Nick Sirianni Is Clearly Bullish About Next Season But History Suggests He Needs A Reality Check

Nick Sirianni

Getty Image / Cooper Neill


Despite looking like the best team in the National Football League for most of the season, the Philadelphia Eagles ultimately ended the 2022 campaign empty-handed as they were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.

Now that he and his team have had a taste of the bright lights of the Super Bowl, Birds head coach Nick Sirianni is obviously desperate to lead the team back there and finish the job this time.

“What it does, you get close and it just fuels your hunger,” Sirianni said at the annual league meeting, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. “You know the steps that you had to take to get there and you know every detail matters and you’re going to try to recapture everything you can as far as the work to put in. It just makes you more hungry.

“There’s that thing that Jalen [Hurts says], ‘I’m not hungry, I’m starving.’ You guys all saw that. ‘I’m starving for this s***.’ I think that just makes you more hungry, makes you more starving. I know that’s the sentiment of the guys we have in that locker room. I know it’s the sentiment of the coaches and I sure know it’s the sentiment of me. Just more determined than ever.”

The 41-year-old head coach also stressed that he and his team aren’t phased by the statistics regarding teams returning to the Super Bowl.

Those numbers, however, are certainly daunting, as just eight teams in the history of the NFL — the 1971 Cowboys, 1972 Dolphins, 1973 Vikings, 1987 Broncos, 1991-93 Bills, the 2018 Patriots — have returned to the Super Bowl the year after losing.

“I don’t care what happened last year. I don’t care that we went this record and played in the Super Bowl or anything like that. We don’t give a crap about what the numbers say about who was able to get back to the Super Bowl. … It’s going to take day-in and day-out work.

The Eagles will certainly have their work cut out for them if they want to return to the Super Bowl, as NFC East history/data is also against them, as the division hasn’t had a repeat winner since 2004.

There’s also the fact the team lost a handful of key contributors — including seven starters — such as defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, linebacker T.J. Edwards, running back Miles Sanders, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo, and more.

Still, the Eagles remain one of the betting favorites to win next year’s Super Bowl with odds at around +750, trailing only the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.

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