round. That game would fall nearly 22 years to the day of the fateful 2002 NFC Championship Game. The Eagles' vibes have been tremendous this season, but those are vibes a bit worrisome.
Our own great Jimmy Kempski does his rooting guides, but I'd nudge Eagles fans to root for the rival Commanders over the Bucs if the Eagles do indeed defeat Green Bay and advance.
Side note: I'll take the contrarian take compared to all of social media and say it is in fact impressive that Mike Evans gets 1,000 yards every single season of his career despite never being a top-three-or-so player in a given season at his position. He's awesome and has five career touchdowns in seven games (including the postseason) against the Birds.
Jahmyr Gibbs can do it all for the Lions
Outside of Saquon Barkley, there's no bigger game-breaker in the NFC playoffs than Jahmyr Gibbs. The Lions' running back is a multi-faceted weapon for Ben Johnson's offense in Detroit. Gibbs had an NFL-best 20 touchdowns this season in his sophomore campaign and had four alone in the Lions' Week 18 beatdown of the Vikings that landed the team the No. 1 seed in the conference and a first-round bye.
The Eagles, if they were to win their next two postseason games, would not play Detroit until potentially the NFC title game. They have not faced a player quite like Gibbs this season, who had 1,929 yards from scrimmage as an equally dangerous rusher and receiver. If the Eagles can make their way through the playoffs and reach Detroit, is defensive coordinator Vic Fangio up to the task of shutting down Gibbs? It should be a hell of a few weeks watching football.
Carson Wentz receives his first start of the year for Kansas City
Imagine the horror that would befall Eagles fans if you told them in 2017 that Carson Wentz would be starting for Andy Reid's 15-1 Chiefs team in the future. Obviously, context matters. With Kansas City resting all of their key players, Wentz received the start for the Chiefs. Kansas City displayed zero interest in winning this game, losing 38-0 to Denver as the Broncos punched their ticket to the postseason. Part of me wonders if Kansas City folded even more than a team in their position usually would to allow Denver to nab the final Wild Card spot in the AFC rather than see Cincinnati sneak in. Intriguing stuff!
Anyway, the Chiefs were assuredly not displaying their best material, as Wentz went just 10-17 for 98 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions in the blowout loss.
On a one-year contract with Kansas City, I wonder if Wentz will return as their QB2 next season. As the Chiefs look for a three-peat, Wentz could be on his way to his second Super Bowl ring.
The best tight ends of the last 30 years
Intermittently during these "5 NFL thoughts" columns, I've ranked the best quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers over the last 30 years. I'll wrap things up with another iteration of those rankings, this time tackling the top tight ends across my lifetime:
1. Rob Gronkowski
2. Travis Kelce
3. Tony Gonzalez
4. Antonio Gates
5. Shannon Sharpe
6. George Kittle
7. Jimmy Graham
8. Zach Ertz
9. Greg Olsen
10. Jeremy Shockey
Honorable mention: Vernon Davis, Alge Crumpler, Mark Andrews
Not having Gronk as the top choice is malpractice. He may have been the most unstoppable target in the sport's history while doubling as a de facto extra offensive tackle as a mauler in the run game. No. 2 and No. 3 are fairly interchangeable from Kansas City's all-time tight ends.
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