Super Bowl LIX is just days away. For the second time in three years, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles go head-to-head for NFL supremacy. The last time the two met, SCN's Mark J. Pescatore and Wayne Cavadi started their annual tradition of predicting the winner. You may remember, Wayne not only predicted the Chiefs would win, but also got the final score correct.
What do we know about the two teams this time around? We know the Eagles have the best defense in the NFL. We know the Chiefs have Taylor Power. We know that there will be NFL referees involved in the game (oh, come on... you know what we mean!). And we know more than 340 Sony cameras are elevating the fan experience.
So, what do Mark and Wayne think happens this time around?
Why the Eagles Will Win
Mark: The Chiefs are chasing history. They have the best tight end to ever play the position (never thought I'd see someone edge out Tony Gonzalez) and one of the most dynamic QBs in the game. They are the easy pick, right? Wrong. Because they're missing something important in their lineup: players from the University of Alabama.
Why yes, Alabama is my alma mater, thank you for asking.
Philly has Jalen Hurts. Yes, he transferred to Oklahoma, but we still count him as one of ours. He tossed 18 TDs in the regular season and rushed for 14 more with only 5 INTs. They also have DeVonta Smith, who was part of the greatest play in college football history (2nd and 26). And then there's Landon Dickerson, a beast of a guard (he was a center at Bama) who has been named to the Pro Bowl three times in his four-year career. The other three players are guard Tyler Steen, cornerback Eli Ricks, and safety Anthony Harris.
I could wax poetic about the unforgiving Eagles defense. I could throw the stats of Saquon Barkley's MVP-worthy season (yeah, I said it) around, such as the fact that 24% of his rushes and 36% of his passes resulted in first downs. And I could remind everyone that this is basically a slightly delayed revenge game, with the Eagles out to right the wrong of a last-minute field goal 38-35 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII—except this time the Eagles have Barkley, who may not have attended Alabama but sure plays like he did.
But I'm not going to do that. I'm just going to say Roll Tide and go green.
Why the Chiefs Will Win
Wayne: As a still very livid Houston Texans fan, I can take the easy way out and say the Chiefs win because that's what the NFL and referees want. But that's just not true. Does Patrick Mahomes get the Michael Jordan Rules? Sure, but he's not the first superstar to do so, nor will he be the last.
As most of you know from my Shure MV7+ review, I host the 3 and Out Fantasy Football Podcast. If I wanted to, I could sit here and tell you a whole bunch of stats that make sense as to why the Chiefs can win. Instead, I'll tell you what I've told people all season.
People have been saying all season the Chiefs offense is different. They played in all those tight games this, Mahomes and Travis Kelce are getting old that, they were one of three teams not to score more than 30 points all season blah blah blah. Maybe I am wearing a tin foil hat, but I think that was intentional. Andy Reid may be the best head coach of our generation (I said what I said Bill Belichick) and I think he was holding back. The Chiefs did what they needed to do to win all season without showing their hand (or playbook in this case) and when they needed to score more than 30 points in a game (last week against the Buffalo Bills) they did. The Chiefs aren't perfect, but they know how to win. Full stop.
Eagles have the best defense in football. But the reason the Chiefs won so many low-scoring, close games was because their defense is really, really good as well. Don't expect a lot of fireworks this year.
Final Score Prediction
Mark's Prediction
Philadelphia 24, Kansas City 17
Wayne's Prediction
Kansas City 20, Eagles 17
