{"id":8466,"date":"2025-02-06T13:23:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T13:23:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=8466"},"modified":"2025-02-06T13:23:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T13:23:28","slug":"nfl-super-bowl-lix-preview-chiefs-eagles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-super-bowl-lix-preview-chiefs-eagles","title":{"rendered":"NFL Super Bowl LIX Preview: Kansas City Three-Peat or Philly Special 2.0?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\">NFL<\/a> has a historic Super Bowl rematch in New Orleans this Sunday between the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/team\/kansas-city-chiefs-6764\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/team\/philadelphia-eagles-6671\">Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>. The Chiefs can elevate their dynasty status with the first Super Bowl three-peat, and the Eagles can win their second championship in the last decade by denying another dynasty on the biggest stage at Super Bowl LIX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have been preparing for Super Bowl LIX all week with an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/super-bowl-2025-preparation-guide\">ultimate guide<\/a> for the game, a look at why the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-fraud-alert-rating-super-bowl-lix\">Fraud Alert Rating<\/a> metric favors the Chiefs, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/will-saquon-barkley-win-super-bowl-mvp\">Saquon Barkley\u2019s quest<\/a> to win Super Bowl MVP on his birthday, and why the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/three-peat-chiefs-best-nfl-dynasty\">Chiefs are the best NFL dynasty<\/a> if they pull this one off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But now is the time to put everything together for our in-depth preview of this incredible matchup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><nav><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#kansas-city-chiefs-vs-philadelphia-eagles-1-5-o-u-48-5\">Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles (+1.5, O\/U 48.5)<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#chiefs-vs-eagles-the-past-matchups\">Chiefs vs. Eagles: The Past Matchups<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#injury-watch\">Injury Watch<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#key-matchup-patrick-mahomes-vs-vic-fangios-defense\">Key Matchup: Patrick Mahomes vs. Vic Fangio\u2019s Defense<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#key-matchup-jalen-hurts-vs-steve-spagnuolos-blitzes\">Key Matchup: Jalen Hurts vs. Steve Spagnuolo\u2019s Blitzes<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#will-the-chiefs-keep-up-in-the-running-game\">Will the Chiefs Keep Up in the Running Game?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#a-tight-end-show-in-super-bowl-59\">A Tight End Show in Super Bowl 59?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#plot-to-follow-the-turnover-battle\">Plot to Follow: The Turnover Battle<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#what-if-its-a-close-game\">What If It\u2019s a Close Game?<\/a><ul><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#a-special-teams-note\">A Special Teams Note<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#super-bowl-lix-prediction-time\">Super Bowl LIX Prediction Time<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"kansas-city-chiefs-vs-philadelphia-eagles-1-5-o-u-48-5\"><strong>Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles (+1.5, O\/U 48.5)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The No. 1 Kansas City Chiefs (17-2) will take on the No. 2 Philadelphia Eagles (17-3) this Sunday evening in New Orleans in the Caesars Superdome. Kansas City\u2019s starters have lost one game all season and the Eagles have lost one game since October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Chiefs have been fluctuating between a 1.5-point and 1-point favorite, making this one of the smallest spreads in Super Bowl history. As we looked at earlier this week, maybe the best predictor for playoff games with a small spread (0-2 points) is to <strong>pick the team who ranks lower<\/strong> in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-fraud-alert-rating-super-bowl-lix\">Fraud Alert Rating<\/a>, my metric that has the Chiefs ranked significantly lower (17th) this season than the Eagles, who were No. 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div data-widget-type=\"predictions\" data-entity-type=\"game\" data-widget-id=\"0.cb74nsp6rnv\" data-lang=\"en-US\" data-entity-id=\"4363931\" data-publisher-id=\"125\" data-show-odds=\"true\" data-odds-type=\"american\" data-hide-powered-by=\"true\"><\/div>\n<script src=\"https:\/\/widgets.365scores.com\/main.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"chiefs-vs-eagles-the-past-matchups\"><strong>Chiefs vs. Eagles: The Past Matchups<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Another reason this is such a historic Super Bowl is because the Chiefs and Eagles are meeting for the fourth season in a row, something no other pair of AFC and NFC teams have done since the 1970 merger. Non-conference foes usually play each other once every four years, but these teams have some actual history against one another with the same head coaches and starting quarterbacks in each game:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>2021, Week 4: Chiefs 42, Eagles 30<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>2022, Super Bowl LVII: Chiefs 38, Eagles 35<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>2023, Week 11: Eagles 21, Chiefs 17<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If those scores were a pattern, then it suggests the Eagles are winning Sunday by double digits. But all of these games were within one score in the fourth quarter, even including the first matchup. The Eagles made it 28-23 before <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/patrick-mahomes-63626\">Patrick Mahomes<\/a> threw another touchdown to Tyreek Hill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then in the Super Bowl two years ago without Hill, the Eagles (with the addition of A.J. Brown) blew a 24-14 lead as the Chiefs stormed back in the second half. Philadelphia finished with 35 points, the most ever by a losing team in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the teams met last season in November on a Monday night, it was unique that both teams had a bye week (like the Super Bowl schedule) before the game. Mahomes is 14-2 in games played after a bye, but he has lost a Super Bowl (2020 Buccaneers) and the Chiefs lost that game to Philadelphia after blowing a fourth-quarter lead. Travis Kelce fumbled in the red zone, then Marquez Valdes-Scantling had this horrific drop of a go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes before the Eagles won 21-17.