Why the Eagles Super Bowl victory reflects nothing on the Chiefs

Despite some deep connections between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, the former’s Super Bowl victory has nothing to do with the latter.

The comparisons began before the Super Bowl even started.

As the Philadelphia Eagles began their march through the NFL postseason, taking out one opponent after the other despite losing their franchise quarterback (and league MVP candidate) Carson Wentz to an ACL injury, fans of the Kansas City Chiefs began to link the teams in ways they were never meant to be.

The connections should be made. The comparisons, however, should not.

As for the connections, they run deep. Current Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid served in the same role for the Philadelphia Eagles for 243 total games, playoffs included. Many of the Chiefs current coaches were, at one point, assistants in Philly. Bennie Logan played every season for Philly’s defensive line until 2017.

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On the flip side, both the head coach and starting quarterback for the Eagles are former Chiefs. Quarterback Nick Foles backed up Alex Smith before the arrival of Patrick Mahomes. Doug Pederson was Andy Reid’s right hand man before landing the Eagles coaching gig two years ago.

The connections are plenty. Lots of shared history. Lots of friendships. Lots of time logged together, snaps played together, film discussed together.

That’s also, however, where these links should end.

The Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 are a different team than the 2016 edition. Even next year’s team will be wise to not rest on their laurels, and I’m sure Doug Pederson’s message will read as such. Instead of assuming they will once again be competitive at the highest level, it’s Pederson’s job to make sure his team stays focused on the present and not make too many comparisons to the previous team. A new year brings a new opportunity.

The same goes for the Chiefs. Yes, Doug Pederson is a branch on Andy Reid’s coaching tree. Yes, his offense is largely based on what he learned from Reid, a foundation laid for not just Pederson but several other former and current coaches at the professional level. But trying to create objective comparisons when the entire set-up is subjective is a flawed experiment.

After the Super Bowl, it was common to read Chiefs fans saying that Clark Hunt should have fired Andy Reid and kept one of assistants. That’s making the assumption that Pederson could have won with this current Chiefs squad and that Reid cannot and will not. There were others saying the Chiefs should have jettisoned Alex Smith at quarterback and somehow discerned the future that Nick Foles would be a future Super Bowl winner.

Let’s make it clear that even Nick Foles says he wasn’t sure he’d even play this year.

Let’s also make it clear that Nick Foles is still not a starting quarterback in the NFL. Carson Wentz will take that title back from him when he’s ready.

The Eagles win was a beautiful win, a coaching clinic against the very best in the business. It was also a very, very entertaining game and it was great way to end the year for the NFL. Foles’ performance was flawless. Pederson’s coaching job was brilliant. The win made stars out of several players, and the Eagles deserve every ounce of credit that they get.

But the Chiefs, on the other hand, do not deserve a single ounce of shade that some fans want to create in the aftermath of the win. Pederson is not better than Reid. Foles is not better than Smith. The Chiefs are not doomed forever just because the past hasn’t included a similar story.

Every year is a completely new script for every team in the NFL. No matter what happened the previous year, the myriad of elements in each story unfold in ways no one can predict. Just ask the surprising Minnesota Vikings this year. Just ask the experts who thought the Oakland Raiders were making the leap this season.

Next year is a new chapter for all parties involved. Any team is capable of winning it all. Any team is a potential Super Bowl champion—that includes a team with Alex Smith as its starting quarterback or a team with Andy Reid as its head coach. You’re allowed to believe otherwise, but it doesn’t make it right. There’s no curse here. There’s no ceiling on what can or cannot happen. If anything, the story of Foles and the rest of the Eagles remind us of that much.

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