Cooper Flagg and the Duke Blue Devils suffered their third loss of the season, falling short against ACC rival Clemson on Saturday.

The Blue Devils had their 16-game winning streak snapped and moved to 20-3 overall and 12-1 in conference play this season. The team entered the week ranked No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, and it could have found its way to a No. 1 ranking with a win after top-ranked Auburn was beaten by Florida earlier Saturday.

Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and Duke will look to get back on track with a pair of home games against California (Wednesday) and Stanford (Saturday).

How did Clemson beat Duke?

The Tigers, who are ranked No. 21 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, used a huge second half to surge past the Blue Devils. Duke led 41-35 at halftime, but a 12-0 run with just under 10 minutes to play helped Clemson to a 56-49 lead.

Clemson was led by senior center Viktor Lakhin, who scored 22 points to go with four rebounds and three blocks. Three other Tigers players scored in double-digits, with senior forward Ian Schieffelin scoring 12 points with 10 rebounds.

How did Clemson celebrate?

The Clemson fans stormed the court on Saturday after the 77-71 victory over Duke at home.

Clemson has now won three of its last seven meetings against Duke. All three of the victories have come at home. Duke had won the previous meeting against Clemson 72-71 on Jan. 27, 2024.

How did Cooper Flagg do in the loss on Saturday night

Flagg finished with 19 points, five rebounds and an assist in the loss to Clemson.

With Clemson leading Duke 73-71 with 18.9 remaining in regulation, Flagg had an opportunity to tie but slipped on the court while driving toward the basket and was called for a travel.

A ‘career criminal’ who hustles men and often drugs them before stealing from them is how police describe the Louisiana woman charged in connection with the death of a Kansas City sports journalist who was covering Super Bowl 59.

Adan Manzano, 27, an anchor and sports reporter for Telemundo Kansas City, was found dead Wednesday morning in his room at a Comfort Suites hotel near New Orleans. He was there on assignment for the Spanish language network and Tico Sports.

Police arrested Danette Colbert, 48, of Slidell, Louisiana, on Thursday night in New Orleans after investigators saw video of her leaving Manzano’s hotel room early Wednesday morning, Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley said during a press conference Friday.

Here’s what we know so far about the suspect in the case.

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How police connected the suspect to the case

Investigators found Manzano’s cellphone and credit card in a search of Colbert’s home, Conley said. The credit card had been fraudulently used ‘at several stores in the New Orleans area,’ Conley said in a press release.

Colbert, who is being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna, Louisiana, has been charged with property crimes including fraud and theft-related offenses, but the ‘investigation is still ongoing,’ Conley said.

Police are awaiting a coroner’s report, which could take three to four weeks, Kenner Police Department deputy chief Mark McCormick told USA TODAY on Saturday via email.

A toxicology report will be important because Colbert has been arrested in the past for allegedly drugging men and stealing from them. Colbert’s criminal history includes ‘two instances where she drugged a victim and stole his access device and cards,’ Conley said.

Access device crimes can include illegal use of credit and debit cards, and unauthorized use of hotel room keys.

‘She plays a confidence game. She’s definitely a career criminal,’ Conley said. ‘All of her crimes are against persons, such as access device frauds (such as illegal use of credit and debit cards), simple robberies, thefts, things of that nature.’

Suspect had been previously charged in Las Vegas

Conley was arrested in July 2022 and charged with grand larceny of more than $25,000 and administering a drug to aid in the commission of a felony, The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported at the time. Police said a man alleged that two women he met in a bar at the Encore hotel drugged him after he invited them to his room.

In the July 9, 2022 incident, the man told police the women forced a drink down his throat and he felt dizzy, police said. He forced the women to leave, but when he woke up the next day was missing a watch valued at $60,000, a credit card and $1,500 in casino chips. He told police his credit card showed several purchases he did not make. Colbert, who was seen on surveillance video, told police she had gone to the man’s room to dance for him in exchange for chips.

Colbert was also arrested and charged earlier that year in a similar incident on Jan. 17 theft at the Wynn Las Vegas, the Review-Journal reported. A man woke up in his hotel room with a bloody nose and found that $50,000 cash was missing; also gone, police said, a Rolex watch worth $30,000, his cellphone, $11,000 in casino chips and luggage.

Both cases were later dismissed because the victims did not want to testify in court, Daniel Lippmann, the attorney who represented Colbert, told The Associated Press. He had no comment on the new allegations.