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">MVS = Eagles MVP <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/49CCYpLcjy\">pic.twitter.com\/49CCYpLcjy<\/a><\/p>&mdash; \u26be\ufe0f Shoeless Dro Jackson ? (@SavageNtheBox) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SavageNtheBox\/status\/1726819536538632492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 21, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Neither quarterback brought their best stuff that night, but it was rainy and sloppy. You should expect sharper offense in the dome this Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"injury-watch\"><strong>Injury Watch<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As far as Super Bowls go, this should be one of the healthiest matchups in history. Patrick Mahomes (ankle) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/jalen-hurts-93277\">Jalen Hurts<\/a> (knee) showed on Championship Sunday that their late-season leg injuries are no big deal as both looked mobile in those victories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Chiefs come in with plenty of rest in recent weeks after most starters went 24 days between Christmas and the postseason, and now they\u2019ve had the extra week to get ready for this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Eagles are expected to get edge rusher Brandon Graham back after he suffered a triceps injury in Week 12. The 36-year-old hero from Super Bowl LII has announced this is the last game of his NFL career. He\u2019s not the same threat he used to be, but his veteran leadership could be a boost to his teammates who\u2019d like to see him go out on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eagles\u2019 star defensive tackle <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/jalen-carter-123548\">Jalen Carter<\/a> has an illness as reported Wednesday, but he should be fine by Sunday. The Eagles also had some injury concerns along the offensive line with guard Landon Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens, two Pro Bowlers, but both are expected to be good to go in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-matchup-patrick-mahomes-vs-vic-fangios-defense\"><strong>Key Matchup: Patrick Mahomes vs. Vic Fangio\u2019s Defense<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>How do you beat a quarterback who wins over 80% of his games like Patrick Mahomes? He is 106-26 (.803) as a starter, he\u2019s 16-0 indoors, he\u2019s 17-3 in the playoffs, and he\u2019s 3-1 in the Super Bowl even though he trailed by double digits in each of those games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One person who hasn\u2019t figured it out yet is Vic Fangio, the Philadelphia defensive coordinator who has immediately improved this unit into a top-ranked defense that allowed the fewest yards, first downs, and second-fewest points, and is No. 1 in pass defense this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"731\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/GettyImages-1193932350-2-731x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) drops back to pass in the first quarter of an NFL Divisional round playoff game between the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs on January 12, 12020 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. \" class=\"wp-post-8466 wp-image-7187\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Scott Winters\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Bu Fangio is 0-8 against Mahomes with most of those losses accumulated in 2019-21 when he was the coach of the Broncos. He didn\u2019t have an offense then, he does now, and he did a respectable job at keeping the score down against Mahomes (usually). He also was swept by him last year with Miami, though the first game was a dud played in Germany and the second was one of the coldest games in playoff history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is Fangio\u2019s best chance yet to get a win over Mahomes and win his first Super Bowl. He was shredded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/boxscores\/201302030sfo.htm\">by Joe Flacco<\/a> and the 2012 Ravens in his only other appearance as defensive coordinator of the 49ers over a decade ago. Fangio was also a consultant for the 2022 Eagles, who lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>But if you want the secret sauce to beating Mahomes, it has to involve making him hold the ball longer than he wants to. Minimize your blitzes, mix up your coverages, and make him move around instead of getting rid of the ball quickly. The numbers for average time to throw from NFL Pro (Next Gen Stats) do not lie on this.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In 26 losses, Mahomes\u2019 average time to throw is 3.09 seconds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In 106 wins, Mahomes\u2019 average time to throw is 2.82 seconds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mahomes held the ball for at least 2.80 seconds in 24 of his 26 career losses, for at least 2.90 seconds in 20 losses, and for over 3.0 seconds in 15 of his losses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mahomes is 25-2 when teams blitz him 12 or more times (source: Pro Football Reference).