Pros and Cons for Each Team to Win the Super Bowl
Super Bowl 2023 is just a few days away, and the hype surrounding the biggest game of the year has been through the roof. NFC’s Philadelphia Eagles will play in their fourth Super Bowl against the AFC’s Kansas City Chiefs.
The Eagles have only one Super Bowl in their history, while Kansas has won two championships in their five trips to the Super Bowl. Both teams have won a Super Bowl in recent times, with the Eagles lifting the Lombardi trophy in 2017 and Kansas City winning their most recent trophy two years later.
Super Bowl LVII is the Eagles first Super Bowl appearance since their last win, while the Chiefs will be making their first appearance since losing to Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.
Philly was one of the biggest surprises this season, as they emerged with the best regular season record in the NFC. The Eagles started the season 8-0, and finished 14-3. They cruised through the playoffs in domineering fashion, thumping the New York Giants and San Francisco Giants in blowouts.
The Chiefs, on the other hand, were always among the favorites to win the AFC, having reached the Conference finals every year since 2018. Kansas City also finished the season with a 14-3 record, enough to top their conference. The Chiefs took down the Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round and the Cincinnati Bengals in the Conference Championship game, both by close margins.
With the Eagles and Chiefs squaring up in the Super Bowl for the first time ever, it’s only right to examine both team’s chances of lifting the most coveted trophy in Football.
5 Reasons Why the Kansas City Chiefs Will Win Super Bowl LVII
- Patrick Mahomes II
Patrick freaking Mahomes. This man is, without a doubt, the most important factor to the Chiefs winning another Super Bowl.
Mahomes has always been that guy since his rookie season. He led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl since 1969, and is poised to do it again. Despite the Eagles being a near margin favorites this year, Mahomes leads the Super Bowl LVII MVP odds and for the right reasons.
The 2018 NFL MVP had another MVP-like regular season, and is among the five finalists to win the individual award this year. The sixth year veteran set a quarterback record for most total yards in a season, and bested his franchise record for most total yards, throwing for 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns during the regular season. This season is the second time in his career he’s thrown for 5,000 yards or more (he threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns in his MVP and Super Bowl-winning season).
Mahomes wasn’t fully fit in the Conference finals against the Bengals, yet he went 29 of 43 for 326 yards and two touchdowns. To think he achieved this with 50-60% mobility is a testament to what we can expect of a fully healthy Mahomes in the Super Bowl. Despite his injury problems, he still managed to throw 521 yards for four touchdowns en route to the Super Bowl.
But for his meltdown during Super Bowl LV, when he threw a disappointing 270 yards and two interceptions, the Chiefs can always expect their star man to deliver in the Super Bowl like he did in 2018. He’s already led them to four straight AFC Championship games, winning three.
2. Mahomes has a Couple Elite Receivers to Throw to
It’s one thing to be a solid quarterback, it’s another thing to have the right receivers to throw to; the Chiefs appear to have both.
Injuries to Juju Smith-Schuster, Kadarius Toney, and Mecole Hardman during the game against the Bengals meant that Mahomes had limited first string options to throw to. Smith-Schuster injured his knee in the third quarter and did not return to the game, Toney struggled with his ankle during the regular season and injured it again during the first quarter, and Hardman took a hit on his pelvis while being tackled in the third.
This meant the Chiefs had to rely on Travis Kelce who was listed as questionable before the AFC Championship game, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and a couple of scout team receivers. They all came through regardless, and with 10 different Chiefs players catching at least one pass during the game. In other words, Mahomes only needed to throw the right passes to any of the options he had available.
Now, imagine if he has his first-string receivers back in time for the Super Bowl? Early signs point to all three players being available for the big game, although Hardman remains the most questionable of the three.
3. The Chiefs’ Budding Defense
We’ve been critical about the Chiefs defense all season, so it’s only right to give credit where credit is due.
