Two years ago we saw the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles play each other in Super Bowl LVII (57) in Glendale, Arizona. It was a high scoring affair as both quarterbacks put on a clinic from the air and on the ground by rushing the ball as well. There are some new faces for both teams that were instrumental in them getting to the Super Bowl this year. The head coaches are the same for both teams as they were two years ago. This time it will be a bit different as the Chiefs are looking to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win three straight championships. The last time it happened was the Green Bay Packers from 1965-67 who won the last NFL Championship and the first two Super Bowls. This is Philadelphia’s fifth Super Bowl appearance and they will be vying for their second title in franchise history. Can they prevent history from being made by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs this time around? Let’s see how this one will play itself out.

Coaches

One head coach is looking for his fourth Super Bowl ring and the other is looking for his first. Andy Reid continues to solidify himself as one of best schemers and play-callers in the history of the NFL. Nick Sirianni has put together a unique style on offense that takes advantage of the modern way the game is played today with spread offenses and RPO (run-pass-option). There were grumblings about Sirianni’s long term future in Philadelphia with how the Eagles started the season at 2-2 before their bye week. They have since won 15 out of their last 16 games, including the playoffs. When you give the ball to RB Saquon Barkley, good things will happen and it resulted in the Eagles getting to a Super Bowl. On the defensive side hiring defensive coordinator Vic Fangio brought new life to the unit as they finished ranked 2nd in overall defense and ranked number one against the pass.

For the Chiefs they still have a mainstay at defensive coordinator in Steve Spagnuolo who oversaw another outstanding season from the defense that ranked 4th overall. They were in the middle of the pack against the pass ranking 18th, but were 8th against the run which will be a factor in this Super Bowl. Andy Reid always seems to find the best matchups at key moments of a game and exploit them without the other team knowing what just happened. With another Super Bowl win it will put Andy Reid into another class that few head coaches are apart of. And the conversation will start as to where he will ranked on the all-time list of head coaches in NFL history.

Players to Watch

By now you know who the usual go-to guys are for the Kansas City Chiefs. QB Patrick Mahomes and TE Travis Kelce continue to cement themselves among the best duos that have ever played with their success in this year’s playoffs. DL Chris Jones is still among the most destructive lineman on the defensive side in the league and he is a mismatch for any offensive line. CB Trent McDuffie has established himself as a top tier cornerback leading the team with 13 passes defended during the regular season. George Karlaftis led the team with 8 sacks during the regular season and has 3 so far during the playoffs. With RB Isiah Pacheco available, but not his usual self since coming back from a knee injury the Chiefs have relied on RB Kareem Hunt to keep opposing defenses honest with consistent rushing at 4.3 yards per carry in the playoffs. WR DeAndre Hopkins was acquired in a trade during the season and has been waiting for his moment it seems to breakout in the playoffs for Kansas City. Rookie WR Xavier Worthy had a solid rookie campaign, but has taken it to another level with 11 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown in two playoff games. He will be a threat anywhere on the field including out of the backfield for Andy Reid’s offense.

The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t have a single player record double digit sacks this season, but as a unit they tallied 41. Josh Sweat led the way with 8 and his teammates Jalen Carter, Milton Williams and Nolan Smith each had 4.5 or more sacks. A large reason why the defense was the top team against the pass is thanks to their front four. LB Zack Baun had an all-pro season and was a force all over the field for the Eagles. The unit will miss LB Nakobe Dean who had a solid regular season, but suffered a season ending knee injury in the Wild Card game against Green Bay. Philadelphia’s secondary had three players defend at least 12 passes during the season. C.J. Gardner-Johnson, rookie Quinyon Mitchell and Darius Slay are the three with Gardner-Johnson also intercepting 6 passes which led the team. Safety Reed Blankenship has been a ballhawking defender intercepting 4 passes and another rookie in Cooper DeJean defended 6 passes and recovered 3 fumbles. On offense the reason for the Eagles turnaround starts and ends with RB Saquon Barkley. QB Jalen Hurts had a so-so season by his standards, but he did tally 14 rushing touchdowns that nearly matched his 18 passing touchdowns. Barkley ran for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns. He has ran for another 442 yards and 5 touchdowns in the playoffs so far. The Eagles do have a superior offensive line that deserves a lot of credit for this rushing attack. They still have a solid wide receiver duo in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. TE Dallas Goedert is healthy and an important part for the how the offense functions with Jalen Hurts and the running game. But make no mistake, Saquon Barkley is what makes this Eagles offense function this year.

Key of the Game

Whatever you think about the status of Kansas City Chiefs and how they are going about winning so many close games, you can’t deny that any opponent has to play a perfect game to beat them. The Eagles must not let QB Patrick Mahomes slip away to get that first down with his feet to extend a drive. The only time that Mahomes and the Chiefs didn’t win a Super Bowl he was sacked 3 times and he was hit 9 times by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also threw two interceptions and the Chiefs didn’t score a single touchdown in that game. The last time the Eagles played the Chiefs in the Super Bowl they didn’t sack Mahomes once. And even if Mahomes is contained in the pocket, Andy Reid draws up a creative screen pass or an option out the backfield to an Isiah Pacheco, Xavier Worthy or even Travis Kelce when the defense leasts expect it.

It’s a rather simple one for the Chiefs in that they have to stop RB Saquon Barkley. They can’t let him take control of the game. We all saw what he did against the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Commanders. The way the Eagles have played this year the Chiefs would be better equipped to force Eagles QB Jalen Hurts to have to throw the ball in order to beat them. Barkley is a home run threat every time he touches the ball and the Chiefs won’t get a three-peat if that happens.

Who Will Win?

If for some strange reason the Eagles forget that they have Saquon Barkley as their running back they will lose this game. It’s that simple. If the Kansas City Chiefs turn the ball over and put their defense in unfavorable field position, they will lose this game. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the way this matchup ended two years ago with a phantom pass interference call that put the Chiefs in field goal range to run out the clock and win the Super Bowl. That single call put a damper on the ending of a great game and I certainly don’t want to see that happen once again. With that said these two teams matchup well against one another and whoever wins at the line of scrimmage will determine the outcome of this one. The Philadelphia Eagles will hoist their second Lombardi trophy with RB Saquon Barkley winning the MVP trophy by breaking the Super Bowl rushing record of 204 yards by Timmy Smith in Super Bowl XXII (22). The final score of 34-24 in favor of Philadelphia.