We are only two days away from the biggest game of the year – Super Bowl 59.
The Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans. The game is a Super Bowl 57 rematch that has a lot on the line.
The Eagles are looking to avenge their 38-35 loss from two years ago and win their second franchise Super Bowl title.
The Chiefs are attempting to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to three-peat as champions.
In Super Bowl 57 the Chiefs narrowly beat the Eagles 38-35 with a last-second field goal. The Eagles fell in the high-scoring affair despite leading by 10 points at halftime and carrying a six-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The Aquinian’s writers Brayden Cornell and Oliver Pearson make their picks ahead of the big game.
Brayden’s picks
I believe this game will play out differently than Super Bowl 57.
The Eagles have an incredibly strong team heading into this game, with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, as well as the best running back in the league, Saquon Barkley. Match this with. the best defense in the league and you have a recipe for success.
While the Chiefs also have a strong roster, featuring Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, they also have had a very spotty season. Out of the 32 teams that make up the NFL, the Chiefs ranked 15th in points scored and 16th in yards gained.
While their defense was able to get stops, ranking 4th in the league, they ranked 9th in yards allowed.
Against an Eagles offense that ranked 7th in points scored and 8th in yards gained, it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs’ defense keeping them in this for long.
This is, without a doubt, the weakest offense the Chiefs have fielded since Mahomes took over the team in 2018. Despite how this era of Chiefs football will be written in folklore forevermore, I think their reputation of being unbeatable will be broken by the Eagles
The Chiefs will have their lucky streak ended on Sunday, with Barkley leading the charge. I believe he will be the catalyst and will rush for 175 yards and get in the endzone twice.
I also have Barkley winning Super Bowl MVP, which would be the first time a running back has won the award since Terell Davis in 1998.
Oliver’s picks
The beauty of Sunday’s game is that we’ve seen it before. We’ve seen Mahomes and Hurts matchup in a Super Bowl with similar rosters and gave us a great show where both teams eclipsed 30 points.
But this year is different.
The Chiefs have different pass catchers for Mahomes to throw to. They’ve added Xavier Worthy who has used his speed to break out late in the season. Veterans DeAndre Hopkins and Hollywood Brown have also been added to the depth chart.
The offense that runs through Mahomes has changed from the days when Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill were the focus downfield.
Now, there is a variety of options with no real standout. No player on the roster had more than 1,000 yards rushing or receiving in the regular season.
Despite the new variety, some things do stay the same. Mahomes’ bread and butter is Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce. He has had a career-low year for receiving yards but stepped it up in the team’s playoff win against the Houston Texans and then slowed down again against Buffalo with two catches.
Mahomes will have to rely on the likes of Kelce, Worthy and his other pass catchers as the team’s rushing game statistically is in the basement of the league.
Kelce will have to have one of those freestyle performances with 100 plus yards and a touchdown which is possible as he has the highest target percentage on the team.
Among Kelce there are other tight ends that the Chiefs like to utilize.
Most teams utilize two tight ends and enjoy the variety in their offense. The Chiefs put their faith in Travis Kelce, Noah Gray and Justin Watson – who was recently moved to wide receiver in the depth chart.
In last year’s postseason, the Chiefs’ trio caught 46 receptions for 511 receiving yards including 169 yards and 14 receptions in their Super Bowl win against the 49ers.
So, for the Chiefs to win they’ll need some perfect improvisation in the pass game which favours the Kelce and Mahomes connection.
As for the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles, my pick to win on Sunday, they just need to keep it going one more time.
The Eagles are a complete team and have improved greatly since their last trip to the top of the mountain.
In their last Super Bowl, their rushing game was poor. Of the 115 yards the team ran for Hurts was responsible for 70 of them. Now, they have Barkley in the backfield who rushed for 2,005 rushing yards this regular season and has 442 so far this postseason including five touchdowns.
Hurts and the Eagles’ passing game has stepped aside to let Barkley do his thing but, there will be moments where a tough Chiefs secondary will force 3rd and long situations.
In critical throwing downs, most people like a one-on-one situation with A.J. Brown. But, with a Super Bowl on the line – give me the Heisman-winning DeVonta Smith.
Smith is my X-factor in this game. He had 100 receiving yards, including some crucial gains, against the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57. I think if Brown finds himself doubled downfield, Smith will reap the benefits.
Defense wins championships
Defense on both sides will make the difference. Both teams have strong defenders and seasoned defensive coordinators.
If the Eagles collapse on Mahomes off the line he will be forced to improvise quicker and more often than he’d like.
On the other side, the Chiefs can be tough on the run as they’ve not allowed a rusher over 100 yards in the team’s last 18 playoff games – including Christian McCaffery last year. If the Chiefs find an answer for Barkley, Hurts will have to work the ball to Brown and Smith.
Finally, I think the Eagles’ variety will be too much for the Chiefs. They will avenge their loss and win a tight game and Jalen Hurts will win the Super Bowl MVP award.
