This Sunday, February 12, 2023, is the day NFL fans have been waiting for over the past twenty-three weeks. Wild Card Round, Divisional Round, and the Conference Championship are over. There are only two teams left seeking to win the Lombardi Trophy. The eyes of the entire sports world and beyond will be watching to see who comes out on top. The game is in State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, which has hosted two previous Super Bowls, Super Bowl XLII in 2008 and Super Bowl XLIX in 2015.
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Both provided iconic moments, such as David Tyree’s Helmet catch and Malcolm Butler’s interception. The game could be fun to watch as both teams can pull out tricks from their pockets. On one side, we have the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles, who have dominated the entire NFC. The Eagles are stacked with talent on both sides of play, with players like Jalen Hurts and Jason Kelce. They have steamrolled their way to the big game. In the Divisional round, they beat the Giants 38-7, followed by 31-7-win 49ers win in the Conference Championship.
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The Eagles last played in the Super Bowl in 2017, where they beat the New England Patriots and are now coming back to win another. It will not be easy as their opponents are also hungry for a win. That opponent is the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs. They are playing in their third Super Bowl as they played in back-to-back games from 2020-2021 and have won once in their past two trips.
Only four teams in the league rushed for more yards per game than the Eagles (147.6). On the other hand, the Chiefs averaged 115.9 yards per game on the ground (20th in the NFL) and totaled just 417 running plays. The Eagles run game will be key to keep Patrick Mahomes on the sideline.
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The Chiefs had a rough road to the Super Bowl as they beat the Jaguars 27-20 in the Divisional Round and the Bengals 23-20 in the Conference Championship. They are ready to play their hearts out. The Chiefs maintain their highly effective offense with QB Patrick Mahomes at the helm and receiver Travis Kelce still forcing his way through defenses. Although the defense is not strong, they can get key stops when it matters most.
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Mahomes is legendary for destroying blitzes. The Eagle’s defense blitzed 24.% of the time, 16th in the league. With the blitz the eagles DB’s will have to hold up in coverage. Can the Eagles cover Travis Kelce? Nobody really can, but the Eagles may be closer than most teams. Their linebackers had stellar pass-defense coverage stats. T.J. Edwards allowed 3.6 yards per target with a 74% success rate. Kyzir White allowed 3.7 yards per target with a 63% success rate.
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Both teams have many storylines coming into the game. Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are still rehabbing injuries, Mahomes with his ankle and Hurt with his throwing shoulder. These QBS should be ready for game day, but the most intriguing one is Chief’s Head coach Andy Reid facing his former team in the Super Bowl. This is shaping be to be one of the Super Bowls in recent memory.