Charges in both cases were dropped in October 2022 but it was unclear why, the Times-Picayune reported Friday. 

Police: Suspect has ‘quite a record and rap sheet’

Long before being charged in Las Vegas, Colbert had become a familiar name to New Orleans police in that she ‘has quite a record and rap sheet for confidence games, access device fraud and robbery schemes,’ Conley said Friday.

‘She was stopped quite frequently in the French Quarter and she’s known for these fraud schemes,’ he said.

Colbert pleaded guilty to access device fraud in December 2019 after she and two other women were arrested in May 2018 involving a stolen credit card which a victim told police he lost while visiting a Bourbon Street strip club, The Times Picayune reported. The suspects bought gift cards and got cash back on purchases totaling about $3,000 and spent about $3,000 at a Sam’s Club, authorities told The Times-Picayune.

Court records show a district judge sentenced Colbert to five years in prison, the maximum possible, but suspended the sentence and ordered she serve five years of active probation, the outlet reported.

Prior to that, Colbert was arrested in December 2016 and accused of stealing credit cards from a man she met on Bourbon Street, The Times-Picayune reported at the time. She had used a man’s credit card to buy about $1,500 of gift cards, the New Orleans news outlet reported.

In May 2016, Colbert had pled guilty to theft of between $500 and $1,499 and theft of goods less than $750. She also got a 5-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to charges of bank fraud and second-degree battery, The Times-Picayune reported.

That case stemmed from an incident in November 2014 in which police said Colbert had been arrested for theft after leaving a New Orleans hotel with the watch, credit cards and cash from a man she met on Bourbon Street. Police said Colbert and three women attacked a store manager who notified police after seeing Colbert on a wanted poster police had dispensed over the incident, The Times-Picayune reported.

Colbert pleaded guilty in May 2015 to two counts of theft in that incident, The Times Picayune reported. Colbert was sentenced to five years of active probation and three years of inactive probation, according to The Times Picayune.

Prior to that arrest, Colbert had been arrested in October 2012 for simple robbery and pleaded guilty a year later to possession of stolen things. Her probation had been terminated in April 2014, the outlet reported.

Major events such as the Super Bowl attract ‘traveling criminals’ in search of targets, Conley said.

‘This brings to light that there are people out there that prey on other people and bring them into their confidence and victimize them,’ he said. ‘It’s something that people really need to be aware of.’

Who was Adan Manzano?

Manzano worked as both an anchor and reporter and died while on assignment to cover the Super Bowl for both the Spanish language network Telemundo Kansas City and Tico Sports, KGKC said Thursday.The outlet described Manzano as a ‘true professional and rising star who exemplified excellence in his work.’

Tico Sports released a statement to USA TODAY saying, ‘Adan was a devoted father to his young daughter, a helpful colleague, and loyal friend.’

His wife Ashleigh LeeAnn Boyd Manzano, who was a second-grade teacher, died in a car crash in Topeka, Kansas on April 11, 2024.

Follow Mike Snider on Threads, Bluesky and X: mikegsnider &@mikegsnider.bsky.social &@mikesnider.

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NEW ORLEANS – Dawg Mentality.

It’s a philosophy and culture fostered by the University of Georgia’s football program that’s now paying huge dividends at the NFL level for the Philadelphia Eagles. It might even provide the winning edge Sunday in Super Bowl 59 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“It’s really a lifestyle that kind of molded us,” Eagles defensive tackle (and former Bulldog) Jordan Davis told USA TODAY Sports. “We played on great teams.

“It’s easier because (we) know what it takes, been in big games before, know how to handle this media stuff – it can be overwhelming for a lot of people. But being (at Georgia) helps with this experience.”

Davis, a first-round pick in 2022, is one of five players Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman drafted from Georgia’s 2021 and ’22 national championship teams. The others are linebacker Nakobe Dean (third round in 2022), defensive tackle Jalen Carter (first round in 2023), linebacker Nolan Smith Jr. (first round in 2023) and cornerback Kelee Ringo (fourth round in 2023). Defensive back Lewis Cine, a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings three years ago, joined as a free agent last month.

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Roseman’s approach certainly wasn’t coincidental as he remade a defense that only has three starters remaining from its Super Bowl 57 version and is employing its third coordinator over the past three seasons (Vic Fangio) but has been injected with quick-fix rapport.

