The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will play in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons. The last time these two teams played in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs defeated the Eagles 38-35 at State Farm Stadium in Arizona in Super Bowl 57.
This time around, the game will be played in New Orleans at Caesars Superdome. Last time, the field conditions were a little questionable in Arizona; this time, the turf at Caesars Superdome should be good to go.
Why the Eagles will win:
The recipe for the Eagles this season has been a strong running game led by Saquon Barkley(2005 yards rushing), a formidable defense, and quarterback Jalen Hurts not making mistakes.
That recipe carried them through the regular season and playoffs. Barkley has run for a league-best 442 yards and five touchdowns in the postseason. He’s been over one-hundred yards in all three playoff games, including 205 yards against the Rams in the Divisional Round.
Of course, Hurts has not put up big numbers(505 yards, seven total touchdowns), but guess what? All he does is win. He has not lost a game he’s started and finished since September. He had maybe his best game of the season in the NFC Championship Game against the Commanders(20/28, 246 yards, four total touchdowns).
Defensively, the Eagles’ defense has been creating turnovers; Philly’s defense has created eight turnovers in the playoffs. There’s not much difference between the teams when they get to the postseason, but turnovers change things, and they have helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl.
Conclusion:
The Eagles are better than the Chiefs—they were better than the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57—but Kansas City has the next GOAT in Patrick Mahomes, who, to me, could be the difference in this game. He has the ability to steal games; he’s that great!
A few things about Super Bowl 57 that won’t happen in Super Bowl 59: The Chiefs ran for 158 yards in that game, which won’t happen this time around. Philly was better against the run in 2024(10th) than it was in 2022(17th).
Mahomes and the Chiefs scored every time they touched the ball in the second half of Super Bowl 57. That won’t happen this time around, either. The Eagles had the number one-ranked defense this season.
Plus, while the Eagles’ defense had an elite pass rush in 2022(70 sacks), the backend of the defense is better in 2024.
LB Zack Baun had an elite season and easily could have won DPOY. The secondary, led by rookie corner Quinyon Mitchell, has been rock solid. In addition, Darius Slay, Cooper DeJean, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Reed Blankenship have played at a high level.
In addition, Philly did not get anything from its running backs in SB 57. Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott combined for only 45 yards. Again, that won’t happen with Barkley in the backfield.
Furthermore, Philly has been here before. In 2023, they fell apart late in the season. In 2024, they made all the necessary corrections to the coaching staff and roster. Also, there’s a reason no team has ever won three straight Super Bowls. It’s too hard to do!
