Previewing Super Bowl LVIII; Number one seeds face off
The stage for Super Bowl LVII has been set, bringing the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles to Glendale, Ari. to play for the title. Both teams were the number one seed in their respective conferences and will be playing for their second Super Bowl title in five years.
If you appreciate a good storyline, this game will have plenty of refreshing content with lots to follow throughout the game. Already coined “The Andy Reid Bowl”, the Kansas City head coach will be facing the team he coached for 14 years. “It’s going to be awesome, man! What a great Super Bowl,” Reid said in his press conference after the AFC Championship.
Eagles’ center Jason Kelce and Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce will make history as the first matchup of brothers ever to play in the Super Bowl. “Win or lose, I’m done being a Chiefs fan,” Kelce said after the Eagles defeated the 49ers in the NFC Championship. Both brothers are future Hall of Famers, making this matchup even more special for fans and the Kelce family.
The game itself will be a battle of two juggernauts, with the Chiefs’ high-flying offense going up against the Eagles’ dynamic pass rush. Philadelphia led the league with 70 sacks in the regular season, which could be a cause of concern for the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, especially.
Mahomes has been limited physically since he suffered a high ankle sprain in the divisional round against Jacksonville, notably walking with a limp and being forced to stay in the pocket more. This did not stop him from continuing to move completely, sticking with the normal game plan to let him improvise plays, finishing with 43 passing attempts in their win over Cincinnati.
Philadelphia’s pass rush, led by edge rusher Haason Reddick who tallied two sacks against the 49ers, was still able to manage seven quarterback hits despite only 18 passing attempts. San Francisco played almost the entire game without a true passing game after quarterback Brock Purdy tore his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the first quarter but the Eagles were able to stand tall and fully disrupt their offensive game plan.
The Eagles’ offense will face a daunting task in figuring out how to put up points against a strong Kansas City defense known to make big stops and get the opposing offense off the field in key situations. Philadelphia put up a staggering 69 points in their two playoff games, especially impressive considering that their number one receiving threat, A.J. Brown has not posted more than 30 yards in either game.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had an MVP-type season, going 14-1 in his 15 games played this season but has not been relied upon as much in the postseason. With two blowout victories getting them to the Super Bowl, Hurts has been able to cruise along without having to make a big play with the game on the line. Against a team like Kansas City who can put up points in bunches, Hurts and the rest of the offense will need to respond to pressure and rise to the occasion.
There will be plenty to watch for in this game, and as we get closer to kickoff the anticipation is going to build up and set the stage for what should be a highly competitive game. Two of the league’s top teams will face off in just under two weeks in a game which could either end up a defensive battle or a shootout that comes down to the last possession.
Chris is currently a junior at the University of New Haven, and this is his second year writing for the Charger Bulletin. He is a journalism major with...