PHOENIX — Haason Reddick was a force for the Philadelphia Eagles this season. He had 16 sacks. He added 3.5 more in the playoffs.

There were things missing, though. No first-team All-Pro selection. No spot among the finalists for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

And according to Reddick, maybe some proper respect among the best defensive players in the game.

“I go back and forth on that answer. Every person is entitled to their own opinion, and at the end of the day, my numbers don’t lie," Reddick said Wednesday. "No matter what type of excuses they try to make, reasons why I shouldn’t be this or shouldn’t be that … they can make whatever excuses they want, say whatever they want, at the end of the day, my football, my play speaks for itself."

Reddick seemed a little miffed that his third straight double-digit-sack season didn’t get its proper due. Making some plays in Super Bowl LVII might fix that.

Reddick could be one of the stars of the Super Bowl on Sunday. Von Miller is the most recent defensive player to win Super Bowl MVP. Reddick is capable of being the next one.

Reddick has a big season

The biggest impediment to Reddick being the breakout star of Super Bowl LVII is that other Eagles defensive linemen might beat him to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The Eagles had 70 sacks this season. The 1984 Chicago Bears hold the NFL record, with 72 in a season. Four Eagles had double-digit sacks, which is an NFL record. The Eagles' pass rush is a huge part of the team's success and a huge factor in the Super Bowl matchup against the Chiefs.

“It always starts up front," said defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who had 11 sacks this season. "It's big on us to disrupt the game and try to not make it easy for them."

The Eagles understood that you can never have enough pass-rushers, which is why they spent big on Reddick when he was a free agent last offseason. Reddick was coming off an 11-sack season for the Carolina Panthers, and luckily enough for the Eagles, he wanted to come home. He was born in Camden, New Jersey, and played in college at Temple.

"Fulfilling a childhood dream, man," Reddick said. "Wanted to have the opportunity to come back home. Watched them growing up, and I had the opportunity to come back home and play for my hometown team."

It was a perfect match.

Reddick comes home

The $45 million the Eagles paid Reddick for a three-year deal helped seal the homecoming, too. That deal looks like a bargain now.

The Eagles got an elite pass-rusher at a reasonable price, considering the market at the position. Reddick was thrilled with how his first Philadelphia season worked out.

"Most definitely," he said. "More so from a team standpoint. I always believed in myself and wanted to improve each and every year, but from a team standpoint, I didn’t think we were going to be like this."

The offenses will get most of the attention in Super Bowl LVII, and for good reason. The Chiefs and Eagles each have a top-three offense in the NFL, with star quarterbacks leading them.

But the defenses have playmakers, too, and Reddick might be the hottest defender on either team.

Reddick was huge in the NFC championship game, with two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. When he hit San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s arm on a pass rush in the first quarter, it injured Purdy’s elbow and temporarily knocked him out of the game. Reddick also forced a crucial fumble near midfield on a play that turned the NFC title game.

Reddick has the ability to turn the Super Bowl into his stage, too, and perhaps get some of the respect he thinks is overdue.

“We knew a lot about him, but I guess I didn't know he was like this,” Hargrave said. "It's just his motor. He could be falling down, tripping, blocked and still get up and make the play. He just doesn't stop."