Super Bowl LIX is now just a week away. Before the Eagles face off against the Chiefs in a championship rematch, here are some thoughts and observations I currently have about the Birds…
Lane Johnson wants to play beyond the Super Bowl into the 2025 season
It appears that Super Bowl LIX won't be a farewell for Lane Johnson, the lone healthy Eagles positional starter remaining from the 2017 championship squad.
On Saturday, Johnson said that he will back for the 2025 campaign regardless of what happens in the Big Game between the Birds and the Chiefs:
Eagles RT Lane Johnson says he’s definitely playing next season, win or lose.
Becomes a year-to-year decision after that at this stage of his career. pic.twitter.com/5gvWhg0LHG— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) February 1, 2025
That's great news for the Eagles.
2025 will be Johnson's age-35 season, but he's still a beast.
Johnson was the seventh-ranked offensive tackle on Pro Football Focus this season. For the playoff specifically, he's been the No. 3 tackle. He was named to his fourth consecutive All-Pro team. He's not just going down as one of the greatest Eagles ever. He's padding an increasingly legitimate Hall of Fame case.
The pairing of Johnson and Jordan Mailata make for the NFL's premier offensive tackle combination. That has been true the last couple of seasons and will likely remain the case next fall.
Jalyx Hunt has earned a big-time role during this Eagles Super Bowl run
When the Eagles used a third-round pick on Jalyx Hunt, an under-the-radar prospect out of Houston Christian last year, it was easy to assume that 2024 would be a development; year for him. Well, the Birds are in the Big Game and Hunt, due to some other injuries, circumstances and his sheer motor, is now No. 3 in the Eagles' edge rusher pecking order behind Nolan Smith and Josh Sweat.
The 23-year-old is already more reliable than big-money free agent signing Bryce Huff. He had his first playoff sack against the Rams in the Divisional Round. His trajectory continues rising. Hunt's energy was apparent throughout the summer and I was bullish on him being a future contributor for the Eagles when watching him then, but being a key cog in the Super Bowl for the league's best defense? Yeah, that was not on my bingo card.
Sure, Jordan Davis is primarily a run-stuffer along the interior, but it's still staggering to look at Super Bowl prop bets and see that Hunt has better odds of getting a sack in New Orleans than Davis does. Imagine telling yourself that back in training camp!
Eagles fans themselves are just getting to know who Hunt is and what his game is about. It would take just one big play against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs next Sunday for the whole football world to know, too.
"Let's Hunt" indeed.
Will Shipley is getting some recognition after a huge NFC Championship Game performance
Fourth-round rookie running back Will Shipley made his impact clear during the Eagles' NFC title game win over Washington, forcing a key fumble on a kickoff as well as throwing up a victory lap touchdown late in that huge beatdown of the Commanders.
Shipley was at the Philadelphia Wings game on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Shipley was a state champion lacrosse player in North Carolina in high school and a top-25 recruit in the sport in his own right. It's nice to see everyone on this roster, from the superstars down to special teams aces, get some props in this city.
One of my favorite tidbits from the Eagles' Super Bowl LII-winning team was that in the Super Bowl itself, every Eagle other than backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld played at least one snap. It takes a whole team to hit that championship level, guys like Shipley included, as he showcased last Sunday.
Another fun Saquon Barkley statistic
Saquon Barkley has the chance to set the NFL single-season record, playoffs included, for rushing yards. He's currently at 2,447. I think back to how destitute the Eagles' run game was not too long ago. Things have certainly changed!
- MORE EAGLES
- Don't take this Eagles Super Bowl run for granted
- Are the Eagles and Chiefs becoming true rivals?
- 5 Eagles thoughts: Dallas Goedert's huge playoff run, another potential Saquon Barkley record and more
In 2018, coming off a Super Bowl win, the Birds' leading rusher was undrafted rookie Josh Adams, who had 511 rushing yards in the regular season and added a whopping two yards in the postseason for good measure. So, even if Barkley has a slightly below-average day in the Super Bowl next Sunday, he'll still probably end up with five times as many rushing yards this season as Adams did in 2018.
What would be the wildest trade the Eagles could make this offseason?
The Super Bowl, of course, is of utmost importance right now, but on the heels of the bonkers Luka Dončić-Anthony Davis trade, one of the most shocking and lopsided in sports history, I have deals on my mind. If the Lakers can get Dončić for 31-year-old Davis and change, there's nothing stopping Howie Roseman and the Birds from getting Maxx Crosby for Bryce Huff and a second-round pick this spring.
I Will Be A Champion. 🦅💎
— Maxx Crosby (@CrosbyMaxx) February 1, 2025
Follow Shamus on X: @shamus_clancy
Follow Shamus on Bluesky: @shamus
