Chris Long won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia and celebrated the Eagles winning it all last year. But the former Eagles star isn’t predicting Philadelphia to go back-to-back.
On a Tuesday episode of his podcast, “Green Light with Chris Long,” the retired edge rusher made his Super Bowl picks.
“The team that is easiest for me to place in the Super Bowl is on the NFC side, OK?” Long said. “I would say the Bucs are going to the Super Bowl this year.
“Here’s the class of the NFC to me. The Bucs, Packers, Lions, Eagles, Commanders, in no particular order. The NFC is spicy. Now, the reason why I like the Bucs is they match up well against the Eagles, who will be fully formed at that point in January. Honestly, I think (the Bucs have) a great roster top to bottom. ... And they might be hosting some home games.”
Long and his co-hosts commented that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in a weak NFC South division, could post a favorable record and earn a high seed in the postseason.
Long then went on to predict that the Buffalo Bills will win not just the AFC, but the Super Bowl, too.
Some Eagles fans might be surprised to hear Long not pick his former team to repeat. But earlier in the podcast, he expressed concerns over this year’s team and said he “wouldn’t be shocked” if the Washington Commanders win the NFC East.
“I have to be honest. The Philadelphia Eagles just won the Super Bowl. I know how hard it is to defend a Super Bowl title,” Long said. “... There’s a lot of young guys on this team. There’s a lot of guys who just enjoyed success for the first time. How are they going to respond to that?”
Long brought up cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, who hasn’t impressed this summer but is expected to start opposite Quinyon Mitchell. He brought up the ongoing injury issues with safety Sydney Brown. He brought up the Eagles’ “unproven” edge rushers.
“And you worry about the dry spells with Jalen (Hurts). As great as he’s played on the biggest stages, on some of the smallest stages he hasn’t played as well,” Long said.
“I’m concerned about taking anybody but the Eagles in the NFC East this year. Because this team deserves the benefit of the doubt. They’re one of the best teams this century a year ago. Can the Commanders match up with other teams in the NFC better than Philly in some situations? Absolutely. But I think it’s going to come down to the matchups when they play each other. And for that reason, I think the Commanders come up just short. I am going to take the Eagles (in the NFC East). I don’t feel great about it. Because I think the Commanders got better.”
Long became a fan favorite as an integral member of the franchise’s magical run to Super Bowl LII, where the Eagles beat his old team, the New England Patriots.
But it didn’t seem like Long enjoyed picking against the Eagles to win the Super Bowl — or making preseason predictions in the first place.
“I hate all of this,” he said. “Let me see the teams play.”
Fair enough. Long will be able to watch the Eagles play on Thursday night when Philadelphia opens its 2025 season at home against the Dallas Cowboys.
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