Cry, Eagles, Cry

I’m not football expert, and I’m no mind reader, hut I do know what Jalen Hurts is thinking this morning:

I lost the Super Bowl for my team.

I say that because the young man always accepts responsibility for his actions, and his fumble led directly to a Kansas City touchdown that provided their margin of victory.

Coach Nick Sirianna said the game was Hurts’ finest.

I doubt #1 would agree.

Nor was it Nick’s best game. It was for 30 minutes, but in the second half, the Chief’s offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy, designed plays for MVP Patrick Mahomes that led to a score every time they got the ball.

Eagles defensive coordinator Jon Gannon still may get a head coaching offer from another team, but his value is diminished. He simply could not stop the Chiefs.

Why? 

In the post-game analysis on NBC Sports, former offensive lineman Barrett Brooks said the Eagles offensive and defensive lines — which are the best in the NFL, he said — didn’t want to win as much as the Chiefs.

NFL Hall of Fame writer Ray Didinger disagreed, saying it was not lack of heart, the Eagles were just outplayed.

The team with more sacks than anyone was unable to touch Mahomes, who I think (after being injured on a tackle) faked a slight limp to lull the Eagles into a false sense of security, before busting a back-breaking run. 

The most horrifying stat was provided by Eagles beat writer, the always mussed but brilliant Reuben Frank: Until Sunday, only one other Super Bowl team down by 10 at halftime had come back to win it.

That is a stat the defense will find hard to swallow.

At halftime, the game was the Eagles’ to lose — and they did.

In fewer than three seasons as the full time quarterback, the 24-year-old Hurts proved himself to be an elite QB and an unquestioned team leader. He’s up for a new contract and I expect the Eagles to break the bank. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is the highest-paid NFL player, with a four-year, $200 million salary. The Eagles will want a longer contract for Hurts, so I expect the sum to be higher, maybe approaching $300 million.

By current standards, he is worth it and an MVP (he finished second this year, to Mahomes) is in his future.

Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid is guaranteed to be a first-ballot selection for the Hall of Fame and Nick Sirianni will coach a team to a victory in the Super Bowl.

My favorite memory of this Super Bowl?

Tears streaming down Nick’s face during the National Anthem. 

But maybe that’s just me.

Some on social media mocked him. Maybe that’s just them — lowlifes.