The 2024 NFL Postseason culminates on Sunday, February 9 when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans for the Super Bowl. This game marks the highly-anticipated rematch of the 2022 Super Bowl, in which the Chiefs defeated the Eagles 38-35. Now, with similar rosters, the Eagles can get their revenge.
The Eagles enter this game having scored 105 points over their three playoff games, including 55 against the Washington Commanders in the Conference Championship. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has been far from perfect but has played clean football with no interceptions, along with three passing and four rushing touchdowns. The Eagles have succeeded largely because of their run game. Led by running back Saquon Barkley and a dominant offensive line, Philadelphia has averaged 228 yards on the ground this postseason. A reliable defense, limiting all three postseason opponents to 23 points or fewer, has allowed coach Nick Sirianni to maintain a run-first offense.
Despite facing senseless hate from nearly every non-Kansas City NFL fan, the Chiefs continue to succeed in close games. In fact, nine of their last eleven playoff wins have been by a margin of seven or fewer points. The Chiefs win these games not because they are lucky or favored by officials, but because they are simply better coached than anyone else, and they play smart football, with the fourth fewest turnovers and penalties committed this season. With the best quarterback in the league, Patrick Mahomes, and an incredibly savvy offensive mind in coach Andy Reid, every team has trouble defeating them. Even though Mahomes has only thrown for a touchdown per game this postseason, and the Chiefs have averaged less than half the rushing yards per game that the Eagles are, they routinely come out victorious in the fourth quarter.
Prediction: 27-23 Chiefs
Once again, the Chiefs have a propensity to win close games for a reason, and there’s no reason for that to change. Even though the Chiefs may not be as statistically talented a team as the Eagles, there is simply no team that plays as consistently and smartly as they do. Without a doubt, the Eagles have more than enough skill to win this game, but they, like every team, simply are not as good as Kansas City late in games.
This Super Bowl has the potential to be one of the greats, with two of the best offenses (and defenses) the NFL has seen in recent years. Even though many people have made the personal choice to root against these two teams for no particular reason other than the fact that they win games, this game will come down to the fourth quarter, and it will be up to Sirianni and the Eagles to take down Mahomes and Reid on their quest for the three-peat.
