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After getting to Super Bowl LVII, the Philadelphia Eagles fell apart down the stretch of the 2023 season, losing five of their last six regular-season games and getting blown out, 32-9, in the Wild Card round of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They already faced something of an uphill climb back to title contention, and now that road has gotten tougher.
Star center Jason Kelce announced his retirement, and analyst Mike Sando is concerned about what it could mean for quarterback Jalen Hurts moving forward.
“I’ll be interested in what becomes of tush push, how Jalen Hurts is affected, etc. There could be tendency to blame too much on this 1 factor but still could be big,” Sando tweeted.
Losing a top center can be tough for a QB, depending how much of the protections & adjustments the C handles.
I’ll be interested in what becomes of tush push, how Jalen Hurts is affected, etc. There could be tendency to blame too much on this 1 factor but still could be big https://t.co/TsnRK7wYze
— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) March 4, 2024
Hurts was an MVP candidate in 2022, but in 2023, he saw his productivity dip, as evidenced by his 15 interceptions, nine more than he had in 2022.
Kelce wasn’t just a star offensive lineman — he was one of the NFL’s very best offensive linemen, and he made the Pro Bowl seven times overall, including each of the last five seasons.
Overall, Philly’s offensive line was considered one of the best in the league in 2023, but now they have a big hole to fill, to go along with some others.
Starting running back D’Andre Swift is about to become a free agent, and there have been rumors that they may trade star wide receiver A.J. Brown.
Brown played a large role in the Eagles reaching the Super Bowl, and he caught 106 passes for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2023 campaign, which earned him his third Pro Bowl nod.
The NFC should be deeper in 2024, and thus it may not be a foregone conclusion that they will even reach the playoffs again next winter.
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