)
The Super Bowl is finally here and the Philadelphia Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona for an opportunity to lift the legendary Lombardi trophy
This will be the first time since 2018 that the Super Bowl features the number 1 seeds from each conference, with the Eagles capturing the NFC title thanks to a 31-7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Kansas City, on the other hand, avenged their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game last season, beating them 23-20.
)
Philadelphia Eagles
For Philadelphia, this will be their first Super Bowl appearance since 2017 when they upset the heavy favourites at the time, New England Patriots, who had the legendary Tom Brady at quarterback.
)
While an early injury to 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had a massive impact on the Eagles' victory two weeks ago, Philadelphia were outstanding on the defensive side of the ball, posting three quarterback sacks, and holding an offence ranked in the top-five during the regular season to fewer than 100 yards rushing and passing.
In 2022, the Eagles were the third-highest scoring team in the NFL, averaging 28.1 points per game, while they allowed the second-fewest yards per game defensively during the regular season (301.5)
Kansas City Chiefs
Heading into the AFC Championship Game, many were counting the Chiefs out due to the ankle injury sustained by Patrick Mahomes and the fact that Bengals QB Joe Burrow was 3-0 versus his counterpart before their most recent match.
)
Like they have done all season, Kansas City proved us all wrong, posting 357 total yards and holding that dangerous Cincinnati offensive unit to fewer than five yards per play. Sunday will be their third trip to the Super Bowl in the past four seasons, with KC defeating the Niners in 2019-20 (31-20) but losing in the big a season later versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31-9).
On the offensive line, Kansas City allowed the third-fewest sacks this season (26), which helped the Chiefs become the most potent offensive unit in the NFL, averaging a league-high 29.2 points per game.
Head To Head
Sunday will only be the 10th meeting between these two clubs, with the Chiefs holding a narrow 5-4 edge in the overall series.
The last three matchups have gone the way of Kansas City as former receiver Tyreek Hill scorched the Philly secondary with three touchdown catches in the previous meeting in September 2021, while Darrel Williams also ran for a score as the Chiefs won 42-30.
Key players
Philadelphia Eagles - Jalen Hurts
)
Jalen Hurts Hurts entered the season as one of the more significant question marks on the Eagles and has stepped up his game in a significant way. He posted career bests in a number of significant stats, including completion percentage, passing yards, passing touchdowns, and interception rate. Hurts deserves a ton of credit for his development and Eagles fans will be hoping he can lift them to a Super Bowl win.
Kansas City - Patrick Mahomes
)
As good as Jalen Hurts has been, he is going up against the incredible Patrick Mahomes. Since taking over as the Chiefs' starter, Mahomes has led the team to the Super Bowl in three of five seasons. He already has a Super Bowl ring and two MVP awards. He is comfortably the best player in the NFL.
Super Bowl prediction
Both teams are evenly matched, each with outstanding offensive units, some pass rushers who can disrupt the rhythm of opposing quarterbacks, and a slew of individuals who have stepped up in the postseason. However, only one team has Patrick Mahomes and so, expect Kansas City to just pull away in the end.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)