Unless you are psychic, just about every follower of the sport predicted Joe Burrow and his string of receivers to have a perfect day at the office and roam through the Chiefs defense without much hindrance. Boy, were we all wrong!
The Chiefs went into the playoffs having one of the worst opponent red-zone touchdown percentages. The defense gave up a TD on about 70% of passes that reach the red-zone. So, against a successful red-zone offensive team, many expected the Chiefs to struggle.
Kansas City was also bad on the passing side of things. The Chiefs were among the bottom five teams in the league to give up the most completions per game. They were ranked 18th in the league for passing defense and gave up the most passing touchdowns in the league coming into the playoffs.
All that looked to have changed though as we saw a really solid Chiefs defense during the game against the Bengals. And this was all thanks to the rookie defense line of Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, Trent McDuffie, and Bryan Cook. More impressive is the fact that top cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was not available to finish the game due to a head injury.
The Chiefs may have looked vulnerable on defense throughout the season, but their D-line appeared to have taken shape when it mattered the most. The Bengals had always had it easy on the Chiefs, but Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins couldn’t impact the game like they used to.
The Kansas City Chiefs odds of winning may be higher than expected if the defense we saw against the Bengals shows up on Sunday.
4. Chris Jones
One of the most talked about performances after the AFC Championship game was Chris Jones’ defensive display against the Bengals. The Chiefs best defensive player was arguably the most important player on the field, and Chiefs nation have him to thank for weathering the storm of a Burrow-led offense.
Jones completed ten pressures, two sacks, and five quarterback hits. To put this in perspective, this was just the fourth time a player registered a stat line of 10 pressures, five quarterback hits, and two sacks in a game this season; two of which Jones is responsible for. This was also the first time in six years a player had five quarterback hits and two sacks since New England’s Trey Flowers against Atlanta in Super Bowl LII.
His pressure on Burrow in the final moments of the first half forced a field goal. He also forced an intentional grounding call on the Bengals quarterback in the final moments of the game, and his second sack led to the drive that won the Chiefs a ticket to the Super Bowl. In total, Burrow completed two out of six passes for 17-yards, was sacked twice, and committed an intentional grounding penalty on Jones’ pressures. Jones’ performance was MVP-worthy and could not have come at a better time for the Chiefs who struggled to make offensive headway due to Mahomes and Kelce’s questionable health.
It goes without saying that the Chiefs No. 95 came into the AFC Championship game with zero sacks in 13 career playoff games. Nevertheless, his performance against the Bengals should come as no surprise since he ranks top three in the league in sacks (17.5), quarterback hits (35), and pressures (93).
5. A Different Approach to Stopping Haason Reddick
We all saw it: Philly’s blowout win was arguably the best game of Haason Reddick’s career. He proved to be a thorn in the flesh for San Francisco, particularly knocking out starting quarterback Brock Purdy in the first quarter to force a fumble. Purdy would not return to the game after sustaining an elbow injury from that play and the 49ers were left without a quarterback who could throw the ball.
Philly agreed to pay Reddick $45 million in three years, and the linebacker has proven to be worth all that and more. He posted 16 sacks in 2022, and brought his A-game in the NFC Championship game against the 49ers. He got two sacks, forced one crucial fumble that defined the game, recovered a fumble, and helped the Eagles to 11 pressures on 21 dropbacks.
The 49ers’ game plan was to block Reddick with tight ends and receivers, which turned out to be a massive fail. But the Chiefs will not approach the Eagles star linebacker the same way the 49ers did. Mahomes has the ability to weather the storm of Reddick’s potential dominance with pocket movements and second reaction plays. Of course, the Eagles defense is beyond a one-man show, but keeping Reddick at bay will be crucial to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl triumph.
Hopefully, Kansas City learns a thing or two from the NFC Championship game: stopping the Eagles’ star defender with tight ends and receivers is suboptimal; it won’t work.