“We were in position to draft really good players from the Georgia defense,” said Roseman. “These Georgia guys had chemistry, and it really helped that you don’t have all these guys from different schools who don’t have relationships. They already had that created – obviously from a historically great defense – and it just kind of worked out that they were able to play together.”

Have they ever.

Philadelphia’s defense finished the 2024 regular season ranked first overall while surrendering the second-fewest points in the league. They’ve only allowed 16.4 per game while going 15-1 since their Week 5 bye. Of course, these are veterans of Georgia’s history-making 2021 unit, which set a modern-era record by ceding just 6.9 points per game during the regular season. The 2021-22 Bulldogs, coached by Kirby Smart, posted a combined 29-1 record on the way to those two national titles.

“Because they played together,” said Roseman, “I think that there’s a chemistry that developed quicker than maybe it would have if you drafted guys from different schools.”

‘Setting their culture’

Being talented, high-end draft picks is one thing. The collective ability to alter an NFL locker room – particularly a veteran-laden one like Philadelphia’s – is quite entirely another.

“I think those guys have brought whatever culture they had at Georgia, they’ve brought it in – and they’ve allowed other people to join them, it’s not just the five of them,” said left tackle Jordan Mailata.

“Those guys have done such a great job, they’re so tight. They’re a close unit, but they open their little circle to everyone. It’s so fun to see and be a part of, because those guys are gonna be leaders on this team in the future, and we’re pretty lucky to have those guys setting their culture early on.”

Quarterback Jalen Hurts has repeatedly cited the former Bulldogs defenders throughout the playoffs for their impact, but especially the off-field component.

“(J)ust the bond that those Georgia guys have, and how they play,” Hurts said after last month’s wild-card defeat of the Green Bay Packers while lamenting the loss of Dean, who blew out his knee in that game.

“(T)here’s always a confidence, there’s always an intensity there and swagger about themselves. I think that feeds through the whole defense.”

Hurts credited their collective persona Thursday for making the team closer and more connected than the one that fractured by the end of the 2023 campaign and even the squad that lost the Super Bowl by three points to the Chiefs two years ago.

It doesn’t come as a surprise in Athens.

“We really pour into personal relationships – in the offseason just as much as we build into the football piece. Having deeper relationships than surface-level relationships that you sometimes can have as teammates, that matters – because you’ll go a little bit further for (each other),” Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann, who’s been on the Bulldogs coaching staff since 2016, told USA TODAY Sports.

“Those guys, because they have those lifelong bonds from their time here, I think they’ve just carried that over. And so it probably has a little bit of a college feel.

‘I know that those guys eat together and do all kinds of stuff up there together. Just a little bit extra in how they care about each other and love each other. You can feel that when it’s genuine.”

It doesn’t necessarily lead to individual accolades or recognition. Carter and linebacker Zack Baun were the only Eagles defenders recognized as Pro Bowlers in 2024.

“We really preach team over self. If there’s team success, then individual success will come,” said Schumann.

“Sometimes that culture is contagious – when one guy’s playing that way, it’s easier for everybody to play that way.”

Said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni: “(T)he guys have a relationship with each other, they’ll go a little bit harder because they got a little bit more on the line, and because they don’t want to let each other down.

“They can fly around and make plays, they’re tough. Coach Smart and his staff have done such a good job of getting good players there and developing them, and we just try to continue to do the same thing. Love those guys, big part of why we’re here today.”

That also includes the dirty work, Sirianni spotlighting Ringo for his special teams role.

“The Georgia program, going through a system like that – you know how to win, you know what it takes to be able to win,” Ringo told USA TODAY Sports. “There’s a specific standard.

“Going through a system like that for a couple of years, man, you’re kind of molded within that – holding yourself to a good standard and being able to live with that and maintain that.”

Yet it also means spirited ping-pong games in the locker room. And trash talk no one is safe from. Tight end E.J. Jenkins has had to endure the Dawgs as the only Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket on Philly’s roster.

“Oh, wow, it’s a tough role, a tough job,” Jenkins told USA TODAY Sports. “You have that real deep rivalry. But you get to know them from a teammate perspective? They’re really good people.

“The proof is in the pudding when you just bring all these guys here, and the production that they’re having. They’re obviously doing something right.

‘We’re one team, one family, and we have one goal.”

Budding stars

“Let’s hunt” has become the Eagles’ mantra during the playoffs. Pay special attention Sunday to Carter and Smith as Philadelphia tries to bag its second Lombardi Trophy in the last eight seasons.