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The turning point for this was the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Everyone knows the 2020 Buccaneers stymied the Chiefs\u2019 big-play offense in the Super Bowl by playing two-high safety shells and rarely blitzing. Mahomes, behind a broken offensive line, ran around for nearly 500 yards behind the line of scrimmage that night (average time to throw was 3.47 seconds) before not scoring a single touchdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But did you know the Raiders produced a similar result earlier that season in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/boxscores\/202010110kan.htm\">40-32 win<\/a>? Mahomes\u2019 average time to throw in that game was a career-high 3.71 seconds. The Raiders pressured him 21 times despite three blitz calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then in the 2021 AFC Championship Game, the Bengals confused Mahomes with three-man rushes to force him into the worst half of his career in the team\u2019s last playoff defeat. After that game, the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill and have transitioned into a far more methodical approach with short passes replacing a lot of the big plays down the field, so this is an offense that Fangio didn\u2019t see much of when he coached at Denver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s clearly worked for the Chiefs given they are one win away from a three-peat. But it\u2019s also more true than ever that you need him to hold the ball longer to beat him. The receivers are not as young or speedy these days, so when the Chiefs play backyard football with Mahomes scrambling around, it\u2019s harder for them to produce big plays that way. You take your chances with getting a coverage sack or forcing a turnover if he\u2019s holding it longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 10 of Mahomes\u2019 last 12 losses going back to the 2021 Bengals, he held the ball for over 3.0 seconds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>He held it for 3.28 seconds in an opening-night loss to the 2023 Lions in a game without Kelce available and the Chiefs were still trying to make Kadarius Toney work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He held it for 3.43 seconds in Denver in 2023 when he had the flu and the Chiefs lost 24-9, a rare division loss.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He held it for 3.40 seconds on Christmas Day 2023 in the 20-14 loss against the Raiders where he had two turnovers returned for touchdowns, the team\u2019s last home loss.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He held it for a season-high 3.35 seconds in Buffalo this year, his only loss.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You have to throw off his timing and frustrate him because if he\u2019s playing in rhythm, your chances are minuscule at best:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mahomes is just 19-15 (.559) when his average time to throw is above 3.0 seconds.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mahomes is 87-11 (.888) when his average time to throw is under 3.0 seconds.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mahomes is 45-2 (.957) when his average time to throw is under 2.8 seconds.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>That 45-2 is pretty daunting, and to me, this is the game. Can Fangio get that number over 3.0 seconds for the Eagles? Based on the trends, it doesn\u2019t look optimistic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Mahomes has been under 2.85 seconds in 6-of-8 career meetings against Fangio defenses, and he still shredded him for 610 yards and 4 touchdowns over the two games he was above 3.0 seconds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quarterbacks are getting the ball out in 2.59 seconds against the Eagles (playoffs included), the sixth-fastest time in 2024.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Eagles have only forced two quarterbacks to get the ball out in over 3.0 seconds: Lamar Jackson (3.30 seconds) and Bryce Young (3.19 seconds).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers) got the ball out in a season-low 2.22 seconds against the Eagles, and it was their worst game of the year as he shredded them for 347 yards in a 33-16 rout that was over early.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The kicker: Mahomes has had four of his five fastest release times in the last month of the season: 2.50 seconds against Houston, 2.34 seconds against Pittsburgh, 2.62 seconds against Houston (playoffs), and 2.59 seconds against Buffalo (playoffs).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CoachspeakIndex\/status\/1883978850432102612\">Liam \u201cDUUUUUUUVAAAAL\u201d Coen<\/a> can cook up a quick passing game with Baker to shred Fangio\u2019s Eagles, then we should trust Andy Reid and Mahomes to figure out something decent here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember, the Chiefs are on their fourth left tackle this season, and incredibly, they will start a fifth different left tackle in their fifth Super Bowl in the Mahomes era. It\u2019s guard Joe Thuney, who is doing a solid job, but he\u2019s also getting help from Mahomes making an effort to get the ball out faster the last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The vaunted 2022 Eagles had 70 sacks and were noted for their pass rush. This year\u2019s group is more notable for its coverage holding up as the pass rush is led by 8.0 sacks from Josh Sweat, and Jalen Carter from the inside leads the team with 23 pressures. It\u2019s not the same caliber of pass rush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if there is one matchup that could derail the three-peat for the Chiefs here, it would be the Eagles wising up and putting Carter on left guard Mike Caliendo, who is struggling to fill in for Thuney sliding over from guard to tackle. Why keep putting Carter on a very good guard like Trey Smith on the right side when you can attack their weakness in Caliendo?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We talk about teams busting out new schemes and strategies for the Super Bowl, and this would be an excellent move by Fangio to play Carter on the opposite guard. Does that force Reid to move Thuney back to guard and get veteran D.J. Humphries into the game at left tackle?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reshuffling the offensive line in a Super Bowl should trigger PTSD in Chiefs fans after Super Bowl LV, but it is a major story to watch here. However, if things go the way they have for the season for Philly and the for the last month for the Chiefs, then they should be able to survive with Thuney at left tackle and just try moving the pocket for Mahomes to stay away from Carter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This one is probably not going to be a 38-35 game, but that might depend on which version of Jalen Hurts shows up in the other key matchup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-matchup-jalen-hurts-vs-steve-spagnuolos-blitzes\"><strong>Key Matchup: Jalen Hurts vs. Steve Spagnuolo\u2019s Blitzes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With so much talk about Patrick Mahomes and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/a.