After a 38-10 drubbing at the hands of the Vikings on Jan. 1, 2017, capping a 3-13 finish, Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery made a bold — some might say, ridiculous — prediction. Jeffery told reporters, “I guarantee you we’ll win a Super Bowl next year.”
If you’re willing to concede that he never really defined “we,” then Jeffery is 60 minutes away from delivering on his lofty prophecy.
Alshon's 2 TDs get him one step closer to fulfilling his own prophecy (even though it's with the 🦅 and not the 🐻). pic.twitter.com/TthXGZZEJv
— NBC Sports Chicago (@NBCSChicago) January 22, 2018
Jeffery’s five catches for 85 yards and two touchdowns helped the Philadelphia Eagles defeat the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in the NFC Championship game on Sunday. The win set up a Super Bowl rematch from 14 years ago — the last time Philadelphia played in the title game — between the Eagles and New England Patriots.
When asked about the Super Bowl guarantee in November, Jeffery was quick to note that he never said with what team. Jeffery, who never went to the playoffs during his five seasons in Chicago, told ESPN:
Winning championships, that’s most important to me. A lot of players make a lot of money, but some of them never make the playoffs, never get to experience a lot of things. Like being here in Philly, the atmosphere where we all want that for each other. We all want to go to the playoffs. We all want to win a championship. We’re all together. I think players who want a lot of individual stats, my opinion, their team don’t do well. It’s not basketball. In basketball, I can go out there and score 40 or 50 and we can win. … Football you need everybody.
Without Jeffery, the team’s leading receiver three of the past four seasons, the Bears finished last in the NFL passing offense this season.