NFL Super Bowl LVII Preview
Thirty teams have fallen, and only two remain. The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles have been dominant all season, both entering the playoffs as the #1 seeds from their respective conferences with 14-3 records. Both teams will have to play the game of their lives this Sunday if they want a chance at winning, and it’s sure to be a great game.
In my final prediction of the season, I’ll take a look at these two powerhouses, the roads they took to get to this moment, and of course, who I think will win Super Bowl 57:
The Philadelphia Eagles have had one of the best seasons in recent memory. Despite starting off the season with 9 straight wins, the Eagles have actually had a lot of doubters. Going into the playoffs, comments were made about the Eagles’ weak schedule and narrow victories, but the doubters were silenced after back-to-back stompings of the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round and NFC Conference Championship, respectively.
Philadelphia is riding high off of this momentum, and they’re looking to bring it into Arizona on Sunday. Their defense has looked almost impenetrable, only giving up 14 total points in their last two games. Their offense has also looked great— especially their ground game, led by high-caliber running backs like Kenneth Gainwell, Miles Sanders, and Boston Scott. If young quarterback Jalen Hurts doesn’t succumb to the pressure of the big game, the Eagles have a great chance of bringing the championship back to Philadelphia.
Representing the AFC once again, we have the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs barely made it into the Super Bowl after a last-second kick gave them a 23-20 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. This will mark their third Super Bowl appearance in the past four years, and an opportunity for quarterback Patrick Mahomes to add yet another achievement into his ever-growing resumé. The Chiefs have had an incredible season, but neither of their playoff victories have looked particularly convincing.
Despite becoming somewhat of a dynasty over the past few years, Kansas City is coming into the Super Bowl as the underdogs. It took everything they had to defeat the Jaguars and Bengals in their recent matchups, and it won’t be any easier to take down the powerhouse that is the Eagles. They’ll need to rely heavily on the duo of QB Patrick Mahomes and TE Travis Kelce if they want to escape Arizona with a win on Sunday.
If this is your first time paying attention to the Super Bowl, or even football in general, you’re in for a treat. Super Bowls rarely disappoint, and the energy and hype around the game is unmatched by anything else in modern sports. Keep an eye out for trick plays like the Philly Special, a play which involved a receiving touchdown for former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (who now plays for the Indianapolis Colts).
It’s also worth mentioning that this Super Bowl will contain several firsts and records. The game will include the first ever brother vs brother matchup in Super Bowl history (Travis vs Jason Kelce), the first ever meeting of two African-American quarterbacks in a Super Bowl (Patrick Mahomes vs Jalen Hurts), and the youngest average age of the two quarterbacks in a Super Bowl (27 and 24 years old).
This game, like most other Super Bowls, is going to be a good one. Expect a lot of action and a lot of scoring this Sunday. While Philadelphia’s defense looks great, Kansas City’s offense (led by the best QB/TE duo in the NFL) looks just as good. Neither team will be able to keep each other at bay for long, and it just might all come down to the wire.
Final Score Prediction: Eagles 37, Chiefs 34
Super Bowl MVP Prediction: Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI)
Ryan Merten is in his third year with DHS Press, where he has worked very inconsistently over four years of both in-person, hybrid, and online school....