Super Bowl LIX: Chiefs and Eagles set for an epic rematch
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
On Sunday, February 9, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles are going head to head in a rematch of Super Bowl 57, where the Eagles fell to the Chiefs.
The National Football League (NFL) annual Super Bowl will be held on Sunday, Feb. 9. The fifty-ninth inception of the NFL’s championship game will be a rematch of Super Bowl 57, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. The matchup took place in 2022 and was very exciting, with the Chiefs beating the Eagles 38-35. After two years, who is the better team heading into the rematch?
On their respective paths to the Super Bowl, the Chiefs and Eagles had many different challenges. The Eagles were the number two seed in the National Football Conference (NFC). They defeated the number seven-seeded Green Bay Packers, the number four-seeded Los Angeles Rams, and the number six-seeded Washington Commanders en route to the Super Bowl. Conversely, the Chiefs had to play two playoff games due to earning the first-round bye. They defeated the number four-seeded Houston Texans and the number two-seeded Buffalo Bills.
There is something to say about these polar opposite paths to the Super Bowl. Sure, the Eagles played more games and thus would have more opportunities to be eliminated; however, they weren’t tested like the Chiefs were tested. The Eagles beat all three teams they faced in the playoffs during the regular season. They split their division series with the Commanders; however, they lost the same game in which star quarterback Jalen Hurts was knocked out early and did not return. On the other hand, the Chiefs had their first and only legitimate loss handed to them by the Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs overcoming the Bills would be enough to consider their path as the more difficult one between the two.
In terms of rosters, the Eagles have to be given the edge. The Eagles have all-pro running back Saquon Barkley leading their explosive offense. Barkley nearly broke the record for most rushing yards in a single season and finished with the thirteenth most yards from scrimmage in a single season. Add superstar talents like quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver AJ Brown, and you get an offense that looks much better on paper than that of the Chiefs.
The defenses of the Eagles and the Chiefs are much more comparable than their offenses. These two teams both have all-pro interior defensive linemen in Jalen Carter and Chris Jones. They both have superstar young talent, such as Eagles defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and defensive back Cooper DeJean and the Chiefs defensive back Trent McDuffie. They also have star veterans, such as Darius Slay, the Eagles' defensive back, and the Chiefs' defensive back, Justin Reid. Still, the Eagles have the star power to be considered the better defense on paper.
Having a good team on paper is an excellent attribute to have, but what matters most is who can win the big games. The Chiefs have won three of the last four Super Bowls. The Chiefs had lost one game since December of 2023 if you did not count their loss to the Denver Broncos—when they benched all of their star players for rest at the end of this year's regular season. A lot of their recent success could be credited to their stellar coaching. Head Coach Andy Reid has been one of the best coaches in football for the past decade and looks to add another Super Bowl to his historic resume.
The Chiefs are the favorite heading into the big game, and for good reason. For the past couple of years, the Chiefs have simply found ways to win. Even so, the Eagles shouldn’t be counted out of the competition. The Eagles won an impressive 14 games this season and are heading into their third Super Bowl in the last eight years. The fifty-ninth edition of Super Bowl Sunday is looking to be an exciting affair.