-football\/player\/saquon-barkley-63744\">Saquon Barkley<\/a> this week, let\u2019s not forget about Jalen Hurts, the other quarterback in this matchup who had a big game (374 total yards and 4 total touchdowns) in Super Bowl 57. But it\u2019s the poorly designed run where he lost a fumble for a touchdown in the second quarter that marred his night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Anyways, here\u2019s Nick Bolton\u2019s fumble six in the Super Bowl<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PibKceAVHm\">pic.twitter.com\/PibKceAVHm<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/giTCyBM3mB\">https:\/\/t.co\/giTCyBM3mB<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Keaton (@kjonesy1587) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kjonesy1587\/status\/1659263669761343488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 18, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Two years later, Hurts gets his shot at redemption against Steve Spagnuolo\u2019s defense. Here are some interesting stats for Hurts worth knowing for this matchup:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Eagles are 9-0 when Hurts passes for 200 yards this season.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hurts\u2019 most passing yards in a regular season game: 387 yards vs. 2021 Chiefs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hurts\u2019 most passing yards in a playoff game: 304 yards vs. 2022 Chiefs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Super Bowl LIX is in New Orleans where Hurts played in Week 3 \u2013 he threw for a season-high 311 yards in the Superdome.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the 2023 meeting with the Chiefs, Hurts had the second-highest pressure rate (39.3%) of his career for a full game (source: Pro Football Reference).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jalen Hurts is 0-3 in the playoffs when he\u2019s blitzed at least 15 times and 5-0 when he\u2019s blitzed fewer than 15 times (source: Pro Football Reference).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hurts has taken 21 sacks against the blitz, the third most this year (source: NFL Pro).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hurts holds the ball for an average of 2.86 seconds when blitzed, the fifth-longest time (source: NFL Pro).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hurts also has the highest CPOE (+8.3%) and is No. 6 in EPA\/dropback (+0.22) when blitzed this season (source: NFL Pro).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hurts is ranked No. 21 in EPA\/dropback (-0.44) when under pressure this season (source: NFL Pro).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chiefs corner Trent McDuffie has played in 52 games, and he has 3 games with more than 4 blitzes: 2023 Jaguars (8), 2023 Eagles (8), and 2022 Eagles (7).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>McDuffie had 2.0 sacks against Hurts in 2023 and is credited with a forced fumble in Super Bowl 57.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>That last part about Hurts\u2019 overall success against the blitz but possibly some struggles with blitzes from defensive backs could be huge in this matchup as Spagnuolo isn\u2019t afraid to send his best corner (McDuffie) in the big moments like on 4th-and-5 against Buffalo in the AFC Championship Game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Expect Spags to dial up more DB blitzes against the Eagles! ??<br><br>Here\u2019s how Jalen Hurts has fared the last 3 times the Chiefs sent defensive backs on the blitz: \u2b07\ufe0f Credit: NFL Live <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2l4X8Hkdwq\">pic.twitter.com\/2l4X8Hkdwq<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Daily Chiefs Stats (@DailyChiefsStat) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DailyChiefsStat\/status\/1887178659800158319?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 5, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We have already seen McDuffie blitz on the biggest defensive snap in regulation in last year\u2019s Super Bowl against the 49ers. This forced the 49ers to go for a field goal with almost a full 2:00 left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">3rd &amp; 4 for the Super Bowl (or very close to it) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RJM1k7ZbBg\">pic.twitter.com\/RJM1k7ZbBg<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/benbbaldwin\/status\/1757050362828030440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 12, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This could be the chess match of the game as the Eagles have to decide if they want to lean on Barkley, but I think they may have a better shot if they let Hurts throw the ball more on early downs and take advantage of Kansas City\u2019s blitzing and man coverage with their superior talent at wide receiver and tight end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Including the playoffs, the Eagles have called a pass on 44.7% of their 1st and 2nd down plays this season, the lowest rate in the NFL (source: NFL Pro). If Spags sells out to stop the run, they may need to call more passes and play-action passes to keep them honest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/GettyImages-1458572774-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\" Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against the New York Giants during the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field on January 21, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. \" class=\"wp-post-8466 wp-image-7531\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Mitchell Leff\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hurts\u2019 passing yardage prop is set to 211.5 yards, but it feels like that needs to go over if the Eagles are going to win this game. But one thing we know about Hurts is that he\u2019s unlikely to fail on the Tush Push the way the Chiefs stopped Josh Allen and Buffalo three times in the AFC Championship Game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the Eagles need to trust his arm and his legs in the open field (scrambles) more in this game. Hurts will attempt to join Len Dawson, Bob Griese, and John Elway as the only quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl after losing their first attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Only Hurts gets to do it against the same team that beat him last time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"will-the-chiefs-keep-up-in-the-running-game\"><strong>Will the Chiefs Keep Up in the Running Game?