Various sources
Records: Kansas City (17-2), Philadelphia (17-3)
Kickoff: Sunday, 6:30 p.m., FOX
Series record: Kansas City leads 6-5, including a win in the Super Bowl two years ago in Glendale, Arizona.
Last meeting: Jalen Hurts ran for two second-half TDs as Philadelphia rallied for a 21-17 win over the Chiefs on Nov. 20, 2023.
Two weeks ago: Chiefs beat the Bills 32-29 for the AFC title; Eagles beat the Commanders 55-23 for the NFC title.
Chiefs offense: overall (16), rush (22), pass (14), scoring (15)
Chiefs defense: overall (9), rush (8), pass (18), scoring (4)
Eagles offense: overall (8), rush (2), pass (29), scoring (7)
Eagles defense: overall (1), rush (10), pass (1), scoring (2)
Turnover differential: Chiefs plus-6; Eagles: plus-11
Officiating Crew:
Referee: Ronald Torbert (62)
Umpire: Mike Morton (89)
Down judge: Max Causey (21)
Line judge: Mark Stewart (75)
Field judge: Mearl Robinson (31)
Side judge: Boris Cheek (41)
Back judge: Jonah Monroe (120)
Replay official: Kevin Brown
Replay assistant: NFL Front Office
Alternate officials:
Referee: Carl Cheffers (51)
Umpire: Duane Heydt (42)
Down judge: Dana McKenzie (8)
Line judge: Julian Mapp (10)
Field judge: Anthony Flemming (90)
Side judge: Chad Hill (125)
Back judge: Greg Yette (38)
Replay official: Matt Sumstine
Winning players get: $171,000
Losing players get: $96,000
It will be the eighth Super Bowl played in the Superdome and the eleventh in the city of New Orleans, the most recent being Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, held in the same venue.
Here is a look at all Super Bowls hosted in New Orleans:
Super Bowl IV: Kansas City Chiefs 23, Minnesota Vikings 7
Super Bowl VI: Dallas Cowboys 24, Miami Dolphins 3
Super Bowl IX: Pittsburgh Steelers 16, Minnesota Vikings 6
Super Bowl XII: Dallas Cowboys 27, Denver Broncos 10
Super Bowl XV: Oakland Raiders 27, Philadelphia Eagles 10
Super Bowl XX: Chicago Bears 46, New England Patriots 10
Super Bowl XXIV: San Francisco 49ers 55, Denver Broncos 10
Super Bowl XXXI: Green Bay Packers 35, New England Patriots 21
Super Bowl XXXVI: New England Patriots 20, St. Louis Rams 17
Super Bowl XLVII: Baltimore Ravens 34, San Francisco 49ers 31
Super Bowl LIX is finally here. It took us 284 games to get here, with the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs looking to become the first team ever to three-peat, and the Philadelphia Eagles once again standing in their way. The Chiefs didn't necessarily look like themselves for much of this season, skating by repeatedly with one-score wins, seemingly pulling them out by the skin of their teeth. And yet, here they are again, AFC champions and ready to make NFL history. The Eagles started slowly before going on a massive run after their Week 5 bye, essentially flipping the script on their disappointing 2023 campaign. Now, they're out for revenge against the team that defeated them in the Super Bowl two years ago. Which of these two teams will claim the Lombardi Trophy? We'll find out soon enough. Before we break down the matchup in detail, here's a look at how you can watch the game.
When the Chiefs have the ball
This is a matchup of a defense that wants to force its opponents to play a specific way and an offense that is not only comfortable playing that way, but actively wants to play that way.
The Vic Fangio-coordinated Eagles defense dares opponents to matriculate the ball down the field with runs and short passes, placing an umbrella over the deep part of the field and encouraging underneath throws, then quickly rallying to the ball to prevent yards after the catch. Philly was the best team in the league against YAC this season, according to Tru Media, but the Chiefs have been the NFL's best YAC-per-reception offense since Hollywood Brown returned to the lineup and freed up rookie speedster Xavier Worthy to do more short-area work.
Prior to Brown's return in Week 16, Worthy lined up in the slot on 31.8% of his snaps, via TruMedia, out wide for 66.6% and in the backfield 1.6% of the time. Since then, he's been in the slot on 44.4% of snaps and outside for 53.7%, while taking 1.9% of his snaps in the backfield.
He's been targeted on 30.7% of his routes when working out of the slot across those four games, and he's got 16 catches for 156 yards and two scores on those plays. That's compared with only a 15.8% target rate and 13 catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns from the slot through the first 15 weeks of the season.
