The Philadelphia Eagles took charge of Super Bowl LIX to such an extent that there was never any chance of their game with the Kansas City Chiefs going down to a last-second field goal.
But, after a victory in a game in which the Eagles were clearly prepared for everything, Nick Sirianni hailed the performance of his special teams in relation to one specific area.
“Special teams-wise, we talked a lot about how good their field goal block unit was, and our guys did a phenomenal job,” Sirianni told NFL Network.
“I love that Fred Johnson and Mekhi [Becton], Jordan Davis and Jordan Mailata on that team were able to be perfect on field goals.”
Philadelphia had clearly made note of previous examples of the Chiefs blocking important kicks over the course of the previous 12 months. Leo Chenal blocked a would-be game-winning field goal in the Chiefs’ dramatic Week 10 victory over the Denver Broncos. More significantly, in Super Bowl LVIII, Mike Danna blocked a Jake Moody extra point after a go-ahead touchdown for the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter.
That block prevented the Niners from going up 20-16, and the Chiefs tied the game at 19-19 with a field goal to force an overtime period in which they prevailed.
What preparations the Eagles did paid off as Jake Elliott went four of four on both field goals and extra points.
While the Eagles did have recent history to work from, the fact the 49ers allowed the most important kick of their second Super Bowl matchup with the Chiefs hints at a difference in the level of special teams preparation and Philadelphia spotting an area to emphasize that escaped San Francisco’s attention.
Whether Moody remains with the 49ers in 2025 remains to be seen after an awful second season for the 2023 third-round pick, which saw him miss a league-high 10 field goals.
A dreadful all-round campaign for the 49er special teams prompted the removal of coordinator Brian Schneider, who was replaced by Brant Boyer last month.
It would be unfair to accuse Schneider of a lack of attention to detail but, with Boyer now running that facet of the team, the 49ers will hope for their efforts to be manifested in the form of a much cleaner special teams operation akin to that of the Eagles in 2025.