Carter has emerged as one of the league’s most dominant interior forces while playing an extraordinarily high number of snaps at his position – 84% during his 16 regular-season appearances. His utility has been even higher in the postseason despite the 55-23 blowout of the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship game.

Contrast that to Georgia’s legendary 2021 defense, when Carter had to rotate in off the bench behind Davis and Devonte Wyatt, a Round 1 pick of the Packers in 2022.

“To see him develop and see him grow from college to here, it’s been amazing,” Davis said of Carter, whom he now starts alongside. “I’m so grateful to call him my brother, so grateful to call him my friend. And he’s seen me grow, too, we’ve grown up together. Just to see him excel and succeed and make big plays and just do what he’s capable of doing – fulfill his potential – I’m so proud of him.’

Carter was sick this week and did not meet with reporters but was a full practice participant Thursday and Friday and should be ready for Sunday.

“He’s a dominant player, he’s been that way since high school. He’s an impressive guy,” Schumann said of the disruptive and relentless Carter. “He’s always been able to dominate games. He’s one of the most talented players I’ve been around for sure.”

Yet it’s Smith whose game really seems to be elevating – and might reach a higher plane if Carter helps unleash him against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

After coming off the bench as a rookie, Smith started 10 games during the 2024 regular season and finished with 6½ sacks and 15 pressures. In three playoff games, he has a league-high four sacks among seven pressures.

“I’ve known him for five years now, and he’s always been a hard worker,” Ringo said of Smith. “I really see the game slowing down for him a lot. It’s just really good to see him going out there and playing a lot more confident. His hard work’s really paying off.”

Sirianni offered even higher praise after Smith bagged Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love twice in the Eagles’ playoff opener.

“I want my sons to play football like Nolan Smith,” said Sirianni. “Before my kids go out to play any sport, I say, ‘Have fun, play hard, be physical.’ That guy is the definition of those things. He has fun out there. He has fun with his teammates. His teammates love him. He plays hard as I’ve ever seen anybody play, and this dude is a physical, physical, physical guy. I can’t say enough about the way he plays this game. He loves this game. You love guys like that.”

Schumann, who’s known Smith since he was in high school, could have predicted this.

“Nolan’s always prepared at an elite level – walkthroughs, meetings, weight room, practice – if anything, you have to tell him to tone it down at times, because there’s only one speed for him,” he said. “And so when you prepare the way that he does, and you have the ability level that he does, it was only a matter of time and opportunity for him to do what he’s doing now.”

Ironically, one knock against Smith when he “fell” to the 30th pick of the first round in 2023 was his lack of statistical production at Georgia. He only had 11½ sacks over four college seasons – though it’s important to note what a heavy rotation the Bulldogs used, how quickly their D got off the field, and the fact that a pectoral injury cut Smith’s senior season short.

“The cool part about this sack production he’s having right now … he’s not out there chasing sacks or stats,’ Schumann says of Smith, noting a review of his game film at Georgia is far more indicative of the impact he had in the SEC than a box score ever would be.

‘He’s chasing wins – that’s what he wants to do. He wants to win. And it’s amazing how when you prepare the right way, and you want to win, and you’re willing to do whatever it takes to win, the rest kind of falls into place.”

That very much aligns with the philosophy Hurts, rarely a stat monster, espouses.

Smith, a team captain for Georgia, thinks it’s all pretty simple – from his emergence to the success he and his longtime teammates have helped to cultivate anew.

“One thing that we bring is hard work,” he told USA TODAY Sports.

“The guys from Georgia are used to hard work and used to big games. We say, ‘It’s just another game,’ or ‘It’s a big game because we’re in it.’ It’s that kind of mindset that we keep in our back pocket.”

Sunday’s game is big. And these Dawgs will likely be in it until the end.

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On Saturday night, Dick Vitale made his long-awaited return to the ESPN airwaves when he served as the color commentator for No. 2 Duke’s game at No. 21 Clemson.

The crowd gathered behind him made sure to let him know how much he was missed.

After battling through several different forms of cancer and going nearly two full years without calling a game, Vitale received warm welcomes and loud ovations from inside Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum in the lead-up to the Tigers’ much-anticipated matchup against Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils.

The 45-year ESPN veteran, who has become one of the faces of college basketball over the course of his distinguished broadcasting career, was understandably emotional when addressing the audience for the first time.