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We touched on this earlier this week in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/will-saquon-barkley-win-super-bowl-mvp\">the Saquon Barkley piece<\/a>, but it\u2019s worth restating that <strong>the Chiefs have outrushed the Eagles in three straight meetings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Granted, Barkley is a better runner than Miles Sanders and D\u2019Andre Swift, but his playoff production has become very reliant on 60-yard touchdown runs, and how many of those can one player possibly break off in one season? He&#8217;s already done it seven times this year, three more than any other player in a season in NFL history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Chiefs have an above-average run defense that was more elite earlier this season. There is no denying the numbers have slipped down the stretch here. In fact, it\u2019s one of the few trends in this matchup that strongly favor the Eagles\u2019 rushing offense:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In Week 1, the Chiefs held new Baltimore running back Derrick Henry to 46 yards while quarterback Lamar Jackson ran aggressively 16 times for 122 yards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After that game, the Chiefs did not allow a single running back to reach 60 rushing yards until Sincere McCormick (that\u2019s a real player for the Raiders) had 64 yards in Week 13.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No biggie, but two weeks later, Cleveland\u2019s Jerome Ford broke off a 62-yard touchdown run and finished with 84 yards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two weeks later in Pittsburgh, Najee Harris (74 yards) and Jaylen Warren (71 yards) combined for 145 rushing yards, but it was overlooked because the Chiefs only allowed 10 points.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the divisional round, Joe Mixon (Texans) rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown, the most yards the Chiefs have allowed to one back this season.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the AFC Championship Game, James Cook (Bills) had a 33-yard run (second-longest run allowed by Chiefs all year) on his way to 85 yards on 13 carries with people wondering why he didn\u2019t get more touches late.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>So, the Chiefs didn\u2019t allow a running back to hit 60 yards until Black Friday, and it\u2019s happened six times since. They didn\u2019t give up 85 yards rushing to a running back until the playoffs when Mixon and Cook have both done so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not that alarming when you\u2019re not allowing many points like the Chiefs, but it is fair to say this hasn\u2019t been trending in the right direction with a tough matchup against Barkley up next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the Chiefs have yet to allow a 90-yard rusher in 18 playoff games under Spagnuolo. Leonard Fournette came the closest with 89 yards in Super Bowl 55. Also, if any team is prepared to withstand a homerun (or two) from Barkley while mostly containing him on his other runs and still winning the game, it\u2019s these Chiefs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Since 2018, the Chiefs are 46-23 (.667) when getting outrushed by their opponent \u2013 no other team has own more than 44.9% of such games.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Since 2018, the Chiefs are 24-14 (.632) when outrushed by 50+ yards \u2013 no other team has won more than 34.8% of such games.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Since 2018, the Chiefs are 6-6 (.500) when outrushed by 100+ yards \u2013 no other team has won more than 40% of such games (6-5 with Mahomes playing too).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The other reason not to be overly concerned with Barkley and the Eagles\u2019 running game is that the Chiefs should be able to get some decent production on the ground too between Kareem Hunt, Isiah Pacheco, potential gadget plays for Xavier Worthy\u2019s speed that we haven\u2019t seen all year, and of course Mahomes will have the green light to run with everything on the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/GettyImages-2195572200-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 26: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles stands on the field in the NFC Championship Game against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on January 26, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.\" class=\"wp-post-8466 wp-image-8487\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> (Photo by Kathryn Riley\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The Eagles defend the run with a lightbox (fewer than seven defenders) 69.6% of the time this season, 11 percentage points higher than any other defense, and it\u2019s closer to 76% in the playoffs. This is unusually high for the league, but Fangio-coached defenses have always been top-five at this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Chiefs may not have an elite running game, but if you give Reid and Mahomes an extra week to cook something up, it\u2019d be a surprise if the Chiefs didn\u2019t clear 110 team rushing yards in this game. They have the second-lowest stuffed rate against light boxes this year, and they rank in the top 10 or better in EPA\/rush and success rate on such plays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not a matchup of a dominant running offense and elite defense against a one-man show at quarterback. The Chiefs can run the ball enough and play impressive defense too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-tight-end-show-in-super-bowl-59\"><strong>A Tight End Show in Super Bowl 59?