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DISMANTLING Washington 55 – 23, has led us back to the Super Bowl! We got key contributions from QB Jalen Hurts (Offense), LB Zack Baun (Defense) and RB Will Shipley (Special Teams). It was a total team effort. It’s brought us this far, and it will continue to see us through, until we complete our mission this Sunday.

Our opponents are not quite as complete a team, as they live and die on the ability of their QB to bail them out. Which is exactly the sort of team that we just faced. And then faced down! I’ll take our active 48 vs their 1, any day. Especially when our 48 includes RB Saquon Barkley and DT Jalen Carter

With a win, Philadelphia will be the champions. We will have completed the mission, by getting what we came for.

If we were to lose, it would mean disappointment.

Here is to completing our mission.

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The point of Four Things isn’t to predict a winner, it’s to discuss which tactics would give our Eagles the best chance to win this game. Often I list fundamentals, as some of the four things. BUT NO MORE! Unless something specific is needed, fundamentals like Running the ball; playing lots of Man Press; and Tackling instead of going for the strip, will be automatically included. (Like the five consonants and a vowel that Wheel Of Fortune automatically spots you.) So here are the Four Things that we need to focus on this week versus: the Chiefs.

1) Don’t Get Cute: Do what got us here. Run the ball with Saquon, while we let our Offensive Line be physical, and tee off on the opponent. Wear down their defense. We’ll take big plays, but we don’t need them. A bunch of mauling, clock-eating drives that end in touchdowns, is probably better anyway. Especially in the first half.

2) Bait Their QB Into Bad Throws: The opposing QB prides himself on getting the ball out of his hands, after about 2.6 seconds. WE CAN EXPLOIT THAT! Against Pittsburgh, commentator Tom Brady described our short coverage as “muddy”, because our defenders didn’t rush into their drops. We used this again, last week.

This week we could turn that up a notch, by presenting a hole underneath, and then immediately closing on it. Of course the first couple of holes, need to be free completions. Just to bait the hook. THEN we start jumping every hole we present. That would make their QB stop trusting early openings, and hold the ball longer.

3) Give Our Pass Rush Time: We have to keep their receivers covered long enough, for our pass rush to get to their QB, or at least get him to move his feet. Getting him on the ground is ideal, but failing that, we want him throwing from a moving platform, to moving receivers, navigating moving defenders.

Getting OLB Nolan Smith to set a hard edge outside of the RT, would help our interior pass rush, and generate a few holding calls to boot.

4) Motion Our Hot Read: The Chiefs like to use exotic blitzes. WE CAN EXPLOIT THAT! You’ve seen it in games, when a man is put into motion to determine if a coverage is Man or Zone? Here’s a variation on that. When possible blitzers approach the line, motion our hot read player, completely away from the blitzer(s).

That right there presents a dilemma. Does the defense come out of the blitz to cover, or do they leave the “hot” open for a quick pass? By the way, I like the idea of using Saquon or RB Kenneth Gainwell in this role.

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If the Eagles do these Four Things, then we’ll be virtually impossible to beat. That being said…

Check the field for slipperiness! Bring every kind of cleat that money can buy. Every player should bring three pairs of shoes! Am I traumatized by what happened in Arizona? You’re damned right I am. No repeating that shit, this Sunday.

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WARNING: I don’t have the faintest clue as to what a point spread is, and I know even less about how it works. I know FOOTBALL and that’s it. If you use Four Things as a gambling tool, then you are a fool trying to lose your money, and will deserve it when you do.

Check back in a couple of days for Four Things Reviewed, and we’ll discuss how this game went.