‘The reception here has been really off the charts,’ Vitale said. ‘I’m sorry for being so emotional, but I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here. I was telling (fellow ESPN analyst) Cory (Alexander) before, this is like my Super Bowl, being able to sit courtside and do a game. It beats the hell out of chemotherapy and radiation.’

Over the past four years, since being treated for melanoma in 2021, Vitale, 85, has been diagnosed with and treated for lymphoma, pre-cancerous dysplasia, ulcerous lesions, a lymph node on his neck and cancer that was discovered on his vocal cords.

Prior to Saturday, the most recent game he worked was UConn’s victory over San Diego State in the championship game of the 2023 NCAA tournament. Even after being declared cancer-free after chemotherapy and radiation treatments, Vitale had been advised by doctors to rest the vocal cords that have made him such a cherished figure in the sport.

He described sitting courtside for Clemson and Duke as ‘heaven.’

Over his prolonged medical fight, Vitale has raised funds and attention for cancer research. In 2022, he was honored at the ESPYs as the recipient of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, named in honor of championship-winning NC State men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano, a good friend of Vitale’s who died in 1993 of cancer at 47 years old.

Vitale saved part of his pregame message for those still dealing with the debilitating effects of cancer.

‘I want to say to all cancer patients out there … please, listen to me: Think positive and have faith and keep fighting and fighting and fighting,’ he said. ‘I know what you’re going through and it’s not fun. But to be here, this is my Super Bowl. It is my championship, no matter what happens.’

Anthony Davis played his first game as a member of the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday afternoon.

The big man was traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to Dallas last week in a shocking trade that sent Luka Doncic out west.

Davis’ Mavericks debut did not quite have the outcome many would have wanted, especially after a vocal portion of the fan base was already unhappy about the trade.

Here’s what you need to know.

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Anthony Davis suffers injury in Mavericks debut

Davis appeared to suffer an injury in the third quarter as he was shuffling toward the basket to defend against Rockets center Alperen Şengün. 

He stopped short and placed his arm near his waist as Şengün blew right past him for a dunk. Davis immediately fell to his knees.

Davis was listed as doubtful for the rest of the game due to a lower-body injury, according to the Mavericks. Davis told reporters after the game that he felt tightness in his “groin/quad area” but it was ‘not serious,’ according to ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon.

How did Anthony Davis do in his Mavericks debut?

Despite not playing in the fourth quarter, Davis produced a team-high 26 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in 31 minutes of play. The Mavericks defeated the Houston Rockets 116-105 at the American Airlines Center in their first home game since the trade.

Davis finished the first half with 24 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and three blocks.

Any last-minute hopes that Canelo Alvarez and Jake Paul will fight in May are over.

Alvarez, who had been in negotiations for a megafight with Paul until he abruptly pulled out of the talks Thursday night, will fight William Scull on May 3 in Saudi Arabia for the undisputed super middleweight championship.

Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority who signed Alvarez to a four-fight deal, made the announcement Saturday on X, formerly Twitter.

Scull is 23-0 with nine knockouts and is the IBF super middleweight champion. Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) would have made far more money fighting Paul, Alalshikh indicated in the interview with ESPN.

“It was big offer for him,’’ Alalshikh said. “And I don’t match this offer, to be honest. But, (Alvarez) know inside him, this match is not … right for his legacy.’’

Since Alvarez pulled out of negotiations with Paul Thursday night, the YouTuber has lashed out and mocked Canelo on X, formerly Twitter. Alvarez eventually responded.

“Hey guys, don’t pay attention … to this (expletive) YouTuber,’’ Alvarez said in a video posted on X Friday. “I just fight real fighters.’’

But not until Saturday afternoon did Paul write he was “done with” Alvarez and added, “Working on finalizing the next fight.’’

Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) is looking for his first opponent since beating Mike Tyson by unanimous decision Nov. 15.

(This story has been updated to add new information).

The SEC is in the midst of a potentially historic men’s basketball season, with seven of its teams ranked in the top 25 of the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and 14 of its 16 members still in the hunt for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Of that large, illustrious bunch, Florida may very well be the best squad. The Gators certainly showed as much Saturday in one of their biggest games of the season.

Behind a team-high 19 points and nine assists from all-American candidate Walter Clayton Jr., No. 6 Florida went on the road and knocked off No. 1 Auburn, 90-81.

It was the Gators’ second win against a top-ranked team this season. They previously walloped then-No. 1 Tennessee 73-43 on Jan. 7. According to the ESPN broadcast, it was the program’s first-ever road win against a No. 1 team.

