Super Bowl LIX Preview

Or, how can the Eagles get a different result from Super Bowl LVII?

Rather than a rematch of Super Bowl XXVI between Washington and Buffalo, we’re getting a repeat of the game from two years ago as the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs won their respective conferences.

As a Raiders fan, I’m obviously approaching this game hoping that the Chiefs come up short. I’m not going to deny that.

Now, I think that’s a big ask/not likely as the Chiefs feature maybe the greatest QB in league history¹ as well as an excellent head coach and a great tight end (who happens to be dating pop music royalty²).

But the Eagles did have a pretty good regular season and have looked sharp throughout the playoffs. If they’re able to do what so few teams have been able to do—that is, stop the Chiefs and Mahomes in the playoffs—this is what will (probably) have to happen.

The Eagles’ defense averaged nearly 2.5 sacks per game this season, which was one feature of their league-best defense. Jalen Carter, Zack Baun, Josh Sweat, and Nolan Smith are all quite capable of disrupting an opposing offense. Looking over the Chiefs’ results this season, when the games have been close (which… that’s kind of all we have to go on given that the Chiefs only lost twice and once was the final game of the season when they rested just about everyone) the opposing team had three-or-more sacks on Mahomes and co. (somehow, the other game they lost to Buffalo in the regular season, the Bills only had two sacks).

If the Eagles can generate pressure against Kansas City (the Chiefs ranked in the middle of the pack this season in terms of protecting the quarterback and there are questions about the Chiefs’ offensive line), that will go a long way in terms of keeping them in this game. This Super Bowl will feature two defensive coordinators in Vic Fangio and Steve Spagnuolo who are great as designing disruptive approaches. Fangio might be if not an improvement over Jonathan Gannon then at least he’s better suited for this matchup with the Chiefs. His defenses when he was head coach in Denver were pretty good even though they were going up against Mahomes and Herbert regularly.

As the only non-QB who was a finalist for the NFL MVP, Saquon Barkley has had quite a season. Leading the league in rushing yards, rushing attempts, total touches, yards from scrimmage, Barkley shone in his first year in Philadelphia. With Barkley leading the way, the Eagles boasted the second-best rushing attack in the NFL (behind only the Baltimore Ravens). Keeping that up against the Chiefs is going to be key.

Looking back to Super Bowl LVII, when these two teams last faced off in the big game, the Eagles came in averaging nearly 148 rushing yards per game but the Chiefs were able to hold them to just 115 yards and 3.5 yards per carry (not the biggest difference, but it was enough in a game that Kansas City won by just a field goal). Controlling the ball and the time of possession should be a strategy employed by the Eagles. Also, if the Eagles are able to get their rushing attack rolling, it will take pressure off a passing game that’s been struggling a bit. Now, the Chiefs boast a stout rushing defense, but they also haven’t faced a back as good as Barkley since Week 1 (when the Ravens were still getting Derrick Henry up to speed.

The health of Eagles G Landon Dickerson and C Cam Jurgens will play a large role is whether Philadelphia is able to be successful. They’ll need that offensive line to be ready as the Kansas City defense has been formidable all season but especially in the playoffs. Jalen Hurts is the wild card here. If he could play a game like he did in Week 15 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, then the Eagles might be getting the best version of Hurts they could. But as long as this passer rating is somewhere north of 90, then the Eagles should be in good shape. With A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, the Eagles have the edge at the wide receiver position, but the question is will Hurts be able to get the ball to those great receivers for them to making something happen? Though boasting a second-team all-pro cornerback in Trent McDuffie, the Chiefs’ pass defense was middle-of-the-road this season. Can this Eagles aerial attack, which has been a source of frustration this season, get going?

No predictions yet, and quite possibly at all. Like I said, I’m not going to hide the fact that I do not want the Chiefs to win. I also think they could win the game (and, one might argue, the odds might be in their favor). For some reason, I find myself thinking about the last time the Eagles won the Super Bowl, when they played against the New England Patriots. Those Patriots, like these Chiefs, felt inevitable but somehow the Eagles found a way to win. Perhaps it will be a repeat of that? Or maybe we’re just going to have to see Mahomes, Reid, and Kansas City three-peat.

1. It’s so galling that most-to-all of the quarterbacks with an argument for GOAT status are particularly painful for Raiders fans (Mahomes, Tom Brady, John Elway, Joe Montana).

2. Don’t get me wrong, I have to root against the Chiefs. But I find all the people complaining about Taylor Swift’s presence on the screen during the Chiefs games a bit insufferable. Using that as your reason for rooting against the Chiefs is really kind of lame, in my opinion at least.