"Backyard football": Za’Darius Smith not sweating the pressure before Eagles’ Super Bowl rematch with Chiefs

The Philadelphia Eagles strengthened the defense by adding Pro Bowl defensive end Za'Darius Smith on Monday after beating the Dallas Cowboys in the season opener.

With Smith joining the team this week, the three-time Pro Bowler is expected to play on Sunday when the Eagles play the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of Super Bowl LIX.

Despite the prospect of facing last year's Super Bowl runner-ups in his first game for the team, Smith is not too bothered given his decade-long stint in the league. He said:

"You forget that I've been in the league for 10 years and this is the 11th season, so I've seen it all except for the Super Bowl. But I've played a lot throughout my career. It's nothing new to me, I consider this backyard football."

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Smith, who turned 33 this week, played for the Cleveland Browns and the Detroit Lions and remained without a team in the offseason.

Za'Darius Smith confident of starting against Chiefs

Although Smith has been with the team less than a week, he is ready to face the Chiefs and has been coordinating with the Eagles' defensive line.

“Yeah, for sure,” Smith said on playing on Sunday. “I’m ready to go, man. Like I said, this is my first day back. I feel good. Got back in the backfield a couple times.

"Just been working with the younger guys on the line, us coordinating rushes with each other and basically containing the quarterback. I’m going to be good, I’m going to be ready to go.”

Despite being in the latter stages of his career, Smith said he never considered retirement in the offseason and feels he has still something left to give.

“Nah, I was playing for sure,” Smith said. “I’m not hanging it up yet. I see where you was going with that. But nah, man, I got a lot more left in the tank. I started my senior year in high school so it’s like I’m still young in the game. I got a lot more left. Don't put that on me.”

The three-time Pro Bowler is the oldest player in the Eagles' defensive line but is coming off a 2024 season where he had a pressure rate of 14.9%, more than any Eagles defensive lineman.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash