The Philadelphia Eagles are favorites to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, and there are several good reasons why.
The Eagles and Chiefs clash on Sunday will be a matchup of the two teams that were far and away the cream of the crop in their respective conferences all season. While both teams had hurdles to overcome and teams like the 49ers and Bills threatened their spot at the top of the AFC and NFC standings, both squads nevertheless endured 17 weeks of the season and two playoff games to reach the NFL Championship.
Both fan bases have reason to be confident heading into Super Bowl 57. The Kansas City Chiefs are the current dynasty team in the NFL and are appearing in their third title game in the last four seasons. While the Eagles feel like a team of destiny that has steamrolled their way to the Super Bowl.
However, only one team can prevail in the end, it will likely be the Philadelphia Eagles. Let’s explain why the NFC East Champions are a sure bet to bring home their franchise’s second Super Bowl title on Sunday night.
The Chiefs are known for their offense led by MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes. However, their defense has been a solid unit this season, and their rush defense was among the 10 best in the NFL. However, they have not faced a rush attack quite like the one the Eagles will bring on Sunday, and in the instances where they confronted something similar, things did not go well.
In 2022-2023, the Chiefs were able to avoid defending elite running backs for much of the season. But in three instances they played a team with a Pro Bowl-level back in the Raiders and Josh Jacobs, and the Seahawks with star rookie rusher Kenneth Walker III.
The second game against the Raiders was a throwaway in the final week of the season. However, in the first Raider matchup and against Seattle, they gave up well over 100 yards to each back. On Sunday, they will confront another Pro Bowl-level RB in Miles Sanders. However, they will also have to contend with a quarterback in Jalen Hurts who is equally dangerous with his legs as he is with his arm.
The Eagles were a top-five rushing unit in the league as they posted an NFL-best 32 touchdowns on the ground in the season and seven more in the playoffs. That rushing train is unlikely to stop in the Super Bowl and will help open up big plays for the Philadelphia Eagles’ passing game.
The Eagles’ defense was a monster that terrorized the NFC throughout the season. The main reason they sent fear through the hearts of offensive coordinators was because of their elite-level pass rush that racked up an outstanding 70 sacks this season. In the Super Bowl, they will face a world-class QB, but one playing on a badly injured ankle.
By the time the game starts, Mahomes’ high ankle sprain is likely to feel better, but it will be far from 100 percent since that type of injury usually requires a month to heal and he hasn’t had anywhere near that.
What makes the Pro Bowler a special talent is his ability to extend plays and move around in the pocket, if he is slowed down by the ankle, against an already fast pass rush led by Haason Reddick, that spells big trouble for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
The Kansas City Chiefs have rolled the dice in a major way by starting two rookie cornerbacks this season. Fortunately for them, it has paid off as L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie have been solid and have gotten better as the year progressed. However, they benefit when their front seven can get pressure on the opposing QB.
Getting pressure on Hurts will be much harder than it was in the AFC Championship against the banged-up Bengals’ offensive line. That fact, plus the outstanding receiving duo the Eagles have with DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown, and Hurts’ growth as a passer this season is a very tough matchup for the Chiefs on Sunday and the receivers are guaranteed to have a big evening.