NEW ORLEANS – Super Bowl 57 is a hazy memory for Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat. However, Sweat has acute recollection of what he felt when time expired as red and yellow confetti rained down from State Farm Stadium.
“It’s a blur to me right now. I can’t even know most of it, honestly,” Sweat said of the Eagles’ 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs two years ago. “But it was tough for sure.”
The Eagles earned their second trip to the Super Bowl in three seasons to face the same opponent that administered a “tough” loss. It’s just the second Super Bowl rematch to take place within a three-year window.
Philadelphia has 12 starters from Super Bowl 57 who are expected to start in Super Bowl 59. Sweat is the only defensive line starter from Super Bowl 57 who is projected to start again Sunday.
The most obvious difference from the Super Bowl 57 team and this year’s squad is NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley. The seventh-year running back, who signed with the Eagles during the 2024 free agency period, rushed for a franchise record and NFL-high 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had the eighth-most rushing yards ever in a single season and helped the Eagles finish with a single-season club record of 3,048 rushing yards.
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Barkley could help the Eagles preserve a lead this time around. The Eagles had a 10-point halftime lead in Super Bowl 57, but the Chiefs scored on all four of their drives in the second half, including a game-winning 27-yard field goal.
“You have to find a way to finish. Coming into these opportunities and these games, everything is about finishing,’ Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said. ‘You want to have the right focus in that, and that comes with the preparation and the work that you put in. But ultimately, it’s about finishing.’
Hurts said this week that he’s grown as a player since the team’s Super Bowl 57 defeat. His passing yards (2,903) and touchdown passes (18) were down this year, but he did have the lowest number of interceptions since his rookie year (5) and a career-high 103.7 passer rating during the regular season.
“I’ve evolved as a player (and) as a leader. I’ve been able to grow and learn from different things,’ Hurts said. ‘But ultimately, the flame has been ignited even more in terms of the desire of wanting to win and working to win. You can’t just bank on hoping for results to come without the work.’
Hurts is confident all the players from the loss in Glendale, Arizona, learned from the game.
“Everyone just matured. Everyone has been able to grow and learn from those things,” he said.
Is this Eagles team, though, better equipped to take down Kansas City?
The Eagles enter Super Bowl 59 with the NFL’s No. 1 total defense and the league’s rushing champion. They are a motivated squad with a good blend of players from Super Bowl 57 and new members to help stop the Chiefs’ goal of a three-peat.
“Enjoy the experience,” Eagles veteran tackle Lane Johnson said. “But realize that it’s a business trip…We got to be focused leading to this game.”