Eagles vs. Chiefs predictions for Super Bowl LIX

https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-vs-chiefs-predictions-super-070000309.html

Eagles vs. Chiefs predictions for Super Bowl LIX originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

NEW ORLEANS — The Philadelphia Eagles are taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX from the Superdome.

This is a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, when the Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35 in Phoenix.

Let’s get to the predictions:

Reuben Frank (13-7)

The Eagles are going to win this game and I feel like the Chiefs might have the best quarterback maybe ever but the Eagles have the better team, and ultimately I just don’t think Patrick Mahomes’ magic is going to be enough to get the Chiefs past the Eagles. I expect the Eagles to be able to get Saquon Barkley going in a big way against a Kansas City run defense that’s allowed 147 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry over the last six games. I expect the Eagles’ corners to be able to handle outside receivers Xavier Worthy and DeAndre Hopkins. I think the Eagles’ d-line can pressure Mahomes, and I think the Eagles’ o-line can protect Jalen Hurts. I expect Jalen Hurts to make some big throws down the field to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. I don’t think the Chiefs can run on the Eagles the way they did two years ago. I just believe the Eagles are the better team, and the matchups really favor them this time around. One of the Chiefs’ biggest strengths is their mystique. But that won’t work on the Eagles. They’re so confident and on such a roll right now they’re not going to be affected by that. Eagles win this one.

Eagles 33, Chiefs 26

Dave Zangaro (13-7)

If this game ends up coming down to a Patrick Mahomes fourth-quarter drive, there won’t be anyone breathing in the Superdome. I get that the Chiefs feel inevitable. Andy Reid and Mahomes and Travis Kelce have found a way to win all season and there’s a reason they have won back-to-back Super Bowls. The Chiefs have the better quarterback, but the Eagles are just the better team. Period. The Eagles have won as a team all season and they’re going to do it one more time to cap this incredible season. In this game, Saquon Barkley is going to have a big day on the ground because the Eagles won’t abandon the run and eventually he’ll break one. And even if the Chiefs are able to bottle him up (unlikely) they will like their matchups on the outside with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

It’s no easy task to slow down Mahomes but Vic Fangio isn’t Jonathan Gannon. This won’t be a repeat of Super Bowl LVII because Fangio will adjust. And this defense has proven itself all season. Jalen Carter has a chance to wreck this game and the secondary might give up some plays but they’re not going to get beat over the top, even when Reid takes a shot. The Eagles are going to do enough to win this game. Get ready for that parade on Broad Street.

Eagles 27, Chiefs 23

Barrett Brooks (16-4)

Super Bowl 59 will be everything I built it up to be back on Sept. 5, 2024. I envisioned this matchup: Eagles vs. Chiefs. And I envisioned it after the acquisition of Saquon Barkley. I am still amazed that Howie Roseman was able to sign Barkley. On Sept. 5, I said, “The Eagles will win the Super Bowl if Saquon Barkley wins the rushing title.” Of course, I have always been the run the ball guy, but for Barkley to gain 2,005 yards rushing in the regular season is amazing.

Now that we are here in New Orleans in the Super Bowl, it’s time to close the deal. Vic Fangio has the perfect defense to beat Andy Reid’s offense. This young, fast and explosive defense that can defend the entire field against Patrick Mahomes. They are very fundamentally sound and rarely make mistakes. It’s not often that they are out of place and not assignment correct. That’s how the Chiefs beat you on their offensive side of the ball. This defense will not allow Travis Kelce to roam around, making himself available to Mahomes for the big play.

Offensively, the Eagles’ identity will dictate the tempo of the game. That big O-line will dominate and drive the Chiefs’ defense into submission. I do think that the run-pass ratio will be a little more even than usual, which will open the targets to A.J. Brown, Dallas Goedert and DeVonta Smith to do more to influence the Eagles Victory in Super Bowl LIX!

Eagles 32, Chiefs 26

Mike Mulhern (15-5)

Jalen Hurts has one of the most tortured histories of any quarterback ever in title games. This will be the fourth time he’s played for a championship in the past nine years. As a freshman at Alabama, he left the field with the lead only to watch while Clemson scored as time expired to win it all. The next year he led the Tide back to the title game, but was famously benched at halftime and watched as his replacement, Tua Tagovailoa, led them to the win. Two years ago he went blow for blow with Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII, including an epic game-tying drive in the 4th quarter. But once again, Hurts was relegated to spectator as the Chiefs bled the clock and won the Lombardi Trophy. It’s time to get the monkey off his back, and he’ll have lots of help. Saquon Barkley has been doing superhuman things all year long, but it won’t be easy on Sunday. This is the third straight Super Bowl where the Chiefs take on one of the league’s top rushing offenses. They held Eagles running backs to 37 yards in 2022 and bottled up Christian McCaffrey on the ground last year (22 carries, 80 yards). I think Barkley bucks that trend and breaks through on his 28th birthday to cement 2024 as the season of Saquon.

Mahomes and Andy Reid have been almost unstoppable in the postseason together posting a 17-3 record including 9 straight playoff wins. They are built for this moment, but so is this Eagles defense. Vic Fangio’s group tackles well, is assignment sound, and has a penchant for big plays. I see a similar script to Super Bowl LII, but this time it’s a Nolan Smith strip-sack to swing the game before Hurts, Barkley, and the offense run out the clock.

Eagles 27, Chiefs 23

https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-vs-chiefs-predictions-super-070000309.html