Between Worthy (and Brown) creating yards after the catch and Travis Kelce finding the soft spots in zone, defenses essentially have to pick their poison. If you play zone, Patrick Mahomes and Kelce will dink and dunk you to death. It's what they do best. If you play man, then you have to deal with the fastest man in the NFL (and one who might be nearly as fast) on short crossing routes, and hope he doesn't zoom his way down the entire field and into the end zone.
Fangio has a reputation as a zone-heavy coordinator, but the Eagles actually played a fair bit of man coverage this year -- especially after returning from their bye, which is when the defense really took off.
Do they have the confidence in their ability to play sticky coverage with Darius Slay, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean against the receivers, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Reed Blankenship and the linebackers against Kelce? Do they think they can get pressure on Mahomes quickly enough to either disrupt the play or (gasp!) force him into a bad decision where he puts the ball up for grabs before he should, and one of the defensive backs can take advantage? Will they blitz him to try to force that kind of thing and open themselves up to the big play, or will they truly stay conservative and force him to take the underneath stuff all night?
The pressure piece is key here, and the Eagles should have multiple avenues to beat Kansas City up front. The weak link on the offensive line is right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who is susceptible to speed rushers around the edge. Philly will line up Nolan Smith alllll the way outside and have him try to sprint right past Taylor, hoping he can either turn the corner or force the penalty-prone Taylor into holding calls.
The Chiefs also shuffled the left side of their line and now have Mike Caliendo playing left guard, where he'll at the very least have to deal with Milton Williams. And if the Eagles want to go against a tendency, they can also shift Jalen Carter to that side of the line and have their best defensive lineman go up against a guy who has made just five career starts. According to Pro Football Focus, Carter aligned to the defensive right side just 29 times all season. That's 29 out of 1,026 total snaps. Having Carter rush opposite Trey Smith the entire game doesn't necessarily seem like the best idea when there's a potential mismatch on the opposite side of the line, so this is the type of situation where, if you're going to make a significant change, there's reason to do it.
The Eagles, also, will absolutely dare the Chiefs to run the ball. Kansas City did not run with much success this season, especially after Isiah Pacheco broke his leg early in the season. Kareem Hunt kept things relatively on schedule, but he never broke big runs and he also got stopped at or behind the line of scrimmage too often for a lead back. Pacheco hasn't really looked like himself since returning, so Hunt has remained the preferred back despite his own inefficiency.
If they can't run for more than two or three yards at a time, we know the Chiefs will turn to their run-pass option, screen and jet sweep package to simulate what they're supposed to get out of the run. At the very least, putting the ball in Mahomes' hands as often as possible is better than simply running two ineffective backs into the brick wall that Philly's defensive line can be at its best.
Chiefs player to watch: QB Patrick Mahomes may have gotten off to a pedestrian start to the season, but he finished with a flourish, throwing 13 touchdown passes without an interception since the Chiefs’ Week 11 loss to Buffalo. He threw for 177 yards and a score against the Texans in the divisional round and 245 yards and a TD in avenging that loss to the Bills in the AFC title game. Mahomes has thrown for 1,071 yards and seven TDs in his four previous Super Bowls, and needs two TD passes to tie Terry Bradshaw for third most and 58 yards to tie John Elway for fourth most in NFL playoff history.
Eagles player to watch: RB Saquon Barkley had a franchise-record 2,005 yards rushing yards in the regular season, just 101 yards shy of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record. He has been even better in the playoffs, averaging 147.3 yards through three games with five TDs on just 66 attempts. He needs 30 yards rushing to break the NFL single-season record, including the playoffs, that Terrell Davis (2,476) set during the 1998 season.
When the Eagles have the ball
Two years ago, Jalen Hurts played the game of his life in the Super Bowl. He lost what ended up being a crucial fumble early in the second quarter, but was otherwise nearly flawless: He completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown, and he ran 15 times for 70 yards and three additional scores. He essentially was the entire Eagles offense, with the team's three running backs combining for just 55 yards on 17 carries.
This year's version of Hurts is not quite the same player. He's not as decisive, tending to hold the ball in the pocket for longer periods of time and subjecting himself to more sacks. When under pressure, he averaged only 5.2 yards per attempt during the regular season, and he had a turnover-worthy throw rate more than twice as high as it was in 2022.
Of course, Hurts is also coming off what was likely his best passing performance of the season. He completed 20 of 28 passes for 246 yards and a score, averaging 8.8 yards per attempt. He went 6 of 7 for 74 yards and a touchdown on third and fourth downs, and converted two more of those plays with pass interference penalties on downfield throws to DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert.
