There’s never been a better time to go to school half an hour from Saquon Barkley’s high school. In just two days, the Philadelphia Eagles will face off against the perennial champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in Super Bowl LIX.
Beginning with the City of Brotherly Love, it’s a chance for some not-so-brotherly animosity to take center stage in New Orleans as the Birds seek revenge for a 38-35 loss in the 2023 Super Bowl LVII thriller.
The Eagles boast one of the league’s top offensive lines, with a lethal rushing combination between quarterback Jalen Hurts and the sensational running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley torched the Washington Commanders with 122 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns en route to a 55-23 blowout win in the NFC championship.
Although Philly’s strengths lie in the run game (shoutout to the tush push), Hurts has an elite group of weapons — including superstar receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith in addition to the do-it-all tight end Dallas Goedert — to work with in the passing game.
Defensively, the Eagles remain a force to be reckoned with. Jalen Carter wreaks havoc on the defensive line. Linebacker Zack Baun flies all over the field to make plays. To top it all off, the Birds’ secondary remains superb with rookie standout Quinyon Mitchell and the savvy veteran Darius Slay.
On the other side is a KC team hungry for the first-ever three-peat in the Super Bowl era.
The wizardry of QB Patrick Mahomes and the creativity of head coach Andy Reid often dominate headlines, but this year hasn’t been smooth sailing for Kansas City. Instead, the Chiefs’ success has come from a dominating defense and just narrowly edging out one-possession wins, including a 32-29 win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship.
Similar to Philadelphia, Kansas City generates much of its success through its line play on both ends. While the Chiefs occasionally struggle to create plays in the run game between Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, the offensive line’s superb pass protection allows Mahomes to find a deep group of receivers headlined by tight end Travis Kelce.
The under-appreciated element of this Chiefs dynasty remains the dynamic defense, headlined by defensive tackle Chris Jones and cornerback Trent McDuffie, but Kansas City puts out playmakers at all positions.
While the previous Super Bowl between these two teams saw an offensive shootout, both teams boast top-5 defenses. I wouldn’t expect to see as much offense as 2023.
The average NFL fan may not enjoy the matchup, as conference-dominating teams tend to make enemies on their path to greatness, but this is an opportunity to watch two of the best organizations of the past decade clash on one of the biggest stages in sports. Don’t take this matchup for granted.
Despite the Chiefs being slight betting favorites, I think the Eagles have a good chance to pull out the victory if they can continue to muck things up in the trenches as they have all year long and dominate possession.
However, the Chiefs are favorites for a reason. At this point, I’d say it’s asinine to bet against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ devil magic. Andy Reid’s team just seems to always find a way, and this one could be a win for the ages.
Score Prediction: 27-23 Chiefs