5 Reasons Why the Philadelphia Eagles Will Win Super Bowl LVII
- Philly has a Healthy Quarterback
Philly has a healthy quarterback, which is still sort of a prayer point for Kansas City fans at the moment. The Chiefs need Mahomes healthy if they are to win Super Bowl LVII. Yes, he added to his already illustrious legacy by seeing off the Bengals while limping on one leg. It was Mahomes’ scamper late in the fourth quarter that helped put the Chiefs in field goal range before Joseph Ossai’s unfortunate 15-yard foul cost the Bengals.
The former MVP has had a week to heal from injury, and appears to be making progress. But the Eagles don’t have to worry about the health of their starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts. The 24-year old also suffered an ankle sprain in the build up to the playoffs, with questions abounding about his health and how it will affect the Eagles’ run. But Hurts was able to heal up in time for the playoffs thanks to a first-round bye week.
The Eagles’ No. 1 went 16-of-24 with two touchdowns and zero interceptions against the New York Giants in the Divisional Round. On top of that, he registered 34 rushing yards against the Giants and another 39 rushing yards against the 49ers. 73 rushing yards in two playoff games? That sure doesn’t sound like an injury-laden performance.
Mahomes’ mobility is going to be in serious question since it usually takes a month or more to heal from ankle sprains. He already suffered against a weaker Bengals defense, and will have another high hurdle to cross against a quicker Eagles defense.
2. Jalen Hurts is Really Him
The Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the second time in five years, thanks in large part to the rise of Jalen Hurts. Only in his second year as starting quarterback, Hurts has had a phenomenal season. He’s among the final five to win this year’s regular season MVP and is second favorite on the odds table for Super Bowl MVP.
One could argue that Mahomes is clearly the better of the two quarterbacks, but Hurts stats are hard to ignore: 3,701 passing yards, 8.1 yards per attempt, 22 TDs, 6 INTs, 101.5 passer rating. C’mon!
Mahomes had the edge in passing after registering a career high, but Hurts has been the better quarterback when it comes to interceptions (six to Mahomes’ 12). And when it comes to rushing yards and TDs, Mahomes was no match to Hurts this season. The Eagles No. 1 put up 760 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns to Mahomes’ 358 yards and four touchdowns. It gets even more jaw dropping when you consider the fact that Hurts missed two games and barely played against the Giants in the final game of the regular season.
Mahomes outdueled a budding quarterback in Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow (one of the best in the league right now) en route to Super Bowl LVII. But now he faces Jalen Hurts who has arguably been his closest competition for the MVP Award all season. Super Bowl LVII promises to be a battle of the quarterbacks, that’s for sure.
3. The Eagles Defense is Top Tier
The Chiefs defense was a shadow of itself during the AFC game; Mahomes fumbled the ball in the third quarter, leading to seven important points for the Bengals. But for the great defensive display, Kansas City would have, no doubt, lost that one. And that is where Philly could hit hard.
The Eagle’s defense ranked third in turnover margins during the regular season, behind the 49ers and Cowboys. Against the Giants and 49ers, Philly registered a combined four takeaways while its offense recorded zero giveaways. Daniel Jones’ interception early on in the Divisional Round led to a 14-0 lead and snuffed the air out of the Giants hopes. And in the Conference finals, a Purdy fumble on the 49ers first offensive stint proved to be the deciding factor.
Haason Reddick has been the Eagle’s defensive frontman, and is in top form this season. He already registered 3.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the playoffs. Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham have also had a piece of the pie with one sack each.
This is point blank the best defensive team Kansas City has faced all season. The Eagles’ ability to snuff out all the energy at the early stages of games can be too much for the Chiefs to deal with. It appears that all it takes to lose against this Philly squad is just one mistake. If the Kansas City offense that shows up in Arizona is similar to what we saw in the AFC finals, it has absolutely no chance against Philly.
4. Travis Kelce? The Eagles Have a Solid Tight End Too
Nobody is touching Travis Kelce. He’s hands down the best tight end in the league and by a huge margin. He already has 21 catches this postseason. No other Chiefs’ player has up to eight.