Which version of Hurts, the passer, shows up on Sunday night will go a long way toward determining how difficult it is to defend this Eagles offense. If he's in rhythm and delivering the ball on time and with confidence, there may just be too much to deal with -- even for this Chiefs defense. But if Steve Spagnuolo and Co. can make him think, make him delay, make him hold the ball for even half a second longer than is ideal for the design of the play, it can throw the entire operation off.
Much of what the Chiefs are able to accomplish will defend on Spags. Can he dial up even more of his absolutely wild blitzes to confuse and overwhelm what is one of the best offensive lines in the NFL? Where will the additional rushers come from? Is Hurts prepared to deal with free rushers? And can Chris Jones, George Karlaftis and the rest of the defensive front generate a push against the Eagles' massive tackles and strong interior, when the Chiefs don't send extra rushmen?
When Hurts looks downfield, the matchups will also be slightly different this time around. He still has A.J. Brown, Smith and Goedert as his top options, but Kansas City's secondary looks different. Trent McDuffie is still there, but he's playing on the outside rather than the slot. Jaylen Watson has fully taken over the other outside cornerback role, while Chamarri Conner is in the slot. Jaden Hicks and Bryan Cook are splitting the safety role opposite Justin Reid, who is moving around the formation as often as ever before, and the Chiefs are using plenty of three-safety looks to get them all on the field.
McDuffie and Watson, much like McDuffie and L'Jarius Sneed a couple years ago, are one of the best cornerback duos in the league. It'll be interesting to see how they're deployed against Brown and Smith. McDuffie is the better coverage player of the two, but Watson (6-2, 197 pounds) has the requisite size to deal with Brown's physicality. Will the Chiefs simply play sides and allow the Eagles to dictate the matchups, or have one of the two follow AJB and the other travel with Smith? And will they roll coverage help to one side or the other, or dedicate that extra safety to the box to stop the run, daring the Eagles to put the game in Hurts' hands?
That's not the way Philly has wanted to play for most of this season, which makes sense, as the Eagles' run game has been arguably the best in the NFL:
Philadelphia finished second in the NFL in rushing yards and fifth in yards per carry. The Eagles jumped to second in yards per carry when removing quarterback sneaks, which adds over 0.5 yards per carry to their average. The offensive line cleared the way for Saquon Barkley in a way we have rarely ever seen: Barkley's 2.64 yards before contact per carry average checked in fourth ... among the 460 running backs who have toted the rock at least 100 times in a season since 2015...
Barkley forced 62 missed tackles during the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus, which ranked seventh in the NFL. He led the NFL in runs of 10 yards or more (46), and he also ripped off 25 rushes of at least 15 yards, tying him with Derrick Henry and Jahmyr Gibbs for the league lead...
[Hurts] has 62 designed rush attempts for 322 yards so far this season, good for an average of 5.2 per carry. He's topped 20 yards on designed, non-sneak runs in eight of his 19 games played, including two of the three playoff games. He's also scrambled for at least 20 yards in 11 of those 19 games, including once in the playoffs.
The Chiefs had a stronger-than-usual season defending the run in 2024. They allowed only 4.1 yards per carry, and they ranked better than average in yards both before and after contact, via Tru Media.
They did have a weakness, though: They were one of the league's least-effective teams defending against scrambles this season, allowing quarterbacks to escape downfield a league-high 50 times. Even on a percentage basis, they saw quarterbacks take off downfield on 20.9% of pressured dropbacks, which ranked sixth-worst. They were one of only nine teams that saw pressures result in scrambles at a higher rate than sacks, with the fourth-largest negative margin.
Barkley is going to get his, eventually. The Eagles give him the ball too many times for him to not rack up a good amount of yards. The key is to keep him from ripping off those big, explosive runs. If the Chiefs can do that, it falls to the passing game. And then it puts pressure on Hurts to both be decisive enough as a passer and electric enough as a runner to lead his team to a win.
How the Chiefs can win
Casual fans might not realize that the Chiefs are not the same team they were a few years ago. Over the last two seasons it has morphed into a team with a top defense and a good-not-great offense that happens to have a legendary quarterback in his prime. The Chiefs were fourth in points allowed and ninth in yards allowed this season, while they were 15th in points scored and 16th in yards gained. Part of that has been due to injuries. The Chiefs lost Rashee Rice early and didn't have Hollywood Brown or Isiah Pacheco available for a big chunk of the season. With a little better health the Chiefs put up 32 points in the AFC championship game against the Bills. They hadn't scored more than 30 points in a game all season. The Chiefs don't create many explosive plays (they were in the bottom six of the NFL in 20-yard pass plays and 40-yard pass plays) and the Eagles don't allow many deep passes. Kansas City is going to be forced to put together long drives without making a mistake, then play strong defense behind that. That's OK because they used that template to go 17-1 this season in games their starters played.
