Reasons for Eagles optimism and expectancy ahead of Super Bowl LVII

The Super Bowl storylines are endless. It’s a matchup of two of the league’s best teams. It’s a clash of two African American quarterbacks who also happen to be the top two favorites to win the NFL’s MVP trophy. There’s also the component that two brothers who happen to be All-Pro players are playing. In addition, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni will attempt  to out-coach a man who was charged with transforming his team into a contender almost two and a half decades earlier.

While all of these storylines will be fun to watch, it begs the question. Who has the edge? Here are three reasons that state that the Eagles are the answer to that question.

The favored team entering the Super Bowl more often than not takes care of business.

According to a Vegas insider, Super Bowl favorites are 28-25-2 against the spread. The Eagles, who were underdogs in their first two Super Bowl appearances, are now 1.5-point favorites according to FanDuel at the time this story was written and published. As four-point underdogs versus the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 52, it was the Eagles, who came out on top as they were fueled by the underdog moniker and the leaders of a charge that depleted the entire world’s supply of dog masks.

The Chiefs, who are headed to their third Super Bowl in four seasons, were favored with Patrick Mahomes during their last two appearances, winning as a 1.5-point favorite versus the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 54 and losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as favorites in Super Bowl 55.

Too many Chiefs are injured while the Eagles are relatively healthy.

While both teams have been grappling with serious injuries that affect all pro players, and will have had two weeks to recover, it is the Chiefs who have caught the bug at the wrong time.

Kansas City wide receivers Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman, and JuJu Smith-Schuster all left the AFC Championship Game with injuries, despite it being one of the more competitive and compelling title games to watch in recent memory.

Mahomes, who is suffering from a severe ankle injury himself, was able to lead the Chiefs to a gutsy win. While the passing game was successful versus the Cincinnati Bengals, it appears to be practically impossible to accomplish against the Eagles’ defense during the Super Bowl, which has been outstanding throughout the entire regular season and postseason.

The Eagles defense has been better during the postseason.

The Eagles were dominant during the regular season, but it seems like they are even more so now that the postseason has begun. They are limiting their opponents to less than 200 yards per contest and seven points per game. They have kept every opponent’s running game under control during the regular season and the playoffs, with the exception of Texans running back Dameon Pierce.

Contrast that with the Chiefs, who have allowed an average of 329 yards per game, 658 yards to opposing offenses overall, and 20 points per game. The Super Bowl would be the ideal time for A.J. Brown to establish himself as the dominant force that everyone anticipates given that he has yet to cross the end zone and have a breakout performance during the postseason.

In addition, the Chiefs must contend with Haason Reddick, Brandon Graham, Javon Hargrave, and Josh Sweat, all of whom were in the top 20 in total sacks for the regular season.

The Eagles appear to have the advantage heading into Super Bowl Sunday due to their status as the current betting favorites in Vegas, the Chiefs’ wide receivers’ lingering injuries, and how dominant their defense has been this postseason.