The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles stand alone as the remaining teams left with a chance at hoisting the Lombardi trophy at Super Bowl 59. Both teams are set to face off at the Superdome in New Orleans for a rematch of Super Bowl 57 scheduled for Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. on FOX.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ Road to the Big Game
The Chiefs enter their third straight Super Bowl with one goal: completing the three-peat. If Kansas City wins their third straight Super Bowl they will become the first team in the Super Bowl era to do so.
“I’m rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs,” St. John’s University junior Frank LaBella said. “It’s so common in our day to hate on the best, hence why the New England Patriots were despised during their dynasty with Tom Brady at the helm.”
The Chiefs have been on a postseason tear. They defended their No. 1 seed by defeating the Houston Texans 23-14 in the Divisional Round and the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship.
“I’m rooting for the Chiefs because I want to be able to witness history in a three-peat for champions,” junior Christopher Young said. “I also just want to root against the Eagles because I am a Giants fan.”
Young added that “Patrick Mahomes will have the best performance.”
The Chiefs starting quarterback has torched opposing defenses with his arm talent. This season, Mahomes threw for 3,928 yards and 26 touchdowns. Throughout the Chiefs’ playoff run, he passed for a total of 422 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Benjamin Ganz, a sophomore sports management student said he thinks Xavier Worthy or Chris Jones could be the Chiefs’ game-changers.
In his first season, Worthy recorded 638 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns, and throughout the Chiefs playoff run, the rookie wideout was able to bring in 130 receiving yards and one touchdown across both games, according to game stats.
“I think their X-factor will be Chris Jones because of the Eagles offensive line and Saquon Barkley,” Young continued. “If [he] can prevent Saquon [Barkley] from letting loose I think it will be a rough game for the Eagles.”
Jones, the veteran defensive tackle, has led the defense. He recorded 18 assisted tackles and five sacks throughout the regular season. In the playoffs, Jones recorded one sack against the Texans and four assisted tackles across both games
LaBella added that he thinks Travis Kelce will be a major contributor to the Chiefs’ success — not as a pass catcher but more as a blocker and decoy to open up the passing game for Worthy.
“In my eyes, Travis Kelce has displayed in recent years that his role in the passing game has lessened,” LaBella said. “He’s become more effective as a blocker and even a decoy in a lot of the schemes that Andy Reid’s offense runs, which has created opportunities for my true X-factor Xavier Worthy.”
How the Philadelphia Eagles’ Found Their Way to a Second Super Bowl
Philadelphia heads into their second Super Bowl in three seasons on a mission to avenge their loss from two seasons ago.
Similar to their opponents, the Eagles defended home turf throughout the playoffs as the NFC’s second seed. They defeated the likes of the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card, the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round and the Washington Commanders in the NFC championship.
Ganz said he has the Eagles winning the big game. He added that Saquon Barkley could be their X-factor.
Barkley, the halfback they signed during the offseason, ran through opposing defenses all season long. He took home this season’s rushing title, an award given to the halfback with the most rushing yards, as well as the AP’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year title. He put up 2,005 rushing yards throughout his campaign along with 13 rushing touchdowns.
During the playoffs, he did not slow down, rushing for 442 yards and five touchdowns across all three games. He put the league on notice after taking his first rush of the NFC championship game to the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown.
Young said he thinks Devonta Smith could cause problems for the Chiefs defense because he thinks “the secondary focus will be on A.J. Brown.”
Smith, the Eagles wide receiver, brought in 833 yards and eight touchdowns this season to help the Eagles reach the big game.
LaBella and Ganz both said they think Dallas Goedert has the potential to play a big role in the Eagles’ offensive success.
“Out of the tight end position, he’s been the leading pass catcher for the Eagles in the postseason thus far,” LaBella said. “In the Super Bowl two years ago Goedert caught six passes for 60 yards, including a 17-yard reception.”
Viewers are set to watch an entertaining match as both teams get ready to battle it out for the Lombardi trophy.
