Five takeaways from the Super Bowl and what the Falcons can learn from the Eagles’ win

Here are five things the Falcons could learn from the Eagles:

1. The importance of the pass rush: The Eagles’ four-man pass rush against the Chiefs was relentless.

The Eagles, led by outside linebacker Josh Sweat, finished with six sacks and 11 quarterback hits. Jalen Carter, the former Georgia standout, did his job by taking on double-team blocks.

The Eagles attacked the pocket with a ferocity and determination to get sacks and not just affect the quarterback.

That was one of new defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich’s plans: “affect the quarterback.”

The Eagles showed what the real plan should be against all quarterbacks and that is to get them on the ground.

“I mean, when you win on a four-man rush and you can just cycle guys through, and they are still winning, you don’t have to blitz,” Eagles All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun said. “Great game-planning, great communication, we were all on the same page all game.”

2. A need to embrace adversity: After the losses to the Falcons and the Buccaneers, the locals were ready to run Eagles coach Nick Sirianni out of town.

The expectations where high after Kellen Moore was hired as the offensive coordinator and Vic Fangio as the defensive coordinator and the signing of running back Saquon Barkley.

The Eagles made some adjustments by mostly leaning into Barkley and the rushing attack. The defense started to blossom as Fangio received the buy-in from a talented, but previously underachieving bunch.

“At the end of the day, you saw this team embrace adversity throughout the entire year,” Sirianni said. “Now, it’s hard to say that when you won 16 out of your last 17, but there was adversity.”

Some of the adversity included Sirianni himself getting into a clash with some of the teams’ rowdy fans, who were calling for his termination.

“There’s adversity constantly, and I think we did a great job of embracing that,” Sirianni said. “We embraced the ups and downs of the season.”

Falcons coach Raheem Morris couldn’t get things turned around after a four-game losing streak as the team stayed too long with Cousins, who went on national television recently and said he was injured in November.

The Falcons were not able to embrace that adversity and get things turned around.

3. Find a way to force turnovers: With that relentless sack-minded pressure, the Eagles created some game-changing turnovers Sunday.

Rookie Cooper DeJean, who played mostly nickel back, returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown.

The Falcons’ nickel back spot was exploited regularly last season. They definitely will need to upgrade or improve dramatically there.

Also, Baun made a diving interception with the Chiefs trying to throw the ball from their end zone. He gifted the offense a short field (14 yards) and helped blow open the game.

“Score a touchdown,” DeJean said about what he was thinking. “I was trying to find the fastest way to the end zone. Luckily, I got some blocks out there. I had to avoid some of those big guys, but it was just our defense working together like we have all year. It fell right into my lap.”

4. Draft better: Leading to the Super Bowl, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Ken Sugiura did a deep dive in the drafts of the Falcons, Eagles and Chiefs.

The Eagles found two cornerbacks, Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell (first round) and DeJean (second) in the same draft. They also added backup linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (fifth).

The summary of the analysis was that the Eagles and Chiefs hit on players throughout the draft — early, middle and late. The Falcons have done well at the top of the draft, but not in the middle and late.

However, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman compared the draft with a game of chance.

“The draft, it’s a crapshoot,” Roseman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “You’re bringing in guys who are 21, 22 years old. You’re changing kind of cities that they live in. You’re putting money (sometimes millions of dollars) in their pockets.”

The Eagles will try to improve their chances.

“So, we just try to really have passionate guys that we feel really passionate about,” Roseman said. “That we’ve spent a lot of time with. That we feel like we’ve gotten to know, and it helps when they are really good players.”

5. Free agency: The Kirk Cousins deal notwithstanding, the Falcons have added some good free agents in recent years that include safety Jessie Bates III, linebacker Kaden Elliss, defensive tackle David Onyemata, wide receivers Ray-Ray McCloud and Darnell Mooney, tight end Charlie Woerner, safety Justin Simmons, defensive tackle Calais Campbell and outside linebacker Bud Dupree.

Without as much money after spending lavishly on offense last season, the Falcons will have to go shopping at the free-agency thrift shop this offseason, as the Eagles did last year.

The Eagles signed Baun to a one-year, $3.5 million deal, and he went on to lead the team in tackles with 150. Also, the Eagles signed former Pro Bowl linebacker Devin White to a one-year, $4 million deal. He was released after losing his job to Nakobe Dean.

“I probably should have signed him to a multiyear contract, in hindsight,” Roseman said of Baun. “But, obviously we thought he was a good player, that’s why we signed him. The year he’s had is phenomenal, (and) he deserves a tremendous amount of credit for that.”

Baun was a third-round pick (74th overall) by the Saints in the 2020 draft out of Wisconsin. He couldn’t remember if his representatives talked with the Falcons last offseason.

“That was a long time around,” Baun told The AJC. “A lot has happened.”