The idea of matching Kelce’s abilities is a mirage. No one can do what he does on the field at the moment, and at Super Bowl LVII, it’s not going to be any different. However, the best any team can do is have a solid tight end that can at least throw one or two punches back at the Chiefs. And the Birds have that in Dallas Goedert.
Goedert leads Philly in receptions this postseason, with a combined 10 receptions, 81 yards and a touchdown. He put up stellar numbers despite only featuring in 12 games, with 750 receiving yards on 55 catches. The Eagles have not lost a game this season when both Hurts and Goedert started and finished. Safe to say that no player on the Eagles roster has had a more remarkable impact on the team’s offensive spike and Hurts’ MVP-worthy season.
In total, Goedert has combined for 248 receptions, 2,997 receiving yards, and 19 receiving touchdowns. He could have made the Pro Bowl but for his injury plagued season that ruled him ineligible.
Super Bowl LVII could be Goedert’s time to shine has the tight ends before him have done; Zach Ertz for the Eagles in Super Bowl LII, Rob Gronkowski for the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII, and Travis Kelce in Super Bowl LIV, and Gronkowski again in Super Bowl LV. The Eagles have a better shot at lifting the Lombardi Trophy if he follows in their footsteps.
5. Philly’s Offense is Stacked
Hurts has had quite a number of options to throw to throughout the course of the season, and he’ll enjoy the same fate come Sunday.
A.J Brown (1,496) ranked fourth in the league in receiving yards during the regular season and DeVonta Smith (1,196) ranked 9th. Running back Miles Sanders (1,269) finished fifth in yards covered on the ground. Kansas City, on the other hand, has just one player in the top 10 in either category, none other than Kelce.
A Chiefs offense without Tyreek Hill, who left for Miami in the offseason, leaves Mahomes with not so many options. Although Marquez Valdes-Scantling made headlines with his 116 receiving yards in the AFC game, that’s about it for the Chiefs. All that’s left to pair with Mahomes, Kelce, and Valdes-Scantling are role-player wide receivers. It’s clear as day that Kelce and Valdes-Scantling will be Mahomes’ top two target men.
How do you double the Eagles when they have players who can breakthrough as much as 50 yards for a touchdown? They’ve got an offensive line led by Hurts and paired with the likes of Sanders, Brown, Goedert, Smith, and Quez Watkins, the first three making the Pro Bowl.
Even if Mahomes can shake off his injury and play at his absolute best, there may be just too many offensive weapons for the Eagles to strike back and even more. Overcoming this stacked offense would be one of the Chiefs’ biggest challenges. Mahomes might be the best player on the field, but the Eagles clearly have the better offense.
Conclusion
The Eagles were out to make a statement this season, and they did with dominant displays during the regular season and playoffs. Philly’s NFC Championship game was perhaps the most impressive, as its offense and defense strolled past the 49ers in a blowout win.
As for Mahomes and the Chiefs, it was a tight affair in the AFC finals as they managed to fend off Joe Burrow and the Bengals. Mahomes Kelce’s questionable health status are two of the biggest talking points as we approach Super Bowl weekend.
Both teams will be looking to capture a second Super Bowl title in the 21st century. The 2022-23 Eagles, much like the team that won Super Bowl LII, excelled during the regular season with the best record in the NFC. Again, the Eagles face a Chiefs’ team who are no stranger to playing at the Super Bowl, but will hope to shut down the tides like they did against the Patriots in 2018.
Both teams have a number of factors that could work for them come Sunday; the Eagles have the best defense while the Chiefs have Mahomes; the Chiefs have the experience, but the Eagles won’t be intimidated.
Like many other Super Bowls, this weekend’s game has a storied look to it: could a hobbling Mahomes further his legacy by seeing off one of the league’s best defensive teams? Or could it be the beginning of a dynasty for the Eagles franchise?
Can Philly overcome the pressure from Mahomes, Kelce, and former head coach Andy Reid? We will find out come Sunday, February 12.
