Eagles lament missing 'general' but Super Bowl confidence stems from one thing

The Philadelphia Eagles will be without injured general Nakobe Dean in Super Bowl LIX - but the new and improved defense is still ready to upset Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs .

Last season, the Eagles collapsed down the stretch, falling from 10-1 NFC frontrunners to a wild card outfit that was bounced immediately at the hands of Baker Mayfields Tampa Bay Buccaneers .

Across that fateful campaign, Philadelphia allowed 31 points and 404 yards per game and faced questions over their future as coordinators were cycled through.

But the answers were found in the form of Vic Fangio.

During the regular season, the Eagles had the No.

1 defense and have allowed just five touchdowns across three postseason games.

Their defense shot up from 26th in yards allowed a year ago to first this season.

It represents the biggest jump to the NFL -best spot in league history.

While Saquon Barkley has plenty of headlines, the monumental defensive turnaround has spearheaded the Eagles surge to the Super Bowl.

Fangio hired several new coaches who have excelled, while general manager Howie Roseman tinkered with the roster in a way only he knows how to great success in 2024.

Exit Haason Reddick, James Bradberry, Zach Cunningham, Kevin Byard, Justin Evans, Shaquille Leonard, Bradley Roby.

Enter Zack Baun, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and rookie duo Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

Baun went from New Orleans Saints forgotten man to Defensive Player of the Year contender, while the replenished unit also saw the emergence of young studs like Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter, and Dean.

The 24-year-old Dean will miss the clash with the Chiefs after tearing his patellar tendon against the Green Bay Packers last month, and his absence will be felt by teammates.

When asked by Mirror U.S.

Sports to name the underrated X-factor of the Eagles defense, star DT Jordan Davis said: I would say Nakobe Kobe or Milton Williams.

Both of them make unbelievable plays.

And that's not to take away from the rest of our defense.

But I feel like they deserve so much more credit than they actually have.

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Nakobe is so smart.

He's like the general of the defense when he was healthy and out there with us.

But Milton Williams is just a worker.

He has a strong work ethic.

It's insane.

He's a good dude, man.

I just want to give flowers to everybody.

We have playmakers all over our defense, honestly.

I love this team and I would die for this team.

Whether the Eagles defense has experienced a turnaround due to nature or nurture is up to debate.

Along with the revamped staff, the teams maturity and shared bond means theyre ready to go to war and deny Mahomes and the Chiefs their unique place in NFL history as potential three-peat Super Bowl champions.

"Were more mature - even with all the young guys," safety Reed Blankenship told the Mirror U.S.

Sports.

"Also, our relationship with each other goes beyond what we put out on the field.

Off the field, which people dont see, were a really close-knit group.

If I trust and am best friends with Zach Baun and he trusts me, hes going to do his thing and Im going to do mine to the best of my ability.

We have that confidence in each other, and I think thats grown the most over the season.

"We knew this year was going to be different in the offseason.

Its awesome to see weve lived up to that.

We just gotta finish the job now." The Eagles face the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sunday, Feb.

9.

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This article has been shared from the original article on themirror, here is the link to the original article.