Jonathan Gannon returned to Philadelphia for the first time since the summer and guided the Arizona Cardinals to a 35-31 victory over the Eagles.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Spending two seasons in “The City of Brotherly Love,” Gannon was the defensive coordinator for the Eagles, coming up with the game-plan against some of the best offensive units in the NFL.
Philadelphia went 14-3 last season with Gannon engineering the playbook to get to the final stage of a season, the championship.
They managed to go all the way to Super Bowl LVII before losing by a field goal with 0:08 left, 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Only two days later, Gannon decided to join the Cardinals on Feb. 14 and the rest is history.
Finding themselves trailing 21-6 at halftime in Gannon’s return, Arizona activated another level.
The Cardinals scored 29 points, Kyler Murray completed 13-of-14 passes for 133 yards and the team rushed for 138 yards as a whole in the final two quarters.
James Conner became the hero for Arizona, breaking through the Eagles’ defense with just 0:32 to cement the 35-31 win.
Coming into his old stomping grounds, Gannon stated that he is not one to go back in the past, but was appreciative of everything the Eagles organization gave to him.
“I am not nostalgic, but this place was awesome to me,” Gannon said. “Working for Nick (Sirianni) and the Philadelphia Eagles, you guys know, like, I loved it here. It’s the reason why I am sitting at the podium right now.”
"I feel good for the players, not for me."
🎙 Jonathan Gannon following today’s win against the Eagles pic.twitter.com/xW94G6FBq3
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 31, 2023
*Video Courtesy of the Arizona Cardinals on their X (formerly Twitter) account*
In his first year as Arizona’s head coach, he has dealt with ups and downs as the Cardinals are 4-12.
However, not only did they pull off an upset on New Years Eve, they have a chance to end the season on a high note as they face NFC West foes in the Seattle Seahawks at home next Sunday.
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Alec Cipollini is a reporter of the Arizona Coyotes and Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account @AlecCipollini