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No tight end has ever been named Super Bowl MVP. That comes as a surprise if only because of how many of these games Travis Kelce and Rob Gronkowski, the best to ever do it, have on their resumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, it\u2019s hard to upstage Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady at quarterback. Those guys will usually get the nod for these awards, but Super Bowl 59 could be a matchup where the tight ends shine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Chiefs allowed the most receiving yards to tight ends this regular season, but they weren\u2019t tested enough in that regard by the Texans and Bills in the playoffs. Dalton Schultz had a decent game, but Dalton Kincaid failed to come up with the crucial 4th-and-5 catch at the end of the AFC Championship Game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Eagles need to get Dallas Goedert involved, and he\u2019s been very good for the last month. He had 85 yards in the NFC Championship Game against Washington. He had 60 yards in Super Bowl 57 against the Chiefs two years ago. He missed the 2023 matchup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coincidentally, Goedert had his best-receiving game in his career in New Orleans this year when he had 10 catches for 170 yards (both career highs). Maybe he can light it up again in the dome against the Chiefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for Kelce, it\u2019s been a wild season for the 35-year-old legend. There are weeks where he looks as good as ever like in the divisional round when he had 117 yards and a touchdown against the Texans, including the longest catch of his decorated playoff career (49 yards) that was largely YAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But then Kelce\u2019s had four games where he didn\u2019t break 20 yards, including both Buffalo games. He had two grabs for 19 yards last time out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In eight games against a Vic Fangio defense, Kelce did have games against Denver with 142 and 136 yards. But he also didn\u2019t break 35 yards in the other three matchups in 2020-21. He faced Fangio\u2019s Miami defense twice last year, and he had 14 yards in Germany and 71 in the freezing-cold playoff game when the Dolphins were injured and tried to blitz Mahomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kelce has been up and down against the Eagles the last three years. They held him to 23 yards in the 2021 meeting. He had 81 yards and an early touchdown in Super Bowl 57, but he didn\u2019t do much damage after the opening quarter. In last year\u2019s game, he had 44 yards and a touchdown, but he lost a crucial fumble in the red zone on a rainy night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A reason people have high hopes for a big Kelce night Sunday is because Washington\u2019s Zach Ertz caught 11-of-16 targets for 104 yards in Philadelphia last time out. They seemed to be giving him those plays all day long and just waiting for the Commanders to fumble the ball back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another thought is linebacker Oren Burks tried to step up for the 49ers last Super Bowl when Dre Greenlaw tore his Achilles in the second quarter. The Chiefs picked on him for 7-of-7 passing for 46 yards. Now he\u2019s trying to step up for the Eagles, who lost a leading tackler in Nakobe Dean for the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since taking over in Week 17, Burks has allowed 23 catches on 25 targets for 140 yards. If he doesn\u2019t give up any big plays, the Eagles can live with that. But it will be interesting to see if the Chiefs pick on him again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, the bye week should help those 35-year-old legs for Kelce. He\u2019s attempting to become the oldest leading receiver on a Super Bowl-winning team in NFL history. That role was supposed to switch to Rashee Rice this year, but obviously a torn ACL in Week 4 changed that plan. Kelce led the team again with 97 catches for 823 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It does not sound like this will be his final game either regardless of what happens. But yes, the possibility of him proposing to Taylor Swift from the podium if the Chiefs win can\u2019t be discredited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"plot-to-follow-the-turnover-battle\"><strong>Plot to Follow: The Turnover Battle<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Turnovers have been a bigger story than usual this season and into the postseason. The Chiefs are the only team to win a playoff game this year after losing the turnover battle, going minus-1 against Buffalo. They made up for it by stopping the Bills on fourth down multiple times, which doesn\u2019t count as a turnover (interception or fumble).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Chiefs also survived that game despite Buffalo recovering all five fumbles in the game. Kansas City\u2019s lost fumble on a zone-read handoff between Mahomes and Isiah Pacheco was the Chiefs\u2019 first turnover since Week 11, snapping their 8-game streak without a turnover, which is the all-time NFL record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s some real history on the line here with turnovers that can go multiple ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We could see the 2024 Chiefs play a sixth game this season where neither team turns the ball over. They already own the single-season record (playoffs included) for that with five games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mahomes has won his last nine starts in games where the Chiefs failed to force a turnover on defense. That\u2019s not verified as the NFL record, but it probably is and possibly by a wide margin. He\u2019s 7-0 this season if the Chiefs don\u2019t get a takeaway, and that is historic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Longest career winning streak in games without a takeaway <br><br>Mahomes &#8211; 9 (active)<br>Peyton &#8211; 5<br>Mahomes &#8211; 5 (his 2nd longest streak)<br>Brady &#8211; 4<br>Brees &#8211; 4<br>Burrow &#8211; 4<br>Lamar &#8211; 3<br>Allen &#8211; 3<br>Rodgers &#8211; 2 (multiple times) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LR4TWIVftu\">https:\/\/t.co\/LR4TWIVftu<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottKacsmar\/status\/1885450173976850498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 31, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Since 2018, the Chiefs are the only team in the NFL with a winning record (25-19, 56.8%) when they lose the turnover battle<\/strong>. They win 70.1% of the time (61-26) when it\u2019s neutral or negative, the only team with a winning record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Since 2018, the Chiefs (46-3, 93.9%) and Eagles (44-4, 91.7%) have the best records in the NFL when they win the turnover battle<\/strong>. That includes an active 37-game winning streak for the Chiefs going back to 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can the Eagles avoid turning the ball over? Hurts\u2019 fumble was the only giveaway in Super Bowl 57 and that was a big one since it was returned for a touchdown, the only return touchdown the Chiefs have in 20 playoff games in the Mahomes era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2024 Eagles are +10 in turnover differential in the postseason, an absurd mark when you consider they have 10 takeaways, no giveaways, and they are +6 in fumble recoveries as they are very good at punching the ball out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Most takeaways without a giveaway in NFL playoff history<br><br>1. 2024 Eagles +10 (3 games)<br>2. 1943 Bears +6 (1 game)<br>2. 1968 Raiders +6 (2 games)<br>2. 2013 Chargers +6 (2 games)<\/p>&mdash; Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottKacsmar\/status\/1886332514752491736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 3, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Meanwhile, the Chiefs have not forced a turnover in three straight games, and they have never had a 4-game streak in franchise history<\/strong>. The Eagles have not turned it over in five straight games. One more turnover-free game for Philly would tie them for the third-longest streak in NFL history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is something going to give here? Out of 118 teams to reach the Super Bowl, only the 2013 Broncos finished the entire postseason without a takeaway, and they were smashed 43-8 by the Seahawks in Super Bowl 48.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Finally, all 58 Super Bowl winners have finished with at least 3 takeaways in the postseason<\/strong>. So, either the Eagles are about to have a nightmare night of turnover regression hitting their offense, or the Chiefs are going to have to make history and win this game without winning the turnover battle again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-if-its-a-close-game\"><strong>What If It\u2019s a Close Game?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nineteen of the last 21 Super Bowls have been within one score in the fourth quarter, so it\u2019s been a very safe bet that we\u2019ll get a close finish regardless of how the game starts. In fact, the Chiefs have trailed by double digits in all four of their Super Bowls and still came back to win three of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If it\u2019s a close game, you have to give the Chiefs the edge, but let\u2019s not act like the Eagles can\u2019t close it out too:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The 2024 Chiefs are 13-0 in close games and one of two teams to not blow a fourth-quarter lead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The 2024 Eagles are 9-2 in close games with blown leads against the Falcons and Commanders in games where Barkley and Smith dropped passes late that could have iced it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Chiefs are 8-0 at game-winning drive opportunities this season, and a ninth would be the new single-season record for game-winning drives.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Eagles are 4-2 at game-winning drive opportunities this season.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Chiefs have won 17 straight games decided by one score, four more than the previous NFL record.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Fittingly, Mahomes (25-19) and Hurts (10-10) are the only active quarterbacks with a .500 or better record at fourth-quarter comeback opportunities. They also have the best records at game-winning drive opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are the only active starters with a winning record at 4QC\/GWD opportunities. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bN917lAeZ5\">pic.twitter.com\/bN917lAeZ5<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottKacsmar\/status\/1886906830955135135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 4, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>People love pointing to all the close calls the Chiefs have had this season, but the Eagles have done it too, and not always against good competition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Browns (with Deshaun Watson) were tied in the fourth quarter in Philadelphia and were 3 yards away from a game-tying touchdown in the final minutes of a 20-16 loss.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Eagles were up 22-0 on Jacksonville and up 28-16 with half a quarter left, and Trevor Lawrence was still 13 yards away from a go-ahead touchdown before throwing a terrible interception on first down with 1:38 left in a 28-23 loss.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Carolina\u2019s Bryce Young threw a perfect 32-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Legette in the final minute, but the rookie (who\u2019s gained fame for eating raccoons) dropped the ball in a 22-16 loss.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the divisional round of the playoffs, the Eagles took a 28-15 lead with 4:36 left after a long Barkley touchdown, but the Rams were still 13 yards away from the end zone with a chance to win in the final minute before Matthew Stafford took a bad sack and the Rams turned it over on downs in a 28-22 loss.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Those were all home games too. Then of course we noted the dropped passes by Barkley and DeVonta Smith in losses, but don\u2019t forget the defense quickly gave up game-winning touchdown drives in the final minute to Kirk Cousins and Jayden Daniels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you give Mahomes that chance with a three-peat on the line or face him 13 yards away from the end zone in the closing seconds, he\u2019s likely going to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-special-teams-note\"><strong>A Special Teams Note<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Special teams tend to get overlooked in a game like this, but the Chiefs should have an edge there, and they got some big plays from special teams in their last two Super Bowl wins if you recall Kadarius Toney\u2019s big return against Philly and the botched punt return by the 49ers and blocked extra point by Leo Chenal (he\u2019s skilled at that).