One among my favourite soccer technique quotes comes from the good coach Chris Vasseur: “Soccer is a straightforward recreation made advanced by coaches”.
Typically instances, we’re left greedy for some main advanced or unique motive why one staff beat one other, when the sport actually is straightforward: for those who 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, but it surely wasn’t too unique in any respect. The truth is, for those who’re some advanced factor that befuddled the Chiefs’ offensive braintrust, you’re going to be searching for a really very long time.
The Eagles simply whooped their ass up entrance, easy and plain. College of Georgia head coach Kirby Sensible talks quite a bit about how stopping the run and investing within the correct our bodies up entrance to dictate the sport mean you can 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 complete 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 defensive position has continuously retooled and reworked itself to get so far. Including in DC Vic Fangio clearly helps, however this was simply in regards to the Eagles having extra dudes than the Chiefs. There’s not a lot out-scheming you are able to do once 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 only trot out waves of linemen who can get after the QB is sort of remarkable within the NFL.
Let’s get to the Fangio facet 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 numerous methods to chop a sandwich, however the Eagles have been in a position to each shut down the run (when the Chiefs truly tried to run it) and constrict area on all of the RPO stuff the Chiefs tried to do. Having DBs that have been keen to make tackles in area can elevate a protection from nice to elite, and Philly inserting CBs Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell into the lineup was huge for his or her defensive outlook. Kansas Metropolis had no person who may separate when Philly went to man protection, and DeJean was the star of that, harassing TE Travis Kelce all recreation.
Folks will search for schematic tells or unique blitzes and fronts to attempt to discover a motive why the Chiefs obtained throttled, however the recreation is straightforward: for those who can win up entrance, you possibly can win lots of necessary soccer video games.
