Tyler Pruneau
For the third consecutive year, the Kansas City Chiefs reclaim the AFC conference and return to the Super Bowl to clash with the Philadelphia Eagles. The team has a chance to make history by becoming the first NFL franchise to three-peat. Anything getting in the way of this hope is now unlikely.
Despite ending the regular season 15-2, the Chiefs struggled to look like their dominating selves. Many would say luck played a role in achieving the No. 1 seed this year. Several implications led to finding victories tougher. Like the 2023-2024 campaign, the Chiefs were limited with weapons offensively. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown suffered a sternoclavicular joint dislocation in their first preseason game. Rashee Rice tore his LCL in week four, and Isaiah Pacheco endured a fractured fibula in week two. To top things off, the left tackle position struggled to give Patrick Mahomes time. Needless to say, it was not a picture-perfect season.
Regardless of their challenges, getting a playoff berth is all that mattered and that’s precisely what happened. Once the Chiefs entered the road to glory, it did not matter what happened during the regular season. From the preseason to the conference championship, the team looks completely different. Kareem Hunt made a return and impacted the backfield on day one, DeAndre Hopkins joined before the trade deadline and Brown came back from the IR. Not to mention, the offensive line was reworked. Defensively, Charles Omenihu fully recovered from a torn ACL and in the secondary, cornerback Jaylen Watson got back into the starting lineup from the injury reserve. In addition, come playoff time, Mahomes performs on another level. According to Statmuse, the star quarterback has thrown 43 touchdowns and eight interceptions. In the 2024 season alone, the Texas-native had 11 turnovers.
To beat the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs needed to limit Josh Allen’s run game. The No. 10 ranked defense, per the NFL, held him to 11 carries for 39 yards. Coming into New Orleans, running will play a role in who wins the Super Bowl. One player to watch out for is Saquon Barkley. The rushing leader is a walking touchdown every time he steps onto the field. The former New York Giant found the endzone three times for 118 yards in yesterday’s NFC Championship matchup. Despite the Eagles’ success, the team lands at No. 15 in the rushing rankings, according to the NFL,. If slowing down Barkley can happen, then the Chiefs have the best chance of becoming Super Bowl champs once again.
Jake Loomis
Alika Jenner/NFL
The Philadelphia Eagles are a wagon just coming off a massive win versus the Washington Commanders, putting up 55 points and holding the red-hot Commander offense to 21 points. The offense was exceptional, and with the combo of Saquan Barkley on the ground with his offensive line, Philadelphia cannot be stopped. Additionally, quarterback Jalen Hurts has been amazing, throwing to top targets AJ Brown and Devonta Smith. The team has been stout defensively, and they will likely continue to do that in the Super Bowl as they will be facing the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs, who hope to pull off a historic three-peat. The Eagles will face an elusive quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, so the defense will win or lose this game since “Defense wins championships.” At the end of the day, the officials will play a key factor in the game, though if the Eagles limit their penalty, they can beat the Chiefs. America will be rooting for the Eagles as the Chiefs have been essentially the Patriots dynasty but better over the last couple of years. If the Eagles can get out to an early lead, it would be huge, forcing Kansas City to be perfect. The Chiefs thrive when they are ahead in games and work teams down by taking up the clock to wear defenses out. Keeping your offense on the field and their defense on the bench will be critical if the Eagles want to de-throne the champs. Since this is the most likely scenario, the Lombardi Trophy will in all likelihood be heading back to “The City of Brotherly “Love.”