The Philadelphia Eagles will play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on February 9th. There are many reasons why this game will be exciting to watch, which we will get to in a second.
There are also naysayers, both on TV and online. They think this matchup is the most boring one to be birthed out of the postseason bracket. We disagree with this sentiment. How can someone say a matchup featuring a 14-win team (Eagles) vs. a 15-2 squad ( Chiefs) isn't interesting?
Isn't this what we want. Don't we want to see the two best teams playing?
Many wanted the Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders to qualify. Maybe that's because those are two long-suffering franchises. What can we say? They had their opportunities, but don't feel sorry for them, Both teams should be in the conversation for a while.
This Eagles vs. Chiefs matchup features so many storylines for journalists and TV outlets to discuss. We could talk about this for days. Let's dig into a few.
Saquon Barkley looks to place the icing on the cake after enjoying an unforgettable season.
After spending six years at the New York Giants, Saquon Barkley left having posted three 1,000-yard seasons. He did so with a less-than-stellar offensive line as he battled through injury issues. He walked and found his way to Philly.
The Giants have to have been kicking themselves ever since that moment. Barkley has been a man on a mission and has taken Philadelphia back to elite heights. The Eagles aren't to be messed with.
Never has Saquon played behind a better, more massive, and aggressive offensive line in his career. The results say it all. He posted 2,005 rushing yards with 13 touchdowns in the regular season before adding 442 yards and five touchdowns during the postseason.
The Coaches: Both Andy Reid and Nick Sirianni bring their own flair to this game.
The players give this game some kick. So do the head coaches. Philadelphia's Nick Sirianni and Kansas City's Andy Reid also have stories that could fill a few pages.
Sirianni almost got run out of town after the horrible collapse to conclude last season, but he was given coordinators who knew what they were doing this year. Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio have helped fuel a Birds playoff push.
After all the reports of players not gelling with him last season, they must have found some common ground. The results are evidence of that. The Eagles would not be in the Super Bowl right now if there were still problems rearing their head from last season.
Despite the criticism he has received from the media and fans, all Nick Sirianni does is win. He has a 48-20 record with a .706 winning percentage in four seasons with the team. His team has qualified for the playoffs every year he has been with the team. He has led them to two Super Bowl appearances.
Let's be real, Sirianni wants to be the coach to say he ended the Chiefs' dreams of a three-peat. His personality screams such.
Then, there's Andy Reid, who is already certain to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with all of the success he has earned as head coach of the Eagles and Chiefs. Reid is looking for his fourth Super Bowl ring, which closes the gap between him and Bill Belichick.
The latter won six.
Reid is looking for his fourth Super Bowl ring, which would put him two away from catching Bill Belichick with six.
From the Chiefs' perspective, it would be sweet for Andy to secure the three-peat versus his former team. A win would also mean he has gone 2-0 vs. the Eagles on football's grandest stage.
Two of the best defenses square off in this matchup.
When people think of Philadelphia and Kansas City they automatically think of the offenses and for good reason. Both teams have some superstar talent on that side of the ball, but the defensive units for these teams are also gifted.
Both can get to the quarterback. Philly collected 41 sacks during the regular season. K.C. tallied 39.
They haven't stopped in the playoffs. Each team has collected ten sacks. George Karlaftis leads the Chiefs with three postseason sacks. Nolan Smith Jr. is the sack master for the Eagles. He has four.
Another sack for Nolan will give him the franchise postseason record. He'll look to ground Patrick Mahomes. Neither side has given up a ton of points.
George Karlaftis leads the Chiefs in the postseason with three sacks and Nolan Smith Jr. is the sack master for the Eagles with four.
Then there are the interceptions which both teams racked up 13 in the regular season. The Birds only allowed 17.8 points per game this season and Kansas City only surrendered 19.2 PPG.
Can Jalen Hurts outplay Patrick Mahomes again?
When the Eagles first matched up versus the Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago, Jalen Hurts was well on his way to winning the Super Bowl's MVP trophy. Then, Patrick Mahomes led his team to a game-winning field goal.
Hurts completed 27 of his 38 passes for 304 yards. He threw one TD pass. He also rushed for 70 yards and scored three additional times with his legs.
Jalen definitely could outplay Mahomes statistically, but if he doesn't win it won't matter much. It's time we give him credit though. If Hurts produces a better stat line vs. Mahomes and wins the Lombardi Trophy, we can no longer leave him out of the 'elite' category.
Other great storylines for the game include Taylor Swift. She's a Pennsylvania native and lifelong Eagles fan who switched allegiances because her boyfriend plays for the Chiefs. Oh, and don't forget about Brandon Graham's potential return and the Kendrick Lamar halftime show.
Again... This isn't a Super Bowl that you should miss.