Our matchup for Super Bowl LVII is officially set as the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will face off on February 12th in NFL glory. Both teams have emerged as the best in the league and there are many interesting storylines that come with this matchup.
It will be the first Super Bowl in which two brothers will face each other, with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles center Jason Kelce. It is also the first Super Bowl game to feature two black starting quarterbacks. Andy Reid will become the fifth head coach to coach against his former team in the Super Bowl, which hasn’t happened since 2014.
What will this match come down to? Will the season end with more Patrick Mahomes heroics, or will the Eagles’ rushing attack rule the day? Below, we’ll break down five early bold predictions for Super Bowl LVII.
Mahomes has sacked a postseason-high five times
The Eagles and Chiefs were 1-2 in sacks during the regular season, with Philly recording 70 quarterback takedowns and Kansas City registering 55. This is the third Super Bowl game between the top two teams in sacks and the first Super Bowl game between the teams. recorded at least 55 sacks during the regular season. Our bold prediction is that Mahomes will be sacked five times – which would be his postseason career high.
Mahomes was sacked five times just once, in 2018 against the Arizona Cardinals. In his first Super Bowl appearance against the San Francisco 49ers, Mahomes was sacked four times. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV – where he had an offensive line busted – Mahomes was sacked three times.
Teams have taken different approaches to protecting Mahomes. Some tried to hit him while others relaxed with two tall safeguards. Mahomes had success against both. Either way, the Eagles were No. 1 in pass rushers this season, according to PFF. Philadelphia will rely on its strengths in the biggest game of the year.
Travis Kelce throws a touchdown
The Chiefs’ star tight end was certainly one following the AFC Championship win over the Cincinnati Bengals. “Burrowhead, my ass!” Our prediction is that Kelce will throw a touchdown to Kadarius Toney in the red zone – a little “special” against Philly, if you will. Kelce is a versatile red zone threat who can both find gaps in zone coverage and shovel a pass right up the middle for a score. Expect something creative from Coach Reid in the red zone in Super Bowl LVII.
Kelce attempted just one pass in his playoff career. That attempt went for a 2-yard touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jalen Hurts sets a Super Bowl record
This might be our least bold decision, because Hurts seems poised to break one Super Bowl record in particular. The great Steve McNair holds the Super Bowl record for most yards by a quarterback, as he rushed for 64 yards in Super Bowl XXXIV. Hurts hasn’t reached 64 rushing yards since Week 14, but we’re saying he reaches 65 rushing yards in Super Bowl LVII.
Hurts averaged 50.7 rushing yards per game this season, which was just shy of the 52.3 rushing yards he averaged in 2021. His 760 rushing yards in the regular season ranked second among quarterbacks , reaching the Super Bowl since Russell Wilson in 2014.
CJ Gardner-Johnson is named Super Bowl MVP
The versatile defensive back will play a big role in the Super Bowl. Ceedy Duce should help protect Kelce in the passing game and also as a blitzer. The former Saint has only recorded four sacks in his career, but he’s the type of player who forces turnovers one way or another. We saw this against the New York Giants in the divisional round, as his pressure on Daniel Jones forced the quarterback to throw a pass to James Bradbury. In the Super Bowl, Gardner-Johnson would record 1.5 sacks and an interception, putting him in the Super Bowl MVP conversation.
Under scores even though the game goes to overtime
The Chiefs led the AFC in scoring per game this season with 29.2, while the Eagles led the NFC in scoring per game with 28.1. This is the seventh Super Bowl matchup between each conference’s highest-scoring offenses. Interestingly, both teams have accumulated exactly 546 points this year, including the playoffs. Our bold prediction is that the Chiefs and Eagles will score the same number of points in regulation on February 12, forcing the game to go on.
This will be the second Super Bowl to go to overtime – the first, of course, being Super Bowl LI, in which the Atlanta Falcons went 28-3. While Philly and Kansas City will have extra time to earn more points, that won’t help Over ticket holders. The Under would hit in this game with the final score being 23-20, Eagles.