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The Philadelphia Eagles are back where they have wanted to be for two years. They will soon have an opportunity to win the Super Bowl for the second time in team history. The Eagles beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII in one of the most memorable championship games in recent history, but they were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII by the narrowest of margins.
The Eagles held a 27-21 lead over the Chiefs at the end of the third quarter and the score was tied at 35-35 when quarterback Jalen Hurts scored on a 2-yard run with just over 5 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. However, the Eagles lost the game when Kansas City's Harrison Butker kicked the game-winning 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining.
The Eagles struggled in the last half of the 2023 season, and part of that may have had something to do with a Super Bowl hangover. However, the Eagles have gotten stronger as the current season has progressed, and now Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni's team has a chance for revenge against the Chiefs.
In addition to having many of the same top players on their side that they did in that loss at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the Eagles have the most dominant running back in the game in Saquon Barkley, and he is capable of scoring multiple touchdowns on an every-game basis. Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns during the regular season.
The Eagles come into the game after a dominant 55-23 victory over the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game, and they appear to be at the top of their game.
Eagles should be ready for a peak performance
There is no reason to believe the Eagles won't play their best game at the Superdome in New Orleans against the Chiefs. Kansas City was pushed to the limit by the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game before earning a 32-29 victory. Many of the Chiefs victories this season have been by one score.
Philadelphia should be able to keep this game close. However, the Chiefs have won the last two Super Bowls and Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are trying to make Kansas City the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row.
The Eagles will not stop them.
The Chiefs know how to come through with their best play in the fourth quarter of the most important games. Much of that is due to Mahomes, who is widely recognized as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL.
Mahomes has earned that recognition because he has already led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl titles in the seven years he has been Kansas City's starting quarterback. In his first five seasons in that role, Mahomes delivered spectacular yardage and touchdown numbers as the Chiefs were led by their explosive offense.
During the last two seasons, the Chiefs' offense has slowed down quite a bit, but their defense has stepped up under coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
Even though Mahomes has not delivered eye-opening numbers during the last two seasons, he continues to make big plays when the Chiefs need them.
He is perhaps the game's best clutch performer and he is hungry to deliver more victories and gain more Super Bowl titles. He knows that's how great quarterbacks are recognized and he is not about to let such an opportunity pass him by.
Mahomes, Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and George Karlaftis will deliver big-game performances
Mahomes may not throw for 300 yards in the Super Bowl, but when the Chiefs need him to make big plays on third-down, he will deliver.
Hunt may not be able to match Barkley's overall explosiveness, but he can take advantage of a small crack in the defense and hurt the Eagles. Kelce is clearly one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history and he has been a big-play performer throughout his career.
The offense should be able to hold its own for three quarters and make the key plays in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Kansas City pass rush will assert itself throughout.
Chris Jones and George Karlaftis are two of the best in the NFL, and Jones is capable of wrecking the pocket and making life miserable for Hurts. Karlaftis led the Chiefs with 8.0 sacks in the regular season and he also has 3.0 more sacks in Kansas City's two postseason games.
The Chiefs have the best head coach-quarterback combination in the NFL. Reid knows how to prepare his team perfectly to perform in the big game and he will advise Mahomes to call the correct plays when the game is on the line.
The Eagles will come close, but they can't match that. They will return to Philadelphia after the game thinking about what might have been while the Chiefs will return to Kansas City with the Vince Lombardi Trophy firmly in their grasp.
