On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
This marks the second time that the Chiefs and Eagles have faced off in the Super Bowl. The two previously played each other in the NFL’s championship game back in 2023. KC beat Philly in that one 38-35 to secure the franchise’s third Lombardi Trophy.
Kansas City is looking to become the first team ever to win three straight Super Bowls. But they will first have to defeat the Eagles, who have won 15 of their last 16 games.
With immortality and a spot in the annals of NFL history on the line, let’s take a look at the Super Bowl and predict the winner.
Super Bowl LIX
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs
This is not the first rematch between KC and Philly since Super Bowl LVII. The Eagles and Chiefs actually faced each other in Week 11 of the 2023-24 season on a Monday Night Football Game in Kansas City. Philadelphia rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit to beat the Chiefs 21-17.
Philly ended up winning that contest for a few different reasons. Firstly, they held KC to two red zone conversions on four attempts. More importantly, the Eagles won the turnover battle two to one.
I do expect some things from that game to be replicated in this weekend’s Super Bowl. For example, Patrick Mahomes was the Chiefs’ second-leading rusher with 38 yards on six carries. I believe he will be KC’s second-most effective rusher this time around too. After all, he’s second in rushing for Kansas City this postseason, and running back Isiah Pacheco is only averaging 15 yards per game in the playoffs. Philly also ran the ball more than they threw it in that game, a trend I believe will continue this Sunday.
There were also some cautionary tales in the contest. Patrick Mahomes attempted 43 passes in that Week 11 matchup. I can almost guarantee he will not attempt 40+ passes on Sunday because he has only done that four times this season. I also don’t expect Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to run the ball ten times or more. Even if his knee is fully healthy, it makes much more sense to feed running back Saquon Barkley and get him going.
One of the matchups that will go a long way in determining who wins this game will come in the trenches when Philadelphia’s offensive line goes head-to-head with Kansas City’s defensive line. When running the ball, I think Philly will have an edge over KC. The Chiefs are allowing 148 rushing yards per game while the Eagles average 227.7 yards on the ground. I’m confident that Philadelphia will be able to exert its will in the rushing attack.
Pass protection is where this one could be a toss-up. The Eagles have allowed their quarterbacks to be sacked 11 times in the postseason (second-most). That’s bad news when you realize that Kansas City is tied for the second-most sacks recorded in the playoffs (ten). As I have mentioned in other articles, I do think some of the pass-blocking issues for Philly were exacerbated by a knee injury that limited Jalen Hurts’ mobility. Still, I would be worried about KC’s pass-rushing abilities since Philly allowed the 13th most sacks in the league during the regular season. If Philly lets Jalen Hurts be sacked seven times like he was during the Divisional Round of the playoffs, then KC will win its third consecutive Super Bowl.
The Chiefs’ formula for success is much simpler than Philly’s. First, they need to force Jalen Hurts to throw the ball a lot. In the only two losses this season that Hurts started and finished, he attempted at least 30 passes in both games. KC will also need to take away any deep threats in the passing game because Hurts was held under 200 yards in both of those matchups. Considering he only averages 168.3 yards per game in the postseason, it should be easy to hold him under 200 passing yards.
The other thing that Kansas City will need is for Patrick Mahomes to be sensational. It was a down year statistically for the three-time Super Bowl MVP. His 245.5 passing yards per game during the regular season was the lowest mark of his eight-year career. He’s been even worse in the postseason, averaging just 211 passing yards per game in two contests. The difference though has been Mahomes getting things done with his legs. After averaging less than 20 rushing yards per game during the regular season and only scoring two ground touchdowns, he’s up to 28.5 yards and a rushing TD per game in the playoffs. Mahomes will have to make things happen both through the air and on the ground for KC to win.
Interestingly enough, I do think that the Eagles are the better team. They’re better at running back, wide receiver, linebacker, cornerback, and along the offensive line. Here’s the problem: the better team doesn’t always win the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers were a better all-around team than the Kansas City Chiefs last year, but they still lost the Super Bowl because of coaching, mental mistakes, and injuries.
I view the 2024-25 Kansas City Chiefs as the winningest team in the NFL. They may not have the best roster or put up the best statistics week-to-week, but I can’t in good conscious pick against them, especially not in the Super Bowl!
The Chiefs have shown time and time again that they are best built for these moments. Even if Philly might be the better team, I still think Kansas City will win the Super Bowl. The team has been constructed to win this exact type of game.
I’ll gladly admit I was wrong if the Eagles end up beating KC. But until I see it with my own eyes, I will pick the Chiefs every time.
With less than five minutes to go in the game, Kansas City will drive down the field and kick a game-winning field goal to earn their third consecutive Super Bowl victory.
Chiefs win 29-27