How the Eagles can win
The Chiefs defense is slightly better against the run than the pass. They allowed the 14th-best net yards per pass attempt total during the regular season and were seventh in rushing yards per attempt. Stats like EPA per play and success rate back up that Kansas City is weaker defending the pass. Will that affect the Eagles' approach? We know Philadelphia wants to run the ball with Saquon Barkley, and will likely try to establish that early. And the Chiefs defense has struggled a little lately against the run, allowing 149 and 147 yards rushing in their two playoff games. If the Eagles can run the ball well against Kansas City's defense, with their strong offensive line leading the way, that's a great sign for them. Defensively, the Eagles don't have many weaknesses. The Super Bowl should be a battle, and might be lower scoring than expected. Philadelphia's ability to get Barkley going might be the difference.
Key matchup
The Chiefs defensive line against the Philadelphia offensive line. Defensive tackles Chris Jones and Tershawn Wharton along with defensive ends George Karlaftis and Mike Danna will be counted upon to not only slow down Barkley, but put pressure on Eagles QB Jalen Hurts in the passing game. And when Philadelphia gets into third- and fourth-and-short, those big fellas will be tasked with stopping the infamous “tush push.”
Key injuries
Chiefs: The only player limited in practice all week has been WR Skyy Moore, who is on injured reserve with an abdominal injury and unlikely to play. Eagles: WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring), DT Jalen Carter (illness) and RB Kenny Gainwell (concussion/knee) were limited this week but are expected to play. DE Brandon Graham (elbow) also is expected to come off IR and play in the Super Bowl.
Series notes
The Chiefs are going for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title by bookending a win over San Francisco with victories over Philadelphia. Two years ago, the Chiefs rallied for a 38-35 victory at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. This is only the second time two teams have met in the Super Bowl twice in a three-year window following the Bills and Cowboys, who met after the 1992 and ’93 seasons. Philadelphia did face the Chicago Cardinals for the NFL title after the 1947 and ’48 seasons.
Stats and stuff
The Chiefs are the first team to play in the Super Bowl five times in a six-year span. They are going for a record third straight Lombardi Trophy and fifth overall… Kansas City is the fourth team to appear in three straight Super Bowls after Miami (1971-73), Buffalo (1990-93) and New England (2016-18)… Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Eagles counterpart Nick Sirianni represent the fifth rematch of coaches in Super Bowl history… Reid is coaching in his 45th postseason game, breaking Bill Belichick’s record. He has 28 postseason wins, trailing only Belichick (31) for most in NFL history… Mahomes is 48-10 as a starter since 2022, the best mark in the NFL. Hurts is No. 2 at 42-12… Chiefs TE Travis Kelce has an NFL-record 174 catches in the postseason. He needs 207 yards receiving and three TDs to break those records of 2,245 yards and 22 TDs held by Jerry Rice… Mahomes has a Chiefs record 581 yards rushing in the postseason. RB Isiah Pacheco is second with 498… Mahomes needs three TD passes to pass Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers (45) for second most in NFL playoff history. Tom Brady had 88… Mahomes is trying to become the first play to be Super Bowl MVP in three consecutive seasons. He could also move within one of Brady’s record with his fourth MVP overall… Sirianni will join Joe Gibbs and Mike Tomlin as the only NFL head coaches to make the Super Bowl twice within their first four seasons… Philadelphia ran for a franchise-record 3,048 yards this season, tied for the sixth most in NFL history. The Eagles are the second team in NFL history with at least 3,000 yards and 25 or more TDs rushing… The Eagles led the NFL in total defense at 278.4 yards per game for the seventh time in franchise history… Philadelphia ranked No. 1 in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (174.2) for the second time in the past three years… The Eagles are plus-27 in turnover differential from Week 8 through the postseason… Hurts is 48 of 69 for 505 yards with three TD passes and no interceptions along with 122 yards rushing and four TDs in three postseason games… Barkley is the ninth player in NFL history with at least 2,000 yards rushing in the regular season. He has seven TD runs of at least 60 yards this season, including the playoffs… All five Eagles offensive linemen received AP All-Pro votes with Lane Johnson (fifth) and Jordan Mailata (first) earning such honors… Eagles DT Jalen Carter has 12 pressures, five QB hits, two sacks and a forced fumble in the postseason… Eagles WR A.J. Brown had 1,079 yards receiving this season, his third straight with at least 1,000, despite missing three games to injuries… WR DeVonta Smith had a career-best eight TD catches, joining Mike Quick and Harold Carmichael as the only Eagles since at least 1970 with at least seven in three consecutive seasons.
