Our Eagles vs. Chiefs predictions for Super Bowl LVII

The Eagles and Chiefs will face off in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday.

To the predictions:

Reuben Frank (15-4)

Week 2, I picked the Vikings to beat the Eagles. I really thought they would. I was a little concerned with the Eagles’ defense after the way the Lions scored 21 second-half points on opening day and nearly rallied back after trailing by 17, and the Vikings had easily handled the Packers, winning by 16 points in their opener. Wrong. The Eagles romped, winning 24-7, and I thought, “OK, I learned my lesson. This team is really good.” And I haven’t picked them to lose since. They didn’t win ‘em all, but close enough. If you had picked the Eagles to win every game you’d have a 16-3 record. So why stray from that process now. Both teams are really good, both teams are well coached, both teams score a lot of points, both teams have tons of playmakers, both teams have won Super Bowls in the last few years, both teams have elite quarterbacks. I think this one will be kind of like the last one. A lot of points, back and forth, offenses dominating, and then in the final minutes, somebody in an Eagles uniform is going to do something historic, and then there’ll be a celebration and a parade and maybe another statue or two, and that’s why I keep picking them to win. I just can’t imagine them losing.

Eagles 34, Chiefs 31

Dave Zangaro (15-4)

The Eagles are the better team. That’s what this comes down to for me. Sure, they still have to execute. Sure, Patrick Mahomes is really good. Sure, they’re probably not going to blow out the Chiefs like they did the Giants and 49ers on their way to the Super Bowl. But the Eagles are better than the Chiefs. They’ve been the best team in the league all season and they get to show that to the football world on Sunday night.

The Chiefs aren’t going to be able to stop the Eagles’ offense. What has made this offense so dangerous all season is because they aren’t good at one thing. They’re good at everything. We’ve seen them run the ball down opponents’ throats and throw it over their heads. We’ve seen Jalen Hurts take off as a runner, we’ve seen him air it out. We’ve seen big games from A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert and Miles Sanders and Kenny Gainwell and there’s no way to stop all of them. Good luck. The Eagles are going to put up points in this game and they might need to.

Because chances are, the Eagles won’t be able to completely stop Mahomes either. But that’s OK. It’s all about minimizing the damage. This game could come down to the Eagles’ front getting pressure on Mahomes and forcing a turnover. I’ll go ahead and call my shot. There will be another strip sack in this game, but it won’t be Brandon Graham this time. Look for Haason Reddick to do it in the building that was once his home. With the Eagles’ offense humming, the defense will need to make the most of their chances. I think they will and I think the Eagles get it done.

Eagles 31, Chiefs 28

Mike Mulhern (16-3)

The Eagles are favored in this game for a reason. They’ve been the best team in the league all season long. On Sunday night they’ll get to prove it one final time, no matter how many 49ers whine and complain.

Beating Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid is about as tough a challenge as there is in any sport. The freshly minted 2-time MVP lost a first-team all-pro wideout in Tyreek Hill and somehow got even better this season. He led the league in passing yards, touchdowns, and passer rating. How’d he do it? Yards after the catch. Kansas City was first with 2,796 YAC (by comparison the Eagles were 8^th with 2,113). They’ve transformed from a vertical passing game to a short and medium attack that takes advantage of receivers, backs, and Travis Kelce in space. Gone are the days when a defense could play with two deep safeties and hope Mahomes got impatient. He will simply eat you alive underneath.  And don’t think about blitzing. He’s even better when you do.

So how do you slow him down? Pressure from your defensive line. Thankfully that’s the Eagles’ specialty and a weakness for the Chiefs. Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat need to win often against Chiefs tackles Andrew Wylie and Orlando Brown. They’ll harass Mahomes all night and get him on the ground in just enough key situations to keep KC from racking up the points.

As for the Eagles offense, Jalen Hurts hasn’t exactly registered robust numbers in the playoffs, but he hasn’t really had to. The Eagles have jumped out to early leads and sat on them with the ground game. This time around Hurts’ arm will be needed, as I suspect Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will focus on stopping the run and dare the passing attack to win it for the Eagles. That’s where A.J. Brown comes in. He and Hurts have been just a hair away from connecting on a couple of deep balls this postseason. An extra week to let Hurts’ shoulder heal up and get completely back in sync with his top target will do wonders. Brown will go off for over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns, edging out his best friend for Super Bowl MVP honors.

Eagles 31, Chiefs 24

Adam Hermann (17-2)

Eagles fans should feel really good heading into Super Bowl LVII. They have the better team in the last game of the season. Not many sports fans get to enjoy that feeling.

There are a number of matchups I like in Sunday's game, which is finally, mercifully upon us.

The Eagles have one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and the Chiefs' cornerbacks aren't that good. L'Jarius Sneed is a good player, but he's not elite or even great. Jaylen Watson is just a dude. The Eagles' WRs should be able to work their way into winning positions. If Jalen Hurts' shoulder has improved in the last two weeks, I expect to see him finding his guys down the field - and Dallas Goedert as well. Anything else is a letdown.

I also like the Eagles' corners on the Chiefs' wide receivers. Sure, Patrick Mahomes could turn you or me into a viable WR3 in the NFL. But with C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Avonte Maddox back healthy alongside the NFL's best CB duo, are the Birds really supposed to sweat JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling? Jonathan Gannon needs to make sure Travis Kelce is the focal point in the passing game, and let the rest of the chips fall where they may. Talent wins out.

In a game that could easily turn into a barn-burning offensive showcase, you have to like those matchups. And the Eagles have the best offensive line in the NFL and the best pass rush in the NFL.

So case closed, Eagles win... right?

There's just one problem: Patrick Mahomes is suiting up for the Chiefs on Sunday, probably the most talented quarterback in the history of football. He's had two weeks to rest his bum ankle. He gives every team in the league headaches with a combination of creativity, arm talent, and elusiveness. It's going to be an absolute struggle.

And if you're hoping for a relatively comfortable Eagles win, akin to the games the Birds played all year long, I have bad news. Here's a ridiculous stat from Philly legend and The Ringer writer Sheil Kapadia: Patrick Mahomes has started 93 games in his career. In those games, the Chiefs have either held a lead or been within one score in the fourth quarter 90 times.

Buckle up for a nail-biter.

Mahomes extending plays will make life harder on the Eagles' defense, which has been so successful this year because of its pass rush getting home. Mahomes averaged just 1.5 sacks per game this year, and when he makes things up on the fly he tends to also make big plays happen. It's hard to contain a guy like Travis Kelce for longer than a few seconds after the route breaks down. The Eagles need to get home with four rushers, and they need to do it a lot, or things could get dangerous.

...and still, I think the Eagles win on Sunday. They have more talent, top to bottom, than any team in the NFL. They have skill at the appropriate positions to try and keep Mahomes' wizardry in check. They avoid mistakes and they force mistakes, a potent combination - especially given the Chiefs relative inability (20th in the league) to force turnovers.

The Eagles have been the class of the NFL all year. I think Nick Sirianni and the staff put their guys in positions to win vs. Mahomes and the Chiefs, and I think they execute the plan en route to a second Super Bowl in five years.

Eagles 34, Chiefs 30

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