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harrison Butker and Jake Elliott have both been very reliable kickers for their teams, but you can argue they\u2019ve both seen better days than how they\u2019ve played in 2024. Butker missed some time with injury, and Elliott is 1-for-8 on field goals of 50-plus yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If it comes down to a kick, you trust Butker more than Elliott right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"super-bowl-lix-prediction-time\"><strong>Super Bowl LIX Prediction Time<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It is usually easy for me to create doubt in the Chiefs in matchups like this. The Eagles have the more explosive, balanced offense, a better offensive line, better skill players, better coordinators than they had two years ago, the field should be better quality, and their defense is better at creating turnovers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Throw in it being Saquon\u2019s birthday and the Kansas City run defense trending in the wrong direction. Throw in the potential for a referee screw-up \u2013 Ron Torbert is the lead official \u2013 to appease the silly conspiracy crowd that thinks it\u2019s rigged for the Chiefs, and yeah, that should be enough doubt. No team\u2019s ever three-peated for good reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet I still feel oddly confident that the Chiefs are going to do it and win this game. They have almost 20 players who will have played in all three Super Bowls and can say they are the only team to three-peat. Linebacker Ken Norton Jr. is the only NFL player with a Super Bowl three-peat, and he had to leave the Cowboys for the 49ers in 1994 to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To come this far for history, why not finish the job? It won\u2019t be easy, but it never is with this team. They would be advised to not fall behind by double digits again, but one thing about the 2024 Chiefs, their starters have never trailed by more than 11 points this season, the only team that can say that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hopefully, it\u2019s a close game and we get a better ending than two years ago. But I think the Chiefs pull it off by one score, and we\u2019ll be back Friday with our best bets and parlays for this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related Articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/three-peat-chiefs-best-nfl-dynasty\">A Three-Peat in Super Bowl 59 Would Make the Kansas City Chiefs the NFL\u2019s Best Dynasty<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/will-saquon-barkley-win-super-bowl-mvp\">Will Saquon Barkley End the 26-Year Super Bowl MVP Drought for Running Backs?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/nfl-fraud-alert-rating-super-bowl-lix\">NFL Fraud Alert Rating Explained and Why It Favors the Chiefs Over Eagles in Super Bowl 59<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/super-bowl-2025-preparation-guide\">The Ultimate Guide to Super Bowl LIX (2025): Everything You Need to Know<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/chiefs-nfl-referees-conspiracy\">The Kansas City Chiefs Are Good, the NFL Referees Are Bad, And That\u2019s Why the Discourse Is Ugly in 2025<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/philadelphia-eagles-2024-nfl-season-preview\">Philadelphia Eagles 2024 NFL Season Preview and Picks<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/kansas-city-chiefs-2024-nfl-season-preview\">Kansas City Chiefs 2024 NFL Season Preview and Picks<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/mahomes-brady-loat-part-5\">Patrick Mahomes May Be Lucky But Tom Brady Is Still the LOAT (Luckiest of All Time): Part 5 \u2013 Playoff Officiating<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/mahomes-brady-loat-part-4\">Patrick Mahomes May Be Lucky But Tom Brady Is Still the LOAT (Luckiest of All Time): Part 4 \u2013 Through Sickness and Health<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/mahomes-brady-loat-part-3\">Patrick Mahomes May Be Lucky But Tom Brady Is Still the LOAT (Luckiest of All Time): Part 3 \u2013 Division Rivals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/mahomes-brady-loat-part-2\">Patrick Mahomes May Be Lucky But Tom Brady Is Still the LOAT (Luckiest of All Time): Part 2 \u2013 Defense Holding Leads<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/mahomes-brady-loat-part-1\">Patrick Mahomes May Be Lucky But Tom Brady Is Still the LOAT (Luckiest of All Time): Part 1 \u2013 Clutch Kicking<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/will-chiefs-eagles-be-the-nfls-rare-super-bowl-rematch-in-february\">Will Chiefs-Eagles Be the NFL\u2019s Rare Super Bowl Rematch in February?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The NFL has a historic Super Bowl rematch in New Orleans this Sunday between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs can elevate their dynasty status with the first Super Bowl three-peat, and the Eagles can win their second championship in the last decade by denying another dynasty on the biggest stage at &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":8488,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_cloudinary_featured_overwrite":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[446,439,410,1654,417,3128,1545,47,444,2316,414,48,1842,445,1975],"class_list":["post-8466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-andy-reid","tag-chiefs","tag-eagles","tag-jalen-carter","tag-jalen-hurts","tag-joe-thuney","tag-kansas-city","tag-nfl","tag-patrick-mahomes","tag-philadelphia","tag-saquon-barkley","tag-super-bowl","tag-super-bowl-lix","tag-travis-kelce","tag-vic-fangio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8466"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8466\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wordpress.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}