His dream didn’t end the way it was supposed to.
Two years ago Britton-Hecla graduate Dallas Goedert realized his childhood dream of playing in a Super Bowl when his Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. But there was one thing missing – that dream was about winning the Big Game. Now he is getting a second chance to make that dream come true.
“My dream included winning the Super Bowl, so the job is not done,” said the Eagles’ tight end as he was preparing for the big week. “It was definitely an honor to win the NFC championship, but it would be pretty awesome if we can get this one done and I’ll be able to say that I was a Super Bowl champion for the rest of my life. That would be pretty epic.”
Chiefs Rematch
The Eagles will once again battle the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sunday. A rematch is exactly what Goedert and his teammates were hoping for.
“There’s definitely some extra incentive,” stressed Goedert. “Obviously we don’t want to allow them to be the first team to win three straight Super Bowls, but even more than that is the pain that came from losing to them two years ago. It was tough, and all of us that were a part of that team have a little bit of built up anger, or animosity, or whatever you want to call it. Just being able to play them again was what most of us wanted. You want to beat the best to be the best and show how good the 2024 Eagles are.”
Goedert has played a big role in the Eagles’ playoff run after a rather frustrating regular season. Two separate injuries cost him eight games and other than a career-best 170-yard game against the Rams he never really got going.
“Injuries are for sure the worst part of the game, but I’ve been thankful that I haven’t had any season-ending injuries,” noted Goedert. “You try to limit them but they keep popping up for me. But being able to play in the playoffs is ultimately most important, and I am proud of myself for being able to lock in when going to treatment all day, every day. It gets repetitive and gets long. But what’s on the other side is always most important.”
And the seven-year NFL veteran, who just turned 30 and is the fifth-oldest player on the team, has a history of playing best when it counts most, and this year has been no exception.
His season, and perhaps his career highlight, was a 24-yard highlight reel catch and run against the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the playoffs when he stiff-armed his way to the end zone to give the Eagles a two-possession lead.
“Being able to score a touchdown in the playoffs is an unreal feeling, and to have one that makes all the highlights and is called an “angry run” makes it even cooler,” said Goedert. “It’s right up there for one of my favorite TD’s of my career.”
Then in the Eagles second playoff game Goedert had a 31-yard catch and run that set up a field goal and gave the Eagles the lead for good. In the NFC championship his 26-yard catch to the nine yard line set up a Jalen Hurts’ scoring run, and Goedert ended up with seven catches for 85 yards and added another 13 on a pair of runs for good measure.
A Leader On The Field
Pro Football Focus has Goedert graded as the number one tight end among all NFL playoff teams this season with 15 catches for 188 total yards, and he has upped his per game average from 49 yards during the regular season to 63 in the playoffs.
And he hasn’t been just a one-year wonder when it comes to bringing his ‘A’ game to postseason contests. He now ranks 10th all-time among NFL tight ends with 50 postseason catches, 13th with 535 yards, and 10th with four TD’s. All are franchise records except for touchdowns where he needs two more to tie Harold Carmichael’s record.
Goedert has also caught at least four passes in nine straight postseason games, the seventh longest streak in NFL history and the second longest by a tight end behind Travis Kelce’s 15-game streak that ended in this year’s AFC title game.
“Dallas has a knack for making big plays in big moments,” said Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni. “And he makes these really big splash plays, too, where sometimes they aren’t even for a lot of yards but are so energetic. The physicality that he brings to the game is huge.
“I can’t say enough about what he brings to this football team,” added the Eagles’ boss. “I think it just speaks to how calm, cool, and confident he is. When you’re confident in yourself in those moments, you shine in those moments. And then there are all the things he does in the run game for us, which are so important.”
The Eagles’ record-setting rushing attack, led by 2,000-yard runner Saquon Barkley, has been a force this season. The team has run for 3,371 yards, the most in NFL history when combining the regular and postseason. They have also scored 39 touchdowns on the ground which ranks second in NFL history, only behind the 2022 Philly team which had 42.
The blocking is something that Goedert takes pride in, but he had to put in some extra work on that part of his game after he broke his arm last season.
“My blocking took a hit when I broke my arm,” admitted Goedert, “and I wasn’t blocking as well as I did in the past. I actually went back and watched my rookie year playoff game against the Chicago Bears, which was one of my best blocking games, and looked at what I did when I was younger and solely a blocking tight end. I tried to bring back a little bit of that fire for this playoff run. I also worked a lot throughout this year on getting my strength back, and I feel I’m back to where I was a couple of years ago.”
Goedert feels his team is in a good place in its quest for the team’s second-ever Super Bowl title. The Eagles beat the New England Patriots for the 2018 crown the year before Goedert became a member of the squad. Ironically, he points to a losing streak last year as a key building block.
“Last year we started out 10-1 but lost six of our last seven, losing to Tampa Bay in the wild card game,” recalled Goedert. “All that adversity we had to go through at the end of the year made us grow so much as a team, both players and coaches. It built toughness, and as a team being able to handle adversity helps to win a lot of close games. I also feel as a team we are a lot closer than we were two years ago. Just being able to connect, to be close as a team, and care about people makes you play just a little bit harder.
“Coach Sirianni has done a great job of helping us connect as a team. One of my favorite things is every night before a game at our meeting the first thing he does is have everybody get up, walk around the room, and zap everybody up, giving handshakes and saying how excited we are to play with them. It’s a little uncomfortable at times, but getting that interaction with everybody on the team I think is so cool.”
Slow Start Big Finish
This year didn’t start out great at 2-2, but then the Eagles won 10 straight, are currently on a five-game win streak, and stand at 17-3. Goedert is confident his team can complete the deal.
“Keys against the Chiefs are similar to what we have in every game,” noted Goedert. “The most important thing is to win the turnover differential. Turnovers are big game changers in games like these. KC’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes does a great job of putting them in position to win games, but we just need to make sure and control what we can control, starting up front with the offensive and defensive lines.”
Goedert thinks his experience of two years ago will help this time around. The team flew to New Orleans on Sunday and earlier this week faced a barrage of media events. By Thursday and Friday players and coaches try to settle into their normal routine.
“Everything just happens so quick, and I think this time I will be able to handle it a little better,” said Goedert. “And when it comes to the game it is not your typical schedule with longer intros, a longer National Anthem, more commercial breaks, and a longer halftime. You have to keep emotions low and spike them at the start of the game, not 15 minutes before, but also try to stay on an even keel. You never want to get too high or too low and make sure to regain your focus after the breaks.
“Football is a mental game, but even more so now. Everybody is on edge and when you get this far you know you want to win this one. The adrenalin is much higher.”
If the NFC championship game is any indicator, Goedert will likely handle the extra pressure just fine.
“Before the NFC title game I was the most nervous I had ever been for a football game, and I just think that will escalate even more this week. Once the game starts it all goes away, but sleep will probably be tough for me on Saturday night. You try to remind yourself that even if it’s the Super Bowl, it’s just another football game and not to make it bigger than it is. But it is the Super Bowl, and you should be nervous.”
Playing in his second Super Bowl is a great achievement for Goedert, but sharing that experience with family and friends is what really makes it special for the tight end. At least 17of those people will be at the game with others traveling to New Orleans to enjoy the atmosphere and tailgating experience.
“The support I get from back home is always amazing,” stressed Goedert. “People from way back when I was a little kid playing three-on-three until now reach out to me. It’s a pretty special following I have, and it’s a special journey for sure. It’s cool that I get to share this excitement with so many great people.”
