- The two best teams in football are rightfully meeting in Super Bowl LVII on February 12 in Arizona.
- Eagles-Chiefs should be a great game, but Philadelphia has the edge thanks to their offensive and defensive lines.
Super Bowl LVII has all the makings of an instant classic.
The two best teams in football all year — the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs — are set to face off for the right to call themselves champions.
Oddsmakers have this game pretty close to a toss-up, with the Eagles just slight favorites over the Chiefs heading into game week.
While it should be a close matchup as long as both teams play to their ability, the Eagles have the edge on both the offensive and defensive lines, and that should make all the difference come Super Bowl Sunday.
The Eagles offensive line was the best unit in football all season, and showed no signs of stopping through the playoffs
Philadelphia's offensive line is a juggernaut across every position. Lane Johnson was named as an All-Pro tackle this year, and across the line from him is Australian-born rising star Jordan Mailata, one of the most fearsome players to ever suit up in green and white.
Holding the line together is veteran center Jason Kelce, who was named as an All-Pro for the fifth time in his career this season and is the beating heart of the unit.
Through two playoff games, going up against fearsome edge rushers like San Francisco's Nick Bosa and the Giants' Kayvon Thibodeaux, this offensive line has been perfect.
—Thomas R. Petersen (@thomasrp93) January 30, 2023
The talent on that line not only protects quarterback Jalen Hurts, but the unit also anchors one of the best rushing offenses in recent memory. Including the postseason, the Eagles have now rushed for 39 touchdowns on the year, more than any team in NFL history, and are due to find the end zone a few more times in the Super Bowl.
Nowhere has the dominance of the Eagles offensive line been more evident than in their execution of the quarterback sneak. This year, Philadelphia has turned what might seem like a boring play into a masterpiece, and have converted on third- and fourth-and-short at an astonishing rate.
—NFL (@NFL) December 24, 2022
Between a dominant rushing attack and elite pass catchers in A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and tight end Dallas Goedert, the Eagles offense is positioned to put up some points in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs defense is fierce, and defensive tackle Chris Jones worked himself into the Defensive Player of the Year conversation through the course of the season, but the Eagles O-line just looks unbeatable right now.
Getting pressure on Patrick Mahomes with just a few pass rushers is key, and the Eagles are built to do it
On the other side of the ball, the Eagles once again have the advantage in the trenches.
While the Chiefs have done a good job of protecting Patrick Mahomes this year — the QB took just 26 sacks on the season — part of that success stems from how teams choose to attack Kansas City.
Blitzing against Mahomes is not a great idea, as he might be the best quarterback in history at finding the gaps a defense leaves him. Mahomes threw 17 touchdowns against blitzing defenses this past year, more than any quarterback in the NFL.
—Football Outsiders (@fboutsiders) September 16, 2022
In last year's AFC Championship game, the Bengals were able to turn things around against the Chiefs in the second half by dropping eight defenders into coverage and rushing just three players at Mahomes. Since then, more teams have adopted the strategy against the Chiefs, and the chess match has advanced a few steps, but largely, the thinking remains the same: Get to Mahomes without blitzing, and your defense can contain the scariest offense in the NFL.
The Eagles are well-suited to do just that. Just 13 players in the NFL recorded 12 or more sacks this season, and four of them — Haason Reddick (19.5), Josh Sweat (12.5), Brandon Graham (12), and Javon Hargrave (12) — play for Philadelphia.
—NFL (@NFL) January 31, 2023
Further, the depth of Philadelphia's defensive front allows for players to continually rotate and thus stay fresh. This type of rotation worked wonders in the Eagles in their last Super Bowl appearance in 2018, when Graham forced a late fumble against Tom Brady that helped secure the win.
There's always an X-factor in the Super Bowl, but there's no telling where it will come from
It's admittedly a fool's errand to attempt to predict the outcome of the Super Bowl, as in most games, a clear hero emerges. There's so much talent on both of these teams that it's tough to guess who it will be.
Patrick Mahomes is undoubtedly a game-breaking player, and has bent the outcomes of plenty of NFL games in his career, but his receiving corps is limited, and if the Eagles keep superstar tight end Travis Kelce in check, as they did with George Kittle in the NFC Championship, Mahomes' damage can be contained.
Further, Mahomes' injury in the AFC Championship might leave his mobility slightly limited come kickoff time. While the extra week between games means more time to recover, without their quarterback's rushing threat at 100%, the Chiefs offense changes a bit.
Special teams often serves as a difference-maker in the Super Bowl, but both of these teams check out as "mostly solid" in that department. Kickers Harrison Butker and Jake Elliott have both hit big kicks in the playoffs before and have plenty of leg if necessary.
This should be a great game, but the Eagles have the edge if both teams play their best
Through 18 weeks of regular season football and two playoff games each thus far, the Eagles and the Chiefs proved time and time again that they are the best that the NFL has to offer this year.
But there's a reason the oddsmakers give the slight edge to Philadelphia. While Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the rest of Kansas City's formidable offense can pull off plenty of miracles, the Eagles' overpowering forces at the line of scrimmage should ultimately tip the game in their favor.
Our final score prediction: 33-26 for Philadelphia.