Super Bowl LVII is ready to go as the Philidelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs have made their way to Arizona for the big game this Sunday, February 12. This Super Bowl proves to be an interesting one. From the first Super Bowl with two black quarterbacks to the Kelce brothers; this Super Bowl is rife with storylines.
Road to the Chip
The NFC and AFC champions had very different runs to this year’s big dance. One was filled with adversity that was overcome with determination and big plays. The other was made with ease and a handful of luck. That isn’t to downplay the Eagles’ play at all. Philidelphia had a fantastic season and beat the teams they had to beat to get to Super Bowl LVII. But the simple fact remains that the Eagles had it much easier than the Chiefs.
The Easy Way
The Eagles started their playoff run with a blowout victory over the New York Giants, 38-7. Quarterback Jalen Hurt suffered a shoulder injury, but the Eagles were prepared and designed an offense that allowed running backs Sanders and Gainwell to run all over the field. Hurts did what he had to do but only threw for 154 yards. The Eagles followed that up with another dominant win over San Francisco, 31-7. This game was more about the 49ers’ quarterback situation than anything else. Rookie sensation Brock Purdy went down early with an injury to his throwing arm and concerns over QB four Josh Johnson left San Francisco scrounging to find someone to throw the ball. The Eagles still punished a tired 49ers defense and went on to the Super Bowl.
The Hard Way
Kansas City’s road was much more difficult as they opened up their playoff run against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had just completed a historic comeback against the Chargers. The Chiefs pulled out a close 27-20 win over the Jags that left quarterback Patrick Mahomes with questions about the health of his ankle. Despite the injury, Mahomes played well and tight end Travis Kelce had a career-high 14 catches. The Chiefs then went on to compete in a nail bitter against the rival Cincinnati Bengals. With plenty of hype surrounding the game, the Chiefs stepped onto their home field and defended it well. They knocked off Joe Burrow and his Bengals 23-20 in a game that should have gone to overtime if not for an unnecessary penalty by the Bengals that gave Kansas City an easy game-winning field goal.
Keys to Winning
This Super Bowl will be won on the front lines. Whoever controls the line of scrimmage will almost certainly take home the Lombardi Trophy. For the Eagles, their defensive line has to get pressure on Patrick Mahomes. Despite an excellent performance against the Bengals, Mahomes is still nursing an ankle injury and is not anywhere near as mobile as usual. Against the Bengals, he was sacked three times. Compare that to the Chiefs’ last regular season game against the Raiders, where Mahomes was sacked only twice. If the Eagles are going to win this game, they have to get pressure on Mahomes.
The Eagles have a similar problem to the Chiefs. Jalen Hurts is still nursing a shoulder injury which is affecting his game, as evidenced against the 49ers. Philidelphia is lucky enough to have one of the best O-lines in the NFL, which allowed them to run the ball often against San Francisco. Kansas City can’t let that happen. They need to force Jalen Hurts to beat them and not allow Philadelphia to run all over them.
The Chiefs will also have the tough challenge of containing the Philadelphia receivers. While Hurts can’t throw the ball like he could in the regular season, he is still throwing to two of the best receivers in the league: AJ Brown and DeVonte Smith. Not to mention the Eagles’ stellar tight end Dallas Goedert. If the Chiefs can’t dominate the front line it is likely that the Eagles will run all over Glendale, Arizona.
The Kelce Bowl
Travis and Jason Kelce have been a joy to watch play the game. From memorable plays to funny moments, the pair of brothers have entertained NFL fans for years. Tavis Kelce has become one of the greatest tight ends to play the game. He and head coach Andy Reid are transforming the way the position is used in an effective offense. Jason Kelce is inarguably the best center in the game, as evidenced by the Eagles virtually begging him to come back for one more year. Jason is the leader of the O-line and has developed a good relationship with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
This Sunday, Travis and Jason will become the first brothers to play against each other for a Super Bowl. This has led many fans to nickname Super Bowl LVII the Kelce Bowl. While Jason and Travis have tried to keep the attention on their teams, they have certainly had fun with the nickname.
“Appreciate you guys calling it the Kelce Bowl, but let’s focus on the Chiefs-Eagles, man,” said Tavis Kelce on the New Heights podcast.
The brothers have taken to their wildly popular podcast, New Heights, having heated debates and bringing on some great guests. Those quests include Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, and even their parents.
In some hysterical interviews, they asked their dad what to feed a kid going to the NFL and talked to their mother about the secret origin of Travis’s name. Travis even gave his mother a split jersey with Tavis’s red 87 on the front and Jason’s green 62 on the back. When asked who she was rooting for, the Kelce brothers’ mother said she’d pull for the offense. “I want this to be the highest-scoring Super Bowl ever in the history of Super Bowls.” Football has certainly become a family affair for the Kelce family, and now Super Bowl LVII is too.
