The Philadelphia Eagles have the deeper roster. The Kansas City Chiefs have plenty of residual big game experience from years of contending… and also Patrick Mahomes.
That makes Super Bowl 57 a difficult-to-predict matchup between two dominant teams. Philadelphia and Kansas City each claimed their conference crowns after locking down the top seed and coveted first round bye. The Chiefs overcame injury and a game Cincinnati Bengals team to carve their path back to the Super Bowl. The Eagles tarred and feathered the overwhelmed New York Giants and then a San Francisco 49ers team with a quarterback who legitimately could not throw the ball in the second half.
This leaves questions. How much did Cincinnati take out of the Chiefs? Are the Eagles ready for a step up in competition after early leads and the latitude to run the ball more than 63 percent of the team in the postseason?
Our three-man panel is rolling with Kansas City’s battle readiness over Philly’s ability to burn villages to the ground and salt the earth behind it, but it’s close. Scroll down for my explanation below.
| Game | Christian | Robert | Charles |
| Chiefs vs. Eagles | Chiefs | Chiefs | Eagles |
| Last week: | 1-1 | 2-0 | 1-1 |
| Year to date: | 172-94-2 | 172-94-2 | 158-108-2 |
And here are those selections in a better-formatted screenshot of our actual picks sheet, which unfortunately struggles to translate to our editing software.
The only game in town: Kansas City Chiefs (+1.5) over the Philadelphia Eagles
Despite the twists and turns of the playoffs, Super Bowl 57 is roughly what we thought it would be. The Eagles defense is a black hole that swallows up opposing passing attacks. Its offensive line is a lineup of bulldozers razing a redwood forest to clear space for a clock-smothering run game. And with Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown, this team can win a throwback rock fight or fly for an aerial dogfight.
The Chiefs have three major advantages on their side.
- Patrick Mahomes
- Andy Reid
- A Patriots-esque level of big game experience.
Ultimately, this is a battle of star power vs. depth, an up-and-coming coach vs. a venerable veteran and a treatise on how much experience matters in the NFL. Those are three very difficult arguments to make and I could easily roll with either side depending on the matchup.
But this matchup is Mahomes vs. Hurts, who hasn’t been nearly the same passer he was in the regular season following his shoulder sprain. Granted, he hasn’t needed to be in blowout wins and just got two weeks of extra recovery before facing the Chiefs’ 20th-ranked passing defense. There’s room for him to light up the stat sheet, but it’s at least mildly concerning that he’s only thrown nine passes that traveled at least 15 yards downfield in his last three games.
That worry gives me just enough cover to side with Kansas City. The Chiefs have done a great job of elevating players alongside Mahomes and Travis Kelce in clutch moments. Isiah Pacheco, staring at a run defense that lags considerably behind Philly’s strength vs. the pass, could be the next link in that chain. Ultimately, this game feels like it will be defined by one player breaking free on third and long, extending the play and making an absurd throw downfield look utterly casual en route to a backbreaking touchdown.
And that’s Patrick Mahomes’ calling card.
Kansas City Chiefs 23, Philadelphia Eagles 20
