Are the Kansas City Chiefs going to win their third straight Super Bowl this year? Are the Eagles going to shock the world and take home the Lombardi Trophy, spoiling the idea that the fix for Super Bowl LIX is in?
There are a lot of people out there talking about how this matchup between the Chiefs and Eagles is the one many NFL fans didn't want to see because they are "sick" of seeing the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, but this will likely be the most-watched Super Bowl in our lifetimes. The intrigue of the Chiefs potentially doing something no other team in NFL history has accomplished is high. The potential of the Eagles spoiling that is something many fans of other teams want to see happen.
This is going to go down as one of the most significant Super Bowls in recent memory and the whole world is going to be watching.
So who's going to win?
NFL Picks for Super Bowl LIX: Chiefs vs. Eagles for all the marbles
Philadelphia Eagles (17-3) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (17-2)
Sunday, February 2, 6:30 PM ET (New Orleans, LA)
Let's just get this out of the way because people want to know: The Chiefs are favored to win this game by 1.5 points. The over-under for this game has been set at 48.5 points.
Perhaps the most underrated aspect of this game is the chess match between Andy Reid offensively for the Chiefs against Vic Fangio defensively for the Eagles. And on the flip side, Kellen Moore offensively for the Eagles and Steve Spagnuolo for the Chiefs.
Even if you give Vic Fangio as much respect as you possibly can and say the matchup is a wash between he and Andy Reid, you can't help but feel like Spagnuolo and his group have a tremendous advantage in this game over Moore and the Eagles. These guys have been here, done that for the most part. Moore has not been in a spot like this. The pressure is on.
Dating back to his time with the Denver Broncos as head coach, Vic Fangio has given Andy Reid's offenses fits. You can look at the box score and say that's not true, but for anyone who watched all of those games unfold, you know that Patrick Mahomes played some of his worst games from 2019-2021 against the Broncos. Fangio brought the two-high safety look back into prominence in today's NFL, and forced offenses around the league to adjust.
Incidentally, the Eagles are one of the league's best examples of the adjustments that needed to be made, having a 2,000-yard back in Saquon Barkley enter the MVP conversation this past season.
The Eagles have the playmakers offensively to beat the Chiefs in a matchup like this, but will they be able to limit self-inflicted errors? That seems to be the primary problem for every team that faces off against the Chiefs. They can't get out of their own way.
Super Bowl MVP predictions in Super Bowl LIX
I don't think there's any question about the order in which you would assume Super Bowl MVP for this game is going to be decided:
- Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
- Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles
- Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles
It would take a herculean effort by anybody else in this game to be awarded Super Bowl MVP. How about a true sleeper here and someone who could truly wreck this game? Defensive MVP Candidate Zack Baun is +9000 to win Super Bowl MVP and you never know when a defensive player is going to have a huge game and win the award...
Super Bowl LIX Game Prediction
Chiefs win 27-24
I do think this is going to end up being a close game, just like all of the others. And as a Broncos fan, I would rather see the Eagles win this game. But I'm not going to sit here and tell you my hopes are high for that. Until proven otherwise, I'm preparing myself mentally for the Chiefs winning a third-straight Super Bowl, establishing themselves as the greatest dynasty in the history of the league.
Sorry, Patriots. It's not about recency bias, either. The Chiefs have flat-out dominated this era of football in a way that is unlike any other. If they can win another Super Bowl and their 18th-straight one-score game, there will be no denying their place in NFL history as the gladiator among gladiators, the titan among titans.
And then the question will be, can they win a fourth straight?