Super Bowl LVII Preview: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Chapman students give their opinions on who they think will win the Super Bowl. Photo collage by DANIEL PEARSON, staff photographer

This year’s Super Bowl will feature two franchises that have both won a championship in the past five years. On Feb. 12, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will go head-to-head at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The Chiefs are going to their third Super Bowl in the last four years, and even with wide receiver and quarterback Patrick Mahomes dealing with a lingering ankle injury, among other injuries, they beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship 23-20 on Jan. 29. 

Mahomes’ ability to make clutch plays with limited talent at wide receiver is all the Chiefs need to have a fighting chance in any given game.

The Eagles easily handled the San Francisco 49ers 31-7, who were down to their fourth string quarterback in the NFC Championship game also held Jan. 29. With Jalen Hurts on a rookie contract, the Eagles stacked their offense and defense with talent, giving Hurts a great supporting cast as he makes his first Super Bowl appearance.

Alex Atallah, a freshman film and television production major, said that while the Eagles dominated throughout the playoffs, a couple of fortunate breaks made their trip to the Super Bowl less complicated. 

Atallah thinks that this might lead to the Chiefs, a healthy and talented team, blowing out the Eagles. 

“The Niners were playing most of the game with their fourth string quarterback (in the NFC championship),” Atallah said. “The Eagles are a phenomenal team, and Jalen Hurts is a great quarterback. But, I think they’ve just had an easier run to get to where they are now than the Chiefs, and I think that will become very evident in the Super Bowl.”

Josh Blinder, senior communication studies major, also added that the Chiefs’ offense looks different because wide receiver Tyreek Hill went to the Miami Dolphins this season. 

“(Not having) the explosiveness of having Tyreek Hill on the outside to open up the top of the defense and make things a lot trickier in the back end makes it easier on defenses,” Blinder said. “You can see (the) Jacksonville Jaguars and (the) Cincinnati Bengals creeping closer to the line of scrimmage, and (Mahomes) is not taking shots all over the place, (so) the (offense) has to (slowly drive) down the field.”

Atallah added that the Chiefs may let their guard down with all the deep playoff runs they’ve had the past couple of years, which might give the Eagles an advantage.

“The Chiefs as of late are a more experienced team with the Super Bowl and the playoffs as a whole, that being said they could be given false confidence,” Atallah said. “(They) could be taking their position for granted.”

On the Eagles’ offense, Hurts put up MVP numbers in the regular season, thanks to having great weapons in receivers AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, coupled with a great rushing attack led by running back Miles Sanders. Their success on defense starts with the pass rush of their front four led by Haason Reddick.

The Chiefs’ offense has one of the best duos in Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, and though the running game isn’t spectacular, Mahomes can spread the ball around effectively in the passing game. Like the Eagles, the Chiefs have a great defensive front with defensive tackle Chris Jones anchoring the defense.

Blinder is picking the Eagles to win the Super Bowl because of their ability to get pressure on quarterbacks with just four pass rushers and elite coverage from their cornerbacks and linebackers. This will go together with the Eagles’ strong offense.

“On the offensive side for Philadelphia, I (wouldn’t) change a single thing,” Blinder said. “Go heavy on the ground game, play action off of it and (take advantage of) your opportunities one-on-one on the outside whenever you (have) Smith or AJ Brown and throwing a 50/50 ball out there and letting those guys make a play.”

Atallah is picking the Chiefs to win and is counting on them to make plays on defense when it counts and letting Mahomes make plays off script.

“The Chiefs have a really good defense, especially really good red zone defense,” Atallah said. “Mahomes is such an anomaly compared to other quarterbacks. He’s extremely calculated (and) extremely talented, (and) I think that’s going to play a huge factor (in the Super Bowl). This could be a historical game.”

Freshman film production major Leger Taylor is from Kansas City, so he is also picking the Chiefs to win. He said that while this year’s team isn’t as stacked compared to past Super Bowl teams, he counts on Mahomes and the team’s chemistry in commanding one of the top offenses in the NFL.

“In the last couple of years, (the Chiefs) haven’t necessarily been the underdogs, just ‘cause we’ve had (great teams),” Taylor said. “But, we’ve built such great chemistry that I think that we’re just gonna get it done. It doesn’t hurt that we have one of the best offensive teams in the league.”