The time has arrived. It’s Super Bowl 57 right here in my home state of Arizona. Two weeks ago, I predicted the NFC Championship Game on the dot as the Eagles throttled the 49ers. The AFC Championship Game, on the other hand, well…….., I was close, but the Chiefs ultimately prevailed in a weirdly officiated game. With that out of the way, we have the top seeds in the NFL squaring off as the Philadelphia Eagles (NFC) take on the Kansas City Chiefs (AFC). This happened for the first time since 2017 when the Eagles last won the Super Bowl. Both these teams match up very well against one another, creating excitement as they are going to battle it out in the desert to see who lifts the Lombardi Trophy. This year’s MVP (Patrick Mahomes) will go up against the MVP Runner Up (Jalen Hurts). For a fact, this is monumental because this will be the first time that two Black quarterbacks will face each other in this big sporting event. These teams will match up well against each other as these two have the League’s top offenses. The Eagles have a top-three defense, and the Chiefs’ defense is pretty underrated as well. These 2 teams are dead even and I’m not even joking. See the image below:

There are many narratives surrounding this game. Starting, we have the Kelce Bowl as the Kelce Brothers (Travis Kelce – TE – Chiefs and Jason Kelce – C – Eagles) face off against each other. The two are one of the best at their respective positions, and regardless of the outcome, there will be one winner: Donna Kelce, the mother of the two. Then we have Andy Reid going up against the former team he used to coach, the Eagles. After Sunday, one of the Kelce brothers will get their 2nd Super Bowl Ring. Regardless of what happens, we have the legend Rihanna performing in the halftime show at the bare minimum.

Starting with the Eagles, who’ve been called frauds by many people, sadly including me. I believed, amongst many, that they had a relatively easy schedule than the rest of the League. Also, in the playoffs, they went up against the New York Giants and a banged-up 49ers team who had their RB, Christian McCaffrey, play at QB after Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson got hurt. They knew it was over for the 49ers in the NFC Championship when the 49ers ran out of QBs. The Eagles have an offense that can explode at any moment. They have the second-highest total yardage and the second-highest rushing yards by any team this season. For example, in a game against the Green Bay Packers, both Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders combined for over 300 rushing yards. They can also have big plays downfield when Jalen Hurts throws to AJ Brown, Devontae Smith, or even Dallas Goedert, showing that they have a much more balanced offense than the Chiefs, who primarily rely on the passing game. The Eagles also have another RB in Kenneth Gainwell, who can make big plays.

Then for the Chiefs, they played an inexperienced Jaguars, who put up a decent fight in the Divisional Round, and the smoking hot Cincinnati Bengals, who had yet to lose since October. The Chiefs Defense was a crucial reason they could defeat the Bengals to get to this stage in the first place. The Chiefs OL played a vital role in the victory over the Jaguars in the Divisional Round. They protected an injured Mahomes against the intense Jaguars pass rush. That also showed in their win in the AFC Championship game, as Mahomes wasn’t 100%. Mahomes will have had two weeks’ worth of rest before today’s game. The Chiefs will also be getting back RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who is such a significant part of their Offense. RB Pacheco has done great making up for Edwards-Helaire’s absence, which will provide the Chiefs with a two-man punch at the RB Position. Even after all of this, the Chiefs are a team who don’t need to run the ball, as they have Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Andy Reid are so good together and have had so much success. The Eagles defense hasn’t faced an offense like the Chiefs this season. There is a possibility that the Chiefs will expose the flaws of the Eagles’ defense in this year’s Super Bowl. This will be the third Super Bowl in the Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid Era for the Chiefs, which means they have more experience than the Eagles. However, Nick Sirianni has called the right plays repeatedly, even though they have a dominant offense, which is why the Eagles have been one of the best teams in the League all season. Also, when Jalen Hurts plays, the Eagles are 16 – 1.

There are X-Factors for both teams that will be a must for their path to victory. The Chiefs have to limit the Eagles’ run game and still be careful while limiting the big plays when Hurts throws to Brown or Smith. On the other hand, the Eagles must find a way to get to Patrick Mahomes, which will be challenging due to the Chiefs’ OL playing well in the playoffs. Even if they get there, we have seen Mahomes’ Magic and the big plays he can often create. However, Mahomes might not be 100%, and we’ve seen this story in Super Bowl 55 when he wasn’t healthy against the Buccanneers. The Eagles must run the ball, giving the Chiefs’ Offense less time to execute what they do best. Also, they must contain Travis Kelce if they want any chance to win against the Chiefs.  

Final Prediction At last, it’s time for my prediction. Because both the Eagles and Chiefs have powerhouse offenses, there will be a high-scoring game, as the defense from both sides will have little to no impact on the game as they won’t be able to stop the opposing offenses. These are the League’s top 2 teams, but in the end, I have the Kansas City Chiefs winning their 2nd Super Bowl in the Patrick Mahomes Era. Overall, I believe that the experience of the Chiefs will be why they triumph and get the victory. The Eagles only have seven players from their Super Bowl win in 2017; for the majority, it is their first Super Bowl. It will be too much for the Eagles’ Defense to handle with Mahomes and the Magic he creates to do something extraordinary. He can lead his victory from anywhere at any time in the field. Especially after the AFC Championship Game, it’s going to be hard for me to go against the Kansas City Chiefs. Again, the Eagles have yet to face a hard team that much since November, especially a team of that caliber like the Chiefs. Also, we can’t ever count out Mahomes and the Chiefs. For example, they were down 10 in the 4th quarter against the 49ers in Super Bowl 54. Mahomes was able to make a crucial 3rd and 15 play to Tyreek Hill, which was the moment that gave the Chiefs hope. It will be a thrilling and close game, but ultimately, I got Mahomes, Kelce, Reid, and the Kansas City Chiefs hoisting the Lombardi trophy. (Chiefs win by 3)

Again, the Super Bowl this year will be hosted in my home state of Arizona. Two of the most iconic recent Super Bowls have been held in this exact stadium – Superbowl 42 (Giants vs Patriots) and Superbowl 49 (Patriots vs Seahawks). Will this be the third one? We’ll see!!!

Super Bowl – 2/12; 6:30 PM EST; FOX; State Farm Stadium – Glendale, Arizona