Super Bowl LVII Preview: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs

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The stage for one of the biggest sporting events of the year is set to take off on Sunday, Feb. 12. Super Bowl LVII will be held in Glendale, Arizona, at State Farm Stadium and will feature the two number-one seeds: the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

As you walk around Loyola, you’re sure to hear an exchange of “Go Birds” chants from devoted Eagles fans. You can definitely see the passion and pride of Eagles fans on campus. Lifelong Eagles fan Christian Sarian ’23 talked about his love for the team.

“I’ve been an Eagles fan ever since I was four years old,” Sarian said. “I would watch games with my dad and rattle off the players’ jersey numbers in accordance with their names. It was one of my favorite things to do when I was younger.” Both the Eagles and the Chiefs are led by their young superstar quarterbacks: Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes, respectively. They are also the leading candidates for the regular season MVP.

For Hurts, it is his first time in the Super Bowl, and at just 24 years old, he dominated the NFL as the Eagles ended the regular season at 14-3. Under his leadership, they finished first in points per game, tied for third in yards per game, second in points per play, and sixth in yards per play. The Chiefs thrived because of Mahomes and ranked first in all of those categories. It will be the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl appearance in the last four years as Patrick Mahomes has a record of 1-1 and will look to be
crowned a champion for a second time in his already historic career.

The Chiefs won in 2020 and the Eagles won in 2018, so both teams have a taste of what it is like to play and win in the Super Bowl. Since the two teams are heavyweights, they have drawn millions of fans over the last few years.

Watching NFL games has been a longtime tradition for families on Sundays and many tune in even if their team is not playing. The same can be said about the Super Bowl but on a much larger scale. Carter Ries ’24, an avid Patriots fan, explained who he is rooting for in the Super Bowl.

“I have liked the Chiefs as a secondary option in case the Patriots didn’t make it because my cousins are huge Chief fans,” Ries said. “Personally, I like Patrick Mahomes and his playing style. Even under pressure, he can get the ball to the right person.” Many Chiefs fans were worried about Mahomes’ health. During the Divisional Round game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a defensive lineman landed on his leg and he’s been tending to the ankle sprain since. The same thing could be said for Eagles fans as Jalen Hurts has been nursing a shoulder injury since Week 16. Both teams’ success revolves around their quarterbacks’ health and both players will be healthy and ready to go before February 12.

The x-factors in this game will have to step up on the NFL’s brightest stage. For the Chiefs, the easiest choice is to get superstar tight end Travis Kelce as many looks as possible. However, they could get contributions from wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster if healthy, or their young running back Isiah Pacheco, who burst onto the scene this year. On the other hand, the Eagles have plenty of options to choose from. Pro Bowl wide receiver AJ Brown and Pro Bowl running back Miles Sanders will certainly be key players as the game progresses. According to Sarian, his x-factor will be someone else.

“My favorite player is Devonta Smith,” Sarian said. “I’ve loved the guy ever since he was at Alabama, and I think that he is one of the most polished route runners in the league. He has all the potential in the world to be one of the best receivers in the NFL.” If Smith can fly under the radar and produce at a high level in the Super Bowl, then the Eagles may gain the upper hand. As for Ries, he believes that Mahomes will be the key to the Chiefs’ success.

He said, “They have a good leader in Patrick. He is the reason they made it to the Super Bowl.” The two teams have passionate fanbases and even louder haters. The Eagles fans are known for their strong passion, which borders on insanity, no matter if they win or lose. Despite their lack of an on-campus presence here at Loyola, Chiefs fans are known for being one of the loudest fans in the NFL.

Ries concluded and said, “I don’t really like the Eagles so that’s a bonus. I hope the Chiefs win.” The Chiefs won three years ago, and many Chiefs fans believe that this year will have the same result. For Philly fans, the result of the game means a lot considering that at the start of the season, close to no one had them doing as well as they did this year.

Sarian agreed and said, “This game would mean a lot to me if they won, mostly because a lot of sports writers and analysts in the media picked the Eagles to maybe make the playoffs and finish above .500 again but not do much more than that. They’ve proved everybody wrong this entire season and a Super Bowl win would be the icing on the cake.”

The odds are in the Eagles’ favor as the spread is -1.5 for them and +1.5 for the Chiefs. Will the spread be correct, or will the Chiefs prove Vegas wrong? Only one team will prevail, and all football fans will be tuned in on Feb. 12 to find out who will win Super Bowl LVII.

Featured Image Courtesy of Charlie Rombach.