Eagles' X factors for Super Bowl LIX

Hurts injured his left knee against the Rams in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs but rushed 10 times, albeit for 16 yards, against Washington in the NFC Championship Game. Time will tell if a week of rest did the team’s second-leading rusher any good. 

Kellen Moore | OC

But just how many runs will Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator draw up for his quarterback? How many carries will he give Barkley? Will he abandon the run if the team falls behind? These are just some of the questions discussed in Philadelphia, but no topic looms larger than Moore’s focus for the game.

Moore has already spoken twice with the Saints about becoming the team’s next head coach, and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, both sides plan to meet again after the Super Bowl. 

Similarly, after Super Bowl LVII, Philadelphia lost offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to the Indianapolis Colts and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to the Arizona Cardinals, leading many Eagles fans to believe their coordinators were more focused on their next gigs.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson | S

Johnson helped lead the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII with a league-leading six interceptions in 2022. After an injury-plagued year in Detroit, he returned to Philadelphia in 2024 to lead the team with another six interceptions, including the first pick-six of his career against the Cowboys in Week 17.

Sunday will be a homecoming of sorts for Gardner-Johnson. The 27-year-old safety was a fourth-round pick of the Saints in 2019, and he spent the first three years of his career in New Orleans before coming to Philadelphia as a free agent.

DeVonta Smith | WR

A.J. Brown may be the team’s No. 1 receiver, but no player has been more clutch in the playoffs than Smith. In Super Bowl LVII, Smith led all pass-catchers with seven catches for 100 yards and put up 148 yards in a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in last year’s wild-card game.

Brown may be bigger, faster and stronger, but he receives more attention from the opposition. If he comes anywhere near the numbers he had in his last trip to the Super Bowl, the Eagles have an excellent chance to even the score against the Chiefs.