Super Bowl LVII Preview: Part 1

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As has become an annual tradition at Sportsfreak towers, our resident NFL fans Hamish Girvan, Scott MacLean, Stephen Gallagher, Jonathan Paterson and Ryan Nixon turned their attention towards the big game. Here are their thoughts on what will prevail between the two best teams in the league in Glendale, Arizona

1. Which Superbowl narrative will be most fun to follow?

Hamish Girvan: There’s the Andy Reid Bowl and the Kelce brothers bowl but most importantly there is the historic quarterback matchup. For the first time ever, two opposing black quarterbacks (Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts) will square off in the championship game.

And with both being dynamic as passers and runners, this could be an offensive spectacle.

Scott MacLean: The Kelce Bowl, as Eagles centre Jason faces off against younger brother, Chiefs tight end Travis, in the first ever meeting of brothers on-field in the big game. The pair are both amongst the elite at their respective positions, as including this season, Jason is a five-time All-Pro and Travis four. Both already have a Super Bowl ring too, so who gets bragging rights and adds to their collection?

A second one is mammoth Eagles left tackle, Australian Jordan Mailata, bidding to become just the third Aussie, and first non-punter, to be a Super Bowl winner.

Stephen Gallagher: The Kelce Brothers, Jason and Travis! In their spare time they make a podcast together, and now they’re going head to head in the Super Bowl; the first brothers to ever do so. This is wholesome, and my kind of storyline. You might also remember a photo circulating earlier this season where Travis and the Chiefs had a bye, so he went and wore his brother’s jersey to an Eagles game. Love that.

Jonathan Paterson: I’m going to take some liberties here and interpret “narrative” as “storyline”, and “fun” as “most impactful to my gambling positions”, and talk about the injury cloud that both quarterbacks are under. Mahomes’ high ankle sprain (or, “high ankle f*cked”, as Dynasty Podcaster Matt Kelly likes to say) was the major storyline going into the AFC Championship game, and certainly had an impact on his mobility as he only ran for 8 yards and took 3 sacks. However he was able to gut it out despite being in obvious pain and throw for 332 yards and 2 touchdowns, as well as the critical 5 yard scamper that drew the penalty, and put the Chiefs in range for the game winning FG. The injury cloud around Jalen Hurts is less obvious, as he is now a month removed from the shoulder injury that cost him weeks 16 and 17. However, he has only thrown for 2 touchdowns in the 3 games since his return after chucking 18 in the 8 games prior. It could always be a sample size issue, but it could also be that his shoulder isn’t right as his yards per attempt is also down. Let’s just hope that the two week break gives both of these special talents long enough to get right for the big game.

Ryan Nixon: Andy Reid facing his old team. Reid’s resume as a coach is about as good as it comes, with Bill Belichick the only current coach to sport a better career winning percentage. That career started with the Eagles, but ultimately never delivered a Super Bowl title, as the Eagles routinely stumbled in the playoffs, including a loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. After moving to the Chiefs, more of the same looked on the cards, until Mahomes delivered the win in dramatic style in Super Bowl LIV. Now Reid gets to face his old club in his fourth Super Bowl appearance, and will be hoping he can lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the second time in his career.

2. What must the Eagles do to win?

HG: Stop the Mahomes/Kelce combination. Tight end Travis Kelce is one the NFL’s premier receivers now and his link up with Mahomes has been one of the reasons the Chiefs have made it to the big dance. Another factor will be to make sure their offensive line can stop “Stone Cold” Chris Jones getting to their quarterback, Jalen Hurts.

SM: One of the catchphrases of the late, great sportscaster Stuart Scott was, “you can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.” That certainly applies to star Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who seemingly always finds a way. But, no team gave up fewer passing yards (3057) or yards per passing attempt (5.5) than Philly did, and if their defensive backs led by Darius “Big Play” Slay can keep the ball from getting to Travis Kelce, Juju Smith-Schuster and the rest of the Chiefs receivers they stand a very good chance.

SG: After accomplishing the most rushing touchdowns in a single season, they will come armed with their strong ground game. You also can’t deny the chemistry between Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown. They are the 2023 version of Matt Stafford and Cooper Kupp. So in order to win, they need to find the balance in their offense that they have time and time again this season. They’ve blown teams out all year, so they will also have to hold their nerve if this one goes down to the wire.

JP: Dominate the Chiefs OL. The Eagles notched up a ridiculous 70 sacks this season, which was 15 more than the second place Chiefs, and if they can exert their dominance in this game and make Mahomes have to move as much as he did against the Bucs a few years back, this will be a huge step towards victory. Especially if he remains hobbled by his ankle injury.

RN: Control themselves, and control the game. The Chiefs are the side that will benefit from the big game experience, with a number of their side having been to the Super Bowl twice already. The Eagles are a much less experienced side, particularly in the skill positions, and coach Nick Sirianni is only in his second year in the job. If their impressive defense can slow Mahomes, then the running game should allow the Eagles to control the game and take any nerves out of the equation.

3. What must the Chiefs do to win?

HG: Not get overwhelmed. They have been here before recently (anyone remember the Tampa Bay Super Bowl?). The Eagles’ wide receivers edge the Chiefs easily so stopping them is key.  Mahomes ankle will be a commentary talking point but it will be fine.

SM: The Eagles like to run the ball, finishing top-5 in that category, and with running back Miles Sanders, quarterback Jalen Hurts, and an outstanding offensive line that’s what they’re built to do. They aren’t bad in the passing game either, especially off play-action, so the Chiefs need to stop the run and take the options away from Hurts. Alternatively, just let Mahomes do his thing with the ball (his 5250 passing yards were 500 more than second-best Justin Herbert’s tally) and score as many points as possible.

SG: Play that unorthodox style of football that will keep Philadelphia guessing. Whether it’s shovel passes, laterals, or their ‘ring-around-the-rosie’ into wildcat formation, Kansas City under Andy Reid sure do keep the game interesting. It works for them, too. Mahomes is such a composed quarterback, and will back his ability to win another ring.

JP: The exact opposite; they need to protect Mahomes. One of the most special parts of his talent is creating throwing angles that nobody else would dream of, and this will already be hampered by his ankle. If he is also running for his life from Haason Reddick and co, things will get even harder, especially with the skeleton crew of wide receivers he may end up with considering Juju Smith-Schuster, Kadarious Toney, and Mecole Hardman were listed as DNP in the estimated practice report for Wednesday after being injured in the AFCCG.

RN: Protect Mahomes. It’s that simple. The Eagles have impressed defensively this season, but the list of quarterbacks they’ve faced hardly instills fear into opposing secondaries. If the offensive line can keep Mahomes upright, he’ll be able to find his ta rgets, and in particular, Travis Kelce.

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