Destiny Birds: Will History Repeat?
02/08/2023
By: Jeff Yoder
How This Year’s Super Bowl Run Feels Eerily Similar to the Last Time the Eagles Won It All
As Super Bowl week rolls on and the storylines keep piling up, our team did some research to dive deeper into the unique trends around this year’s big game. And we found some correlations that could signal destiny for the Eagles on Sunday. The eery synchronicity dates back to five years ago with a series of events prior to Philadelphia’s first Super Bowl win when they beat New England and Tom Brady (41-33).
2017-18 Sports Champions
In 2017, the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Finals before the Houston Astros won the World Series. Three months later, the Eagles went on to win Super Bowl LII.
2022-23 Sports Champions
In 2022, the Golden State Warriors won the NBA Finals before the Houston Astros won the World Series. Three months later, the Eagles are back in the Super Bowl. Coincidence?
Other Similarities
In that 2017-18 campaign, when Philly won its first Lombardi Trophy, the Eagles were the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They had a quarterback (Carson Wentz) who was an MVP candidate before suffering an injury. They went on to defeat the quarterback who eventually won MVP that season — Tom Brady — in the big game. And this year has been no different. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was a top MVP candidate before suffering a shoulder injury in December. They’re the No. 1 seed. And they’ll be playing the quarterback who will likely win MVP in Patrick Mahomes.
Want More?
It doesn’t stop there. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was in his second year at the helm when the Birds won it in 2018. New head coach Nick Sirianni is in, you guessed it, Year 2.
Stop the Madness!
No can do… When the Eagles beat the Patriots in 2018, New England was appearing in their third Super Bowl in four years. Sunday marks the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl appearance in four years, too.
Guess the Margin
In those 2017-18 years, the Warriors won the Finals (4-1) and the Astros won the World Series (4-2) while the Eagles beat the Pats (41-33). Both margins of victory were tighter in 2022 with the Warriors (4-2) and Astros (4-3) winning less convincingly. The Eagles could be in line for a narrow win, but a win nonetheless, if history repeats itself.
Will the sports gods smile on Philly once again?
Additional Storylines
ESPN: Record 50.4 Million People Bet $16 Billion on Super Bowl LVII
Yahoo! Sports: Tickets Are Hot for Super Bowl LVII — Can They Beat Historic 2015 Price?
USA Today: Dick Vermeil Coached the Eagles & Chiefs… And He Won’t Pick a Super Bowl 57 Winner
Photo: Timothy A. Clary / Getty Images