For the second time in three seasons, the road to the Super Bowl has ended with the Kansas City Chiefs facing off with the Philadelphia Eagles. Patrick Mahomes against Jalen Hurts. Andy Reid against Nick Siranni. I’m not sure if this is the matchup America wanted, as there are plenty of people with Chiefs fatigue, and Philly fans are downright deplorable people, many of them.
But here we are, and I’ll be in New Orleans all this week covering the build up to the game, so at the very least, I get some good jambalaya and gumbo out of the whole thing. For now, let’s lay out the biggest storylines early in the week:
4. Will this be yet another Chiefs win where officiating is a story afterward?
This is a storyline that actually goes back to the first time these two teams played in the Super Bowl back in February 2023, when the Chiefs were able to eke out a 38-35 win, in part because of a very questionable defensive holding call on the Eagles to set up the Chiefs’ game winning field goal. Since then, the last two seasons have seen a litany of suspect calls go in favor of the Chiefs at key points in games, and often involving some sort of hit on Patrick Mahomes. The Texans know this all too well, as two 15 yard penalties in the divisional round were a reason (not the ONLY reason, to be clear) that they lost the game. Hopefully, the outcome of this game is not viewed as “tainted.”
3. Tom Brady on the call on FOX!
Brady has been involved in ten Super Bowls as a player, but this will be the first one he’s been a part of as an announcer, as he and Kevin Burkhardt will call the action for FOX. That Brady himself is on the call for a Super Bowl in which Mahomes and the Chiefs can lay claim to “greatest Super Bowl window” by any team, with potentially three wins in a row, is very compelling. Brady’s actual chops on the microphone this season have been hit or miss, but in my opinion, he’s steadily improved. This will be a massive stage for someone who is still a neophyte broadcaster.
2. Final touch on Saquon Barkley’s transcendent season
Barkley has been unreal this season, having gone over 2,000 yard rushing in the regular season, and having dominated the postseason, as well. Last week, he rushed for 118 yards on just 15 carries against Washington, with three rushing touchdowns. Barkley needs just 30 yards to break the single season overall rushing record, regular season plus postseason, held currently by Terrell Davis. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about Barkley’s season is that he was able to escape the cesspool that is the New York Giants.
1. Chiefs going for the three-peat
As mentioned above, when discussing Brady, the Chiefs are going for their third Super Bowl title in a row. We’ve seen teams win two in a row several times over the nearly six decades of the Super Bowl era, but never three. The Chiefs have won the last 17 one-score games in which they’ve been involved, so if this thing is close in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs might have an upper hand. Regardless, however they win, if indeed they do win, a third Super Bowl win in a row (and fourth in six seasons) would put Andy Reid into every generational argument with Bill Belichick for best head coach, and likewise, put Mahomes into serious arguments alongside Tom Brady among quarterbacks.
Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.
