Super Bowl LVII
(1) Kansas City Chiefs at (1) Philadelphia Eagles
Chiefs: This was supposed to be the year where they struggle, right? After all, look what transpired in their division last off-season. The Denver Broncos acquire Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks, the Los Angeles Chargers acquired Khalil Mack from the Chicago Bears and they signed Cornerback JC Jackson to a free agent contract and the Las Vegas Raiders acquired Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers. Then, don’t forget the Kansas City Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. As you can see, there’s a lot that transpired in this division over the year and so many were expecting the others to dethrone the team that’s won the division each year since 2016. When I did division previews, I still picked the Chiefs to win the division because of two reasons. First, they have the best player in the conference and arguably in football, then, they also have the best coach in the division. That speaks volumes. I want to go back to Patrick Mahomes for a second. What a year he had, and he deserved this MVP. No Cheetah, no problem. He was still able to keep this offense afloat and his presence makes all the difference. In the AFC Championship a few weeks back, I saw the mental toughness of 15 on display because he was hobbled by that ankle injury. Since he’s become the starter, they’ve won the division, clinched one of the top seeds in the AFC and hosted the AFC Championship game in five consecutive seasons which is a record. Next, I want to talk about this defense and how they delivered against the Bengals, especially Chris Jones! He’s the catalyst to this defense and you saw that a few weeks back. This is exactly why they extended his contract because there was no way they could afford to lose him. Three Super Bowl appearances in five years are very impressive. They will look to bring home another Lombardi to Kansas City on Sunday night.
Eagles: I had a feeling they’d be a strong team this year. But I didn’t think they’d be this good. Once again, do you see why it is so imperative to put your Quarterback in the best position to succeed? This is exactly what they did! First, they believed in Jalen Hurts, I wish I could say the same about the fans. What do the Eagles do? First, they traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft with the Dallas Cowboys to select DeVonta Smith from Alabama. He was Jalen’s college teammate in Tuscaloosa. This past off-season, they acquired A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans and his impact has been incredible. In his first full season, he’s become the heart and soul of this entire team. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am for this Quarterback. I’ve watched Jalen since his college days and he’s really developed at the pro level. However, I remember when he was at Alabama when he was demoted during the National Title game and anyone who’s played football knows getting benched is the toughest thing to deal with. Jalen was nothing but class then and he still is now. What makes this Eagles team so special is they can beat you in a variety of ways. If they have to beat you in the air with the passing game, they can do it. They have several weapons that can get open and stretch the field and if they must ugly a game up, they can establish the running game and pound the football in between the tackles, look at what they’ve done in the playoffs against the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers! I’ve been raving about this defense throughout the year and they play so well as a collective unit. That’s what consistent defense is all about. They just don’t thrive on the turnover to succeed as they can make you one-dimensional and play a physical style of football. For the second time in five seasons, the Eagles will be playing on Super Bowl Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
If you have followed along with me for years, or this is your first year following the brand, this is where I normally reveal x-factors for each team, some keys to the game for each time and who I have winning along with a score prediction. This is where I will continue to make you wait! I’ve done this each year and my tradition will continue! On Sunday about an hour before kickoff, I will continue with the second part of my Super Bowl preview. That is where I will reveal an x-factor for each team, keys to the game and of course, who I have winning Super Bowl LVII. I will see you then!
