By Ben Rosen
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles meet in the Super Bowl on Feb. 9 for the second time in three years. Two years ago, the Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35 to win their first of two consecutive Super Bowl championships. This year, the Chiefs are attempting to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
New Orleans is hosting the Super Bowl for the 11th time. 2013 was the last time the city of New Orleans hosted the game.
FOX is airing the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons as Tom Brady calls the game for the first time after 10 appearances in it as a player. This is the second time a network has had the same matchup in consecutive Super Bowls that it has aired, as noted on social media by Sports Media Watch.
During the regular season, the Chiefs had a 15-2 record and won the American Football Conference (AFC) West earning the top seed in the AFC. The Eagles went 14-3 and won the National Football Conference (NFC) East, finishing as the two seed in the NFC.
This year, the Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans and the Buffalo Bills to reach the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, and Washington Commanders.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will become the first starting quarterback since Jim Kelly to make a second start in the big game after losing the first time around. Hurts had 304 passing yards with a passing touchdown and three rushing touchdowns two years ago against the Chiefs.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had 182 passing yards and three passing touchdowns two years ago against the Eagles.
One major difference between the two matchups is that the Eagles now have Saquon Barkley. Barkley had a league-leading 2,005 rushing yards during the regular season and has five rushing touchdowns so far in the playoffs.
The health of Eagles offensive linemen Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson will play a key role in the outcome of the game. If Jurgens or Dickerson cannot play, the excellent Eagles’ run game will be negatively affected. While the injuries did not matter much against the Commanders, the Chiefs defense will be more prepared.
On Tuesday, Jan. 28, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters, “Yeah, we’ll see,” regarding if Jurgens or Dickerson would be available for the Super Bowl.
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo tends to blitz on third downs. If the Eagles end up in many long passing situations, the offensive line injuries could come into play. Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is one of the best offensive play callers in the league and needs to be prepared to adapt if necessary.
Mahomes is undefeated against Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. While Fangio is regarded as one of the best defensive minds in the game, Mahomes has his number so far. It would not be surprising to see Chiefs head coach Andy Reid use a trick play or two on offense as well. Reid and Mahomes find ways to score points.
“You always add a little wrinkle here and there as you go,” Reid told Fox Sports.
Expect special teams to play a role in this matchup. The Chiefs have blocked multiple field goals this season. In addition, Eagles kicker Jake Elliott has been struggling lately. Elliott has missed nine field goals between the regular season and the playoffs this season.
With a win, the Chiefs would join the Green Bay Packers with three consecutive National Football League (NFL) championships while becoming the first to three-peat in the Super Bowl era. If the Chiefs win, Reid would join Chuck Noll and Bill Belichick as the head coaches with at least four victories in the Super Bowl.
On the flip side, Sirianni would become the 36th head coach to win a Super Bowl with a victory. Sirianni would become the second head coach born in the 1980s to win a Super Bowl. If they win, the Eagles would become the 16th franchise to have multiple Lombardi trophies.
When all is said and done, the Chiefs will be hoisting the Lombardi for the third consecutive year. As Pat McAfee often says on his show, “The Chiefs is still the Chiefs,” and that will be the deciding factor in this game. Chiefs 34-27.
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Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
