Super Bowl LVII Pick: Philly Special

Here we go folks, that bittersweet time for every football fan. As much as Super Bowl Sunday is a celebration of the NFL’s championship, it’s also the culmination of another football season. Come Monday, it’s all over for actual NFL football for another eight months until it all starts over again. Eight long months. So before we talk draft and free agency for the New Orleans Saints, lets break down this final game of the season.

The NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles face the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs in the biggest spectacle in American professional sports. Kansas City enters the game with a 14-3 record and they field the NFL’s top-ranked offense, while Philadelphia also enters the game with a 14-3 record and field the NFL’s second-ranked offense. It’s a battle of the top two offenses in the NFL, so expect to see some fireworks in Glendale. Let’s now take a look at Super Bowl LVII.

Two weeks ago I went 0-2

I told you so: Nothing apparently

What do I know: Nothing apparently

SUPER BOWL LVII - State Farm Stadium - Glendale, Arizona

NFC Champion - Philadelphia Eagles

vs

AFC Champion - Kansas City Chiefs

Sunday, February 12th, 2023

3:30pm PST / 5:30pm CST / 6:30pm EST

FOX

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“Will opinions on Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid change following a second Super Bowl loss?”

The Philadelphia Eagles are looking for their second Super Bowl title in six years, while the Kansas City Chiefs are looking for their second Super Bowl title in four years. Clearly, neither franchise is a stranger to the Super Bowl stage, but Philly enters this game with a majority new cast from head coach to quarterback, while KC comes into this championship opportunity with core talent and coaching that won the Lombardi trophy in February of 2020. These Chiefs core players and coaches know the thrill of Super Bowl victory, but they also know the gut-wrenching sting of a demoralizing Super Bowl defeat.

The big stories coming into this Super Bowl have been the first matchup of brothers facing each other in the big game with KC’s Travis Kelce facing his brother, Philly’s Jason Kelce, as well as KC Head Coach Andy Reid facing an Eagles franchise he successfully coached for fourteen years. A story of the NFL’s top two offenses facing-off with the Super Bowl title on the line is the stuff the league goes wild for, but the biggest story of this game is truly the health and mobility of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has had a breakout season and has has shown no signs of wilting under the intense spotlight of the NFL Playoffs. Hurts has played beyond expectations this season, and much of that credit should be shared with his fantastic cast of teammates. Kansas City has usually had an advantage in the wide receiver department, thanks to the speed and skill of former star WR Tyreek Hill, but in this game it is the Eagles that have the distinct advantage at WR, thanks to AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, who will have big games this Sunday. Their skill as pass-catchers, along with Hurts’ dual-threat challenge with his running and escapability will provide a challenge KC has not had to face in these playoffs. Philly is not just an offensive powerhouse, as they field the NFL’s third-ranked defense and their pass-rush led this league in sacks this past season. They are the last thing a compromised QB wants to face on this stage.

Kansas City will be desperate to erase the horrible memories from their Super Bowl flop in Tampa two years ago. A pitiful performance marred by horrible off the field issues and a terrible on the field performance from top to bottom. They will have a much better showing this Sunday, and they have a team that can certainly beat Philly and take the Lombardi trophy back to Kansas City, but the Mahomes injury and a puzzling omen may prove to be too much for the AFC Champs to overcome. A horrible omen for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs is the fact that the newly-crowned NFL MVP has not won the Super Bowl following the announcement in 23 years (Kurt Warner - 1999). That is far more than a mere coincidence at this point. If fully healthy, Mahomes is the type of premier talent to overcome this, but he’s just not fully healthy, no matter what he and the trainers are doing to that ankle.

The Eagles are remarkably healthy coming into this game. Imagine the polar opposite of the Saints’ health over the past two seasons, yes, that healthy, the kind of team health that is instrumental in winning a Super Bowl. As for Kansas City, their best player, the NFL’s best player, the newly-minted NFL MVP is still recovering from the dreaded high-ankle sprain, an injury that will unfortunately keep Mahomes from being is electric best. It is one thing to do enough to beat a very good Cincy defensive front with this injury, but it is a whole new obstacle to face down the very best defensive front in the NFL this past season, and that front belongs to Philly.

His sheer talent will keep this game close throughout, but Mahomes will find himself pressing through this injury, while under duress throughout the game, and will be forced into a pair of unfortunate turnovers, while his counterpart in Hurts will come through without a turnover on his end. A two interception game from Chauncey Gardner-Johnson will prove to be the key performance of this Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles will leave Glendale with their second Lombardi Trophy in six years.

Super Bowl LVII Champion: Philadelphia Eagles

Final Score: Eagles 27 - Chiefs 21

Super Bowl LVII MVP: S - Chauncey Gardner-Johnson

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There you have it folks, another Super Bowl and another NFL season in the books. I simply can’t wait to get it started all over again. Let’s get ready for the march toward Las Vegas, Nevada for Super Bowl LVIII. Now it’s your turn, leave us your final score and MVP picks in the comments section below!