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Counting down Eagles best plays in Super Bowl LIX run

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Counting down Eagles best plays in Super Bowl LIX run originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Counting down the top 10 plays of the Eagles’ postseason run on the way to the Super Bowl LIX title. I ranked the plays based on the impact on the game and the lasting impression they will have. I tried to find the best clip from social media for each play.

10. Milton Williams’ forced fumble and recovery vs. Chiefs

This was the culmination of a pass rush that flat-out dominated the Chiefs offensive line from start to finish. I thought about Zack Baun’s

forced fumble against the Commanders or Jalen Hurts’ opening drive touchdown run versus the Rams for this spot, but one of those six sacks had to make the cut. While this one may not have been the most important, it made the biggest statement. Williams is going to get a bag this offseason from someone, but first he got the ball. Then Patrick Mahomes got leveled by Jalen Carter. It‘s an indelible image from one of the most dominant defensive performances in Super Bowl history.

9. Oren Burks’ forced fumble on opening kickoff vs Packers

Talk about setting the tone. The very first play of the postseason for the Eagles should have been an indication of what was to come. Burks delivered the kind of hit you can hear clear as day as he blasted Keisean Nixon and jarred the ball free. Filling in for the injured Nakobe Dean, Burks became an unsung hero who brought the boom all postseason long. It set up a Jalen Hurts to Jahan Dotson touchdown three plays later and the Eagles never looked back against the Pack.

8. Jalen Hurts’ 4th-and-5 completion to A.J. Brown vs Commanders

The final score was 55-23, but at this moment in the NFC Championship game, the Eagles led 14-12 with just over two minutes remaining in the first half and the ball barely over midfield. A turnover on downs would’ve given Washington a prime chance to take the lead before the half. Instead Hurts threw deep to his top target who beat Marshon Lattimore for 31 yards. Hurts scored on a tush push a few plays later and the route was on.

7. Zack Baun’s diving interception off Patrick Mahomes vs Chiefs

Baun went from an unknown to the best linebacker in the league. The All-Pro’s penchant for playmaking continued in the postseason and culminated with this incredible diving catch. Kansas City was down 17-0 but had a chance to double up with scores before and after the half to get back in the game. Josh Sweat’s bull-rush impacted Mahomes’ throw and “Blank Check” Baun stepped in. Side note: Howie Roseman has to do whatever it takes to keep the linebacker in midnight green.

6. Dallas Goedert’s stiff-arm TD vs Packers

The Eagles offense was struggling to do anything against Green Bay, who had just cut it to a one-score game in the third quarter. Hurts hit Goedert on a short route along the sideline and the tight end did the rest. Three stiff-arms and 24 yards later, he was in the end zone, giving the Eagles all the cushion they would need. It was a play that fully embodied the bully-ball nature of this Eagles team.

5. The Dagger to DeVonta Smith against the Chiefs

It was already 24-0 in the second half of the Super Bowl. If it wasn’t for the Negadelphian in all of us (and Patrick Mahomes on the other sideline) the bottles would have already been popping. This play sealed the deal. The Eagles’ defense had just forced a turnover on downs, thanks to Avonte Maddox. Kellen Moore could’ve opted to try and bleed some clock, but he dialed up a deep ball on his way out the door. Hurts threw an absolute dime that clinched the Super Bowl MVP for him and Smith made a great grab back in his home state. The celebration was truly set in motion after that.

4. Saquon’s house call to start the NFC Championship game

I was in the bowels of the Wells Fargo Center after producing Eagles Pregame Live and had just watched the first Commanders drive in our event-level control room (which is actually below ground). I had the game streaming on my phone while walking back to our offices when I felt the floor shake and knew a massive play was coming. Forty-five seconds later (shoutout streaming delays) I saw Jordan Mailata cave in the left side and Barkley break free for the first of his three touchdowns.

3. Jalen Carter seals the game with a sack vs Rams

The Eagles dream season was 13 yards away from ending in the divisional round. It was 3rd-and-2 with 1:14 to play. Matthew Stafford was absolutely dialed in. It was setting up to be an all-time collapse. Someone had to make a play, and the best player on the defense stepped up to secure the win. As Josh Sweat said afterwards, “It was only a matter of time before (Carter) was going to kill that right guard. No disrespect to the right guard.” Does it matter that it was actually the center? No!

2. Cooper DeJean’s pick-six present in the Super Bowl

Mahomes had just been sacked on back-to-back plays so Andy Reid rolled out him on a 3rd-and-forever to buy some time. DeJean, celebrating his 22nd birthday, had eyes on the quarterback as he tried to find a crossing receiver. The rookie stepped in front of the pass and took it to the end zone. That was the moment it really felt like it was going to be the Eagles’ night.

1. Saquon dashing through the snow for a 62-yard touchdown

Barkley never got his shining moment in the Super Bowl, but 2024 was the season of Saquon. When we look back on this team in a few years, his will be the lasting image. You’ll think of 2,000 yards and all the records and the backwards leap. But the aesthetics of him prancing through the snow, smacking himself in the helmet as he crossed the goal line for yet another 60-yard touchdown will be right there, front of mind.

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