It's Time.

My oh my. We’re finally here. The game to settle all games. The trophy every team yearns for at the beginning of the season. All the hard work, the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations, all leading to this game. On one hand, you have the Kansas City Chiefs, looking to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win a Super Bowl three times in a row. They are led by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, a duo who has been here before. They have a world class defensive coordinator in Steve Spagnuolo, and talent on their defense that might make you rethink a couple of plays upon entering the huddle. On the other hand, the Philadelphia Eagles have been playing their game and winning all year. They are led by Saquon Barkley, who once he starts, it’s hard to stop him. This pretty much leads the Eagles to victory every time. Couple that with their stellar talent on offense AND defense, one might ask how do the Eagles lose this game? I’m not sure who is coming out on top, but I do know this game will be one for the ages.

The last time these two teams met was November 2023, where the Eagles would rally for a 21-17 victory over Kansas City. Prior to that, they met in the Super Bowl in February of 2023. The Chiefs would ultimately win this game 38-35, but it wasn’t without some struggle. The Eagles led this game at halftime 24-14. But the Chiefs would come out after halftime and score on three drives in a row, putting them up for good. Now, the Chiefs ran the clock out, only giving the Eagles 8 seconds left to make something happen. But they were only down three; had there been more time in the game, they may have been able to come back. But that didn’t happen. The question is, with a much-improved roster, can they put a stop to the Chiefs dream three-peat?

The Chiefs currently have 16th overall offense, and the 9th ranked defense. The Eagles have the 8th overall offense, and the 1st overall defense. The key matchup will fall on the Chiefs defensive line, versus Philadelphia’s offensive line. That is going to be the game, I can almost guarantee it. Like everyone who has faced the Eagles, Kansas City must be able to contain and stop Saquon Barkley and their run game. As well as their short screen game, which is basically an extension of the run. Chris Jones and George Karlaftis will have to be a driving force in disrupting the run, as well as Jalen Hurts in the pass game. And you can’t forget about the tush push. We obviously can’t ignore Patrick Mahomes, who is the leader of this team and the face of this league. He has been a part of a Chiefs team that has gone to five Super Bowls in the last six years. The first time in NFL history for that too. I’ll say it again; this team has been here. They know what they need to do to win. That’s why they’re going for multiple NFL records and trying to cement their team as a true dynasty. Not that it isn’t, but no one can argue three in a row. Mahomes will always look to guys he trusts, people who have been here with him before. Guys like Travis Kelce, Kareem Hunt, Isiah Pacheco, Noah Gray, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and even Samaje Perine. Most of these players listed will not be going to the H.O.F, maybe not even remembered in the history of the game. But they are key members to this team’s success. They have been this year and in years prior. Many of these guys have won Super Bowls with this team. Multiple. A team with a pedigree of success, with “no name” players, is a dangerous team. This year is no different, but they have a much harder team to contend with in Philadelphia.

I believe there will be many who believe the Chiefs will be the favorite for this game, just because of who they are. Let me be clear, this Philadelphia team is not going to get pushed over. By anyone. They’ve made it this far through ups and downs, they’ve beaten good teams and bad, now it’s time for the ultimate test. As we have already talked about, the Eagles’ run game is one to not be tested. Test it, and you may regret that you did. They put up 55 against Washington in the NFC Championship game, but they did it outside the run game. Yes, Saquon had 118 yards on the ground and 3 TDs. And Jalen Hurts had 3 rushing TDs as well. But Hurts threw for 246 yards for 1 TD, going 20/28. That type of play will need to continue if they want to crack Kansas City’s defense, but last week was a great jumping off point. If Hurts can pass the way he did last week, and Barkley runs like he normally does, this is going to be a much harder game for the Chiefs than they think. Now, let’s turn our attention to Philadelphia’s defense. They have the 10th best rush defense, 1st ranked pass defense, and 2nd ranked scoring defense. The Eagles have a stellar offense, matched with a formidable defense. If they falter in one phase, they can clean it up in the other. That’s what makes this team so deadly. They are just absolutely stacked on defense. Guys like Zach Baun, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Josh Sweat, Nakobe Dean, Quinyon Mitchell, and Reed Blankenship have been making plays all year. I could keep listing guys too. To recap, if you’re the Chiefs, stop Barkley, get pressure with your defensive line, and rush Hurts in the pass game. If you’re the Eagles, continue to be effective in the run game, win the battle in the trenches, and force Mahomes to make plays he doesn’t want to. I don’t want to bet against the Chiefs here, it seems insane to do, but I’m taking the Eagles 34-31 in another close one. I do think the Chiefs can win, but if they don’t stop Saquon, I don’t know how they do it.

POSTGAME:

So, I was partially right on part of my prediction. I’m giving myself a participation medal on this one, because I don’t think anyone saw that coming. I mean, the Chiefs did stop Saquon Barkley. He had 25 carries for 57 yards and 0 TDs. That was about the only successful aspect of the game for the Chiefs. Everything else, was a disaster. Patrick Mahomes was 21/32 for 257 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs. Those interceptions were extremely costly, as one was a pick-6 from Cooper Dejean, and the other was intercepted in their own red zone by Zach Baun. This would also lead to some more quick points. Personally, when Dejean got that interception, I believed the game was too far out of reach. For the Chiefs. With a whole other half to play. The Eagles came out and dominated in every phase of the game. They did everything they needed to do. Jalen Hurts played sensational, their receivers made plays when given the opportunity, and their defense. The Eagles defense, if held together, could continue to bring this team back to championships. They’re insanely good from the line to the secondary. Only Zach Baun and Josh Sweat are free agents from their starting defense. And Mekhi Becton is the only starter on offense who is a free agent. They’ve already lost OC Kellen Moore to the Saints HC job, but their scheme will be intact. They will have a very similar, if not identical roster next year. The Eagles are starting to make people wonder if there is another team in town with dynasty potential. Philadelphia handled Kansas City. Boot to throat. I was beyond shocked watching that game. But they proved once and for all they are truly for real.

The Chiefs really got exposed. Between their lack of weapons, covering up the improvisation of Mahomes, and or their defense falling apart, they couldn’t get relief anywhere. Mahomes was unable to turn on his magic, and as mentioned prior, he had some expensive turnovers. 14 points on those turnovers in less than 3 plays. For a team that’s been here and won, I expected more from them. This is the second time they’ve been kind of beaten down in the Super Bowl. It’s not to say they won’t be back, because they will, but there should now be some questions in KC. Mahomes can’t do everything all the time, and when he was able to make a play, his receivers dropped it. Deandre Hopkins dropped a TD and Kelce had a few drops himself. They need to go out and get some weapons on offense, and they need to fix their offensive line, because Mahomes got destroyed all game. Might I add, the Eagles had 6 sacks and blitzed zero times all game. That is a ridiculous stat, but one that shows the story of the game. Mahomes was pressured, his improv was covered, and he had to force it. And the Eagles were ready for it. That preparation and execution helped give them their second Super Bowl of the decade, over a monster of a team.