By David Thatcher, Clarion staff writer
The Super Bowl is already upon us, meaning the official end to the 2024-2025 NFL season is near, and a Super Bowl champion is to be awarded the Lombardi Trophy this upcoming Sunday (Feb. 9) at 3:30 P.M. PST.
Super Bowl LIX will be taking place at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. The AFC representatives this year are the Kansas City Chiefs, who are attempting to be the first NFL team in history to three-peat, and the NFC representatives are the Philadelphia Eagles setting the stage for a Super Bowl rematch between the two teams who met in Super Bowl LVII where Kansas City triumphed over Philadelphia 38-35.
Kansas City’s and Philadelphia’s Offenses
Jalen Hurts has had a very solid season reflected by his 68.7% completion percentage, 2,903 passing yards, 32 total touchdowns (18 passing, 14 rushing), five interceptions, and 630 rushing yards. His 103.7 passer rating along with his 8 yards per pass attempt are metrics that indicate Hurts has played efficiently throughout the regular season and has been a significant contributor to the Eagles’ offensive success.
In the playoffs, the efficiency continued with impressive scoring production from Hurts. In the past three playoff games, Hurts has produced a 69.6% completion percentage for 505 passing yards, 15 total touchdowns (11 pass, 4 rush), no interceptions, and 122 rushing yards, along with a 105 passer rating and 7.3 yards per pass attempt. Hurts’ efficiency and quality of play at quarterback will present a challenge for Kansas City’s defense especially when complemented with Philadelphia’s stellar run game.
Patrick Mahomes in what has been arguably a down year for him this past season still posted a 67.5% completion percentage, 3.928 passing yards, 28 total touchdowns (26 pass, 2 rush), 11 interceptions, 307 rushing yards, and 93.5 passer rating. Considering Mahomes’ previous seasons with eye-popping statistics this year there seemed to be more inconsistency and a Chiefs team that embraced an identity that favored leaning on their defense to limit scoring while the offense limited mistakes and found ways to win which led to many Chiefs wins being one-possession differences.
Mahomes and the offense has seemed to look more efficient in his play throughout the postseason indicated by his playoff passer rating of 105.2 and an 8.3 yards per pass attempt (1.5 yards higher than his regular season yards per pass attempt).
The Eagles have a plethora of offensive weapons and pieces to work with. Starting from their foundation, the offensive line is one of the best units in the NFL which has been a big part of the Eagles’ offensive success. Along with the Eagles' top-tier offensive line is the variety of offensive weapons from wide receivers AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson to their tight end Dallas Goedert known for his pass-catching abilities making their passing attack a significant threat despite not producing the most noticeable or impressive statistics throughout the season.
However, their run game has been the focal point of this offense with superstar running back Saquon Barkley rushing for over 2,000 rushing yards this season along with 13 rushing touchdowns for himself. This offense is loaded with talent and is going to pose a big challenge for Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.
The Chiefs' offensive line has proven to be a solid to a good unit in the NFL where they provide adequate pass protection and run blocking. Their run game is dynamic with their running backs Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco bringing versatile skill sets that bring solid production on the ground. Their passing attack is primarily led by superstar tight end Travis Kelce who has a great connection with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and is responsible for many of the Chiefs' spontaneous playmaking and off-script plays. Kansas City also has some big names in their receiver room such as DeAndre Hopkins, Hollywood Brown, and rookie Xavier Worthy who are also capable playmakers.
Kansas City’s and Philadelphia’s Defenses
Both teams feature strong defensive units that differ in style, but both are effective at limiting and challenging opposing offenses.
Philadelphia’s defense is led by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio who is famously known for a “bend don’t break” style of defense that typically features 2 high safeties that give coverage flexibility and limit explosive plays which forces offenses to attack the underneath zones or test the intermediate zones against their linebackers.
Since the bye week, Philadelphia has been one of the better defenses in the NFL which has continued to be showcased throughout the postseason. With a very experienced and respected coordinator at the helm and tons of defensive talent in all position groups such as linebacker Zach Baun, defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper Dejean, Darius Slay Jr., or defensive linemen such as Jalen Carter or Jordan Davis just to name some of the talent on the defensive side of the ball. This defense should give Kansas City head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes problems this upcoming Sunday.
Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has a much more attacking style of defense, meaning he likes to send pressure and blitz packages at the opposing quarterback. Spagnuolo aims to use various blitz packages along with disguised coverages to create confusion and pressure causing disruption that hopefully generates a turnover, sack, or ill-advised throws by the opposing quarterback.
The Chiefs’ also have talent on the defensive side of the ball such as cornerback Trent McDuffie, defensive lineman Chris Jones, and linebacker Nick Bolton to name a few of their pieces. The Chiefs’ have leaned on their defense considerably this past season rather than characteristically leaning on their explosive offense in past years and has been a huge factor in Kansas City’s ability to win close one-possession games. It is to be expected that this Kansas City defense will continue playing their brand of disciplined, attacking defense to hopefully limit Philadelphia’s offense and win a close game.
Who Will Win?
I am predicting that the Philadelphia Eagles win their Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs with a score of 38-24. Understandably, it’s hard to imagine that Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes would lose a Super Bowl by that wide of a margin as they have been masters at late game comebacks and have seemingly been able to ignite that clutch factor to win close games, especially in the playoffs.
If the Eagles are to win this game I personally believe they cannot do so by a close margin. The Eagles must find ways to generate turnovers while minimizing their mistakes, and if turnovers are generated they must be converted into touchdowns, not field goals, in hopes to build a strong lead where Kansas City is unable to make a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback.
Who do you think will win Super Bowl LIX? Are you taking Philadelphia to win the rematch or Kansas City to make history by pulling off a historic three-peat?
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