Monday Morning Optimist: A harder path to walk

The Philadelphia Eagles put an emphatic cap on the 2024 season with their revenge-fueled Super Bowl victory last night. It will be ten years this season since Panthers fans were able to watch their own team sniff that level of success. Neither team playing last night is a clear analog for the current state of the Panthers, but there are lessons to be learned from how each team got to the big game this year.

The Chiefs are the model of the modern, pass happy NFL offense built around a superlative quarterback. Make all the jokes you want about Patrick Mahomes’ performance last night—and there are plenty to be made—but the guy has now lost as many Super Bowls in the last six years as the…