Remember all the cynicism around Kansas City last season? The popular belief was that the 2024 Chiefs weren’t as good as their record suggested because they were surviving one-score games at a record pace and failing to dominate in ways that had become their trademark. It sure feels like the Eagles are doing the same thing one year after winning the Super Bowl. They just won a 16-9 game over the Lions on Sunday night that was emblematic of most of their wins this year. The offense sputtered along. The defense delivered some big plays. Yeah, wide receiver A.J. Brown caught more passes, but there really wasn’t much else that stood out. But here’s the important thing about Philadelphia that connects it to last year’s group in Kansas City: These Eagles keep finding ways to beat good teams. They have beaten the Chiefs, Rams, Buccaneers, Packers and Lions so far this season. Philadelphia also has prevailed by one score in seven of its eight wins (and the Chiefs were 11-0 last year in that category). Now, is there a point where some of the Eagles’ issues might catch up to them? Possibly. The Chiefs returned to a third straight Super Bowl last year, only to be blown out by Philadelphia. It’s fair to think the Eagles aren’t winning two or three playoff games this season without more consistent production from stars like Brown and running back Saquon Barkley. It’s also a safe bet that they’ll keep winning most of these games. No matter how it looks, the Eagles are 24-3 in their last 27 games. You don’t win that often without understanding some important lessons about what it takes to avoid losses in this league.
