After a long NFL season, Super Bowl LIX is finally here, and it is back with some familiar faces.
Following a victory over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game, the Kansas City Chiefs are back to the Super Bowl for the fifth time in the last six seasons. They are on the verge of winning their third consecutive championship, a feat that has never happened in the Super Bowl era.
Representing the NFC is the Philadelphia Eagles after they defeated their division rival the Washington Commanders. The Eagles look to get revenge against the Chiefs, as they lost to Kansas City in Super Bowl LVII by three points. The Eagles also look to win their second Super Bowl in the last eight seasons.
For the Chiefs, they have to prepare to play hard until the final whistle is blown and must be imperative when it comes to taking control of the line of scrimmage. That means running the ball. The Chiefs have to accumulate at least three yards per carry for them to move the chains. Too many times in the AFC championship game against the Bills did the offense have to rely on quarterback Patrick Mahomes to move the offense by scrambling and escaping the pocket.
Time of possession matters, and for the Eagles' defense, run by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the Chiefs are going to have to earn this win. I wouldn't be surprised if the Chiefs have multiple 20-play drives through the game.
Lastly, offensively the Chiefs cannot afford to have any turnovers in this game. The Eagles have recorded ten takeaways this postseason, four of those coming from the NFC Championship Game.
Defensively, the Eagles have to contain Mahomes in the pocket. It is almost like a double-edged sword because Mahomes is going to perform well whether he is in the pocket or not, but this way the Eagles limit his options and shorten his time to making reads the entirety of the game. Whenever Mahomes finds a way to get out of the pocket it is never good news for the opposing team with his ability to both pass and run the ball when scrambling.
For the Chiefs defensively, the main objective should be to mitigate the Eagles' run game led by running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts, although that is easier said than done.
The Eagles are a bit banged up with members of the offensive line Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson both playing in the NFC Championship Game while not fully healthy. That means guys like defensive tackle Chris Jones and Linebacker George Karlaftis need to take advantage of the enfeebled run protection.
The Eagles’ offense has to lean on what makes them special and that is running back Saquon Barkley. They have to get him going early into the game to have a chance. The run game isn’t the only key factor in the Eagles’ success, as Jalen Hurts has become a much better passer since losing the Super Bowl two years ago.
Wide receiver A.J Brown and Devonta Smith along with tight end Dallas Goddert should be involved throughout the entire game so the Eagles’ offense isn’t one-dimensional.
My prediction is the Kansas City Chiefs will defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 28-24, with Patrick Mahomes winning his fourth Super Bowl MVP award.
Contact Calvin Scott via email at calvin.scott@bsu.edu or on X @CalvinAJScott.
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