Ryan Bautista | News Editor
January 31, 2025
32 teams. 18 weeks. All culminating in the biggest game of the year, the Super Bowl.
The second Sunday in February is now basically an American holiday.
From commercials that cost $8 million to Kendrick Lamar headlining the halftime show, the Super Bowl is a must-see event. And the shining jewel of all the festivities, the actual game, pits the two best teams against each other to prove who is the best in the NFL.
And this year, the two teams battling it out are…(groan) the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Don’t get me wrong, it will be a good game (hopefully). Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes may be the greatest of all time while Eagles running back Saquon Barkley should have had the record for most rushing yards in a season. These teams defeated juggernauts like the Buffalo Bills and the…(checks notes) Washington Commanders to make it to this game (don’t give me that look, the Commanders are a good team now!).
The Chiefs and Eagles definitely deserve to be here. The only problem is…well, they were expected to be here.
When the season began, everyone considered these two the favorites to make it this far: the Eagles due to their offseason acquisitions, including Barkley, and the Chiefs because they are the Chiefs. Football fans only have two options: You love the Chiefs or hate them. They are truly the most unifying team in that regard. Sophomore Charlie Coniglio echoed that sentiment by saying “This year’s Super Bowl is the entire NFL vs. the Chiefs” and he hopes “they lose” so 31/32 fan bases can be happy.
No matter what side of the battle you fall on, it is easy to see that both teams showed their prowess throughout the season and waltzed into the playoffs easily. Some say, too easily.
These two teams have been subject to lots of criticism throughout the season. The Chiefs perhaps more famously due to their favorable penalties no matter who they play. On the other side of the football, the Eagles have faced heat on their “tush-push” that seemingly no one can stop. Think of a cheat code that automatically lets you score or get a first down from one yard away, yeah, that’s the tush-push. Every week it seems like ESPN or other sports stations are complaining about the Eagles doing this or the Chiefs doing that and that’s why they won. But that’s neither here nor there (whatever that means), the important thing is that these are the two teams left, and one of them will win the Super Bowl. That is the only game that matters now, and that is what this article will (finally) talk about now.
Ok, now that the controversies are out of the way, let’s break down this match-up.
The Chiefs have won the last two Super Bowls and are trying to do what no team has done before: win a three-peat. Mahomes and Kelce have put this team on their backs and carried them to a 15-win season (It should have been 16 wins, but no one played during Week 18). They don’t have a crazy good running back, a star wide receiver, or even an awesome defense (Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones would like me to retract that last statement and I will). The Chiefs have Mahomes being Mahomes with his favorite target in Kelce just finding ways to win (so he can propose to Taylor Swift after they win the game…puke). They have won 17 consecutive one-score games in every way imaginable, from a blocked field goal against Denver to a miracle-muffed snap versus the Raiders. Whether it is black magic, help from the refs, or pure skill, no one should bet against them.
On the other hand, the Eagles are the hottest team in football. Since their bye in Week 5, they have only lost one game to the Commanders in Week 16. The Eagles then paid the Commanders back by absolutely smoking them 55-23 in the NFC Championship. Barkley hasn’t come back down to Earth since his backward hurdle (if proof is needed, please refer to this) and quarterback Jalen Hurts has multiple weapons at wide receiver in A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. Hurts have even been hurt these past few games, with a concussion and knee issues, but the Eagles are still rolling on like nothing is wrong. Heck, Brown reads a book on the sideline when he isn’t playing the game. If that doesn’t spell out confidence, I don’t know what does. Their fans alone should also make any team think twice about playing them. I would recommend an escape plan if the Eagles lose, and a quicker one if they win.
In summary, the Eagles are just barely better than the Chiefs on paper. However, the Chiefs have Mahomes and the experience needed to succeed. One thing is for certain: This year’s Super Bowl will be an outstanding football game. Senior Ian Moore said he is rooting for “the Eagles to win since it would be a different team,” but it would be “pretty cool if the Chiefs three-peat.”
One thing is for sure, no matter who wins, there will be plenty of controversy surrounding something!
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