Florida’s triumph snapped Auburn’s 14-game win streak, which was the second-longest in Division I. It was also the Tigers’ first loss this season at Neville Arena, which has one of the best home-court advantages in the sport. Coach Bruce Pearl’s team had won three of its four SEC home games this season by at least 15 points.

With the loss, Auburn is at risk of falling from the No. 1 spot, particularly if No. 2 Duke wins on the road Saturday night against No. 21 Clemson. Prior to Saturday, the Blue Devils had been the only team to beat the Tigers this season, earning an 84-78 victory on Dec. 4 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

It was Clayton’s first game back since returning from an ankle injury that sidelined him for his team’s 86-75 victory against Vanderbilt on Tuesday.

The Gators have won five of their past six games to improve to 20-3 on the season.

Alex Condon finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for Florida, which shot 48.4% from the field and 39.4% from 3-point range against an Auburn team that came into the matchup ranked 12th nationally in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. Thomas Haugh added 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks off the bench.

Auburn star forward Johni Broome, one of the two front-runners for national player of the year (along with Duke’s Cooper Flagg), finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while making only eight of his 19 shots from the field.

The win continued a stellar-but-eventful season for the Gators. 

Third-year Florida coach Todd Golden was the subject of a four-month-long investigation from the university’s Title IX department that looked into allegations of sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, stalking and cyberstalking from multiple women, including students. The school closed its investigation in late January after finding “no evidence” that Golden violated Title IX.

Florida-Auburn basketball box score

Here’s a look at the top performers from both Florida and Auburn in the Gators’ victory Saturday:

Florida

G Walter Clayton Jr.: 19 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds
F Alex Condon: 17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists
F Thomas Haugh: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks

Auburn

F Johni Broome: 18 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks
G Miles Kelly: 22 points, 3 rebounds

NEW ORLEANS – Super Bowl 57 is a hazy memory for Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Josh Sweat. However, Sweat has acute recollection of what he felt when time expired as red and yellow confetti rained down from State Farm Stadium.

“It’s a blur to me right now. I can’t even know most of it, honestly,” Sweat said of the Eagles’ 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs two years ago. “But it was tough for sure.”

The Eagles earned their second trip to the Super Bowl in three seasons to face the same opponent that administered a “tough” loss. It’s just the second Super Bowl rematch to take place within a three-year window.

Philadelphia has 12 starters from Super Bowl 57 who are expected to start in Super Bowl 59. Sweat is the only defensive line starter from Super Bowl 57 who is projected to start again Sunday.

The most obvious difference from the Super Bowl 57 team and this year’s squad is NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley. The seventh-year running back, who signed with the Eagles during the 2024 free agency period, rushed for a franchise record and NFL-high 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns. He had the eighth-most rushing yards ever in a single season and helped the Eagles finish with a single-season club record of 3,048 rushing yards.

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Barkley could help the Eagles preserve a lead this time around. The Eagles had a 10-point halftime lead in Super Bowl 57, but the Chiefs scored on all four of their drives in the second half, including a game-winning 27-yard field goal.

“You have to find a way to finish. Coming into these opportunities and these games, everything is about finishing,’ Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said. ‘You want to have the right focus in that, and that comes with the preparation and the work that you put in. But ultimately, it’s about finishing.’

Hurts said this week that he’s grown as a player since the team’s Super Bowl 57 defeat. His passing yards (2,903) and touchdown passes (18) were down this year, but he did have the lowest number of interceptions since his rookie year (5) and a career-high 103.7 passer rating during the regular season.

“I’ve evolved as a player (and) as a leader. I’ve been able to grow and learn from different things,’ Hurts said. ‘But ultimately, the flame has been ignited even more in terms of the desire of wanting to win and working to win. You can’t just bank on hoping for results to come without the work.’

Hurts is confident all the players from the loss in Glendale, Arizona, learned from the game.

“Everyone just matured. Everyone has been able to grow and learn from those things,” he said.

Is this Eagles team, though, better equipped to take down Kansas City?

The Eagles enter Super Bowl 59 with the NFL’s No. 1 total defense and the league’s rushing champion. They are a motivated squad with a good blend of players from Super Bowl 57 and new members to help stop the Chiefs’ goal of a three-peat.

“Enjoy the experience,” Eagles veteran tackle Lane Johnson said. “But realize that it’s a business trip…We got to be focused leading to this game.”