The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59 in epic fashion. It was a 40-22 win that wasn’t even as close as it seemed.

The Eagles went into halftime up, 24-0, and they essentially coasted for the rest of the game.

It was a big-time win, but for a team like the Eagles, but for a team like the Green Bay Packers, it had to have been a big-time wake-up call.

The Eagles have been to the Super Bowl three times in the past eight seasons, and they’ve now won it twice in that time period.

No, they’re not Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots, and let’s give credit to the Chiefs because they were very close to a historic three-peat. Still, Philly has cemented itself as a championship organization.

Meanwhile, the Packers, who play in “Title Town,” have won just two Super Bowls since Brett Favre started playing, and we’re now nearing 15 seasons since their last Super Bowl win.

The point is this: general manager Brian Gutekunst, head coach Matt LaFleur, and the rest of the Packers could learn a thing or two based on what the Eagles have accomplished as of late — and they can certainly take several important lessons from the Super Bowl 59 beatdown.

The Packers should remember defense wins Super Bowls

It was absolutely the case the last time the Packers were in the “big game,” but it’s worth remembering after Philly’s big win. Green Bay’s 2010-2011 defense was overshadowed a bit by the emergence of a soon-to-be MVP quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and an offense that featured several big-time weapons, but the Packers got massive performances from defensive superstars like Clay Matthews and Nick Collins in their Super Bowl win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Defense wins championships, and the Eagles proved that again in Super Bowl 59. They held Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to just 275 yards of total offense and turned Mahomes over three times, including a pick-six.

Gutekunst has invested a ton of draft capital into the defense as GM, and last season, he went out and made a massive splash by signing in safety Xavier McKinney. The Packers also fired Joe Barry and got a new, more aggressive defensive coordinator in Jeff Hafley.

That paid off in a big way in 2024, as Green Bay boasted a consensus top-15 defense, but the Packers can still get better this offseason on that side of the ball. In order to do so with a Super Bowl championship in mind, they should keep investing in their defense.

Massive needs for Green Bay this offseason include cornerback and pass rusher.

Green Bay should emulate the Eagles’ pass rush

One of the most impressive feats the Eagles were able to accomplish against the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59 was a consistent pass rush with just the players up front.

They didn’t blitz once because players like Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Jalen Carter, and Josh Sweat were all over Mahomes.

The Eagles finished with six sacks and 11 quarterback hits, and the pass rush was absolutely the reason Mahomes looked so off all night.

The Packers have one decent pass-rusher on their 4-3 defensive front in Rashan Gary, but even though he’s never notched more than 9.5 sacks in his career.

Kenny Clark has been great for a defensive tackle in the past but he’s aging at 29 years old, and the experiment that was Lukas Van Ness is one more bad season away from playing out its course.

Ultimately, Gutekunst and the Packers have to follow Philly’s playbook and go get four players who can get after the quarterback on every play. Gary is a start, but he’s a good piece, not a superstar.

That means Gutekunst has to use the draft, free agency, and even trades to his advantage. Doing anything it takes and making the capital sacrifice to go get a legitimate game-changer like Myles Garrett or Maxx Crosby should not be off the table.

In fact, there’s a case to be made that it’s necessary for Green Bay to be able to keep up in the NFC in 2025, and it’s worth noting that Gutekunst did say earlier this offseason that he’d be willing to give up a lot for the right player if the opportunity presented itself.

“If it’s the right player, if you feel like he can be a dynamic player who can change your football team, I think you’ve got to consider that because there’s not many of those guys out there,” Gutekunst said via SI. “But I think you have to also understand what you’re giving up. So that’s kind of my philosophy. “If that player can impact our football team in a significant way, you have to consider that.”

A player like Garrett or Crosby would absolutely fit the bill. Now it’s up to Gutekunst and the Packers to make that kind of move happen.