Super Bowl Sunday!

The Kansas City Chiefs’ history quest meets the Philadelphia Eagles’ revenge tour in Super Bowl LIX.

The Chiefs, led by the top coach-quarterback combo in the league in Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, are looking to become the first NFL team to pull off the three-peat. But they haven’t felt like a juggernaut for the entire season — their plus-59 point differential during the regular season would be the fifth-lowest by a Super Bowl champion should they pull out the win. However, they went 12-0 in one-score games and are coming off their best offensive performance of the year after scoring 32 points to take down the Buffalo Bills in the AFC title game.

That set up a Super Bowl rematch with the Eagles, who rode a season for the ages by running back Saquon Barkley and a dominant defense to a 14-3 regular-season record.

Philadelphia has been fueled not just by arguably the best roster in football but by bitter endings to the last two seasons. After a heartbreaking 38-35 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles stumbled down the stretch and lost six of seven last year, leading to the ouster of both coordinators and questions about coach Nick Sirianni’s job status.

“You carry those two chips on your shoulder,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said, “and make sure that s— doesn’t happen again.”

Mahomes (3 passing TDs) and Jalen Hurts (4 total TDs) were both at their playmaking best in Super Bowl LVII. This marks the fourth instance of a quarterback rematch in the Super Bowl. Each of the previous three were won by the QB who came out on top in the first game.

The addition of Barkley has been massive. Pick any number of his house calls to see just how much of a game-altering threat he has been in his first season in Philadelphia. He has seven touchdowns of 60-plus yards this season, the most in NFL history.

The Eagles’ primary back in ’22 was Barkley’s backfield partner at Penn State, Miles Sanders, who ran for almost 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns that year to make the Pro Bowl. But what Barkley has done has been transformational for this offense. He needs only 30 yards to pass Denver Broncos HOFer Terrell Davis for most rushing yards in a season, including playoffs.

Sacks were the bread and butter of the ’22 Eagles defense: they had 70 of them, the third-most all-time. Haason Reddick and Co., though, were neutralized by the Chiefs offensive line and the famously slick field at State Farm Stadium in Super Bowl LVII. This year’s group, led by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, is not as prolific rushing the passer (41 sacks) but has impact players at all three levels, including defensive tackle Jalen Carter, All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun and rookie corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. It’s a disciplined, physical group that has a penchant for generating turnovers.

The injury statuses of Dickerson (knee) and center Cam Jurgens (back) will be worth watching closely in the lead-up to the Super Bowl.

Jurgens did not start in the NFC Championship against the Washington Commanders but was called into action when his replacement, Dickerson, was sidelined for the second half.

Jurgens looked stiff as he made his way off the field to the locker room after the game Sunday but indicated he’d be good to play against the Chiefs. Dickerson, normally the team’s left guard, did not provide an update but has routinely played through injury during his time in Philly.

The Eagles have one of the best assistants in football in offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who has a well-established record of getting the most out of his players and having the backups ready to play. The offensive line performed well against Washington with Tyler Steen filling in at left guard and Dickerson and Jurgens splitting time at center.

Now they will have to deal with one of the best defensive tackles in the game in Chris Jones. He’ll test the stability of that interior offensive line.

Here’s a breakdown of how each roster, by position group, compares to the other — and which team has the edge in each: 

Quarterback

Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes
Eagles: Jalen Hurts

Mahomes may have had his worst statistical season as a starter in 2024, but he’s still the best quarterback of this era and remains on track to challenge Tom Brady for GOAT status when it’s all said and done. He’s borderline unbeatable in critical moments on the biggest stages. 

Mahomes will be playing in his fifth Super Bowl in seven years as a starter, aiming for his third straight Lombardi Trophy. 

Edge: Chiefs 

Running Back

Chiefs: Kareem Hunt
Eagles: Saquon Barkley

Barkley will go down as one of the best free-agent acquisitions in league history. He became just the ninth player ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, and could’ve broken the NFL’s single-season record for rushing yards had he played in Week 18, when Philadelphia rested its starters. 

Barkley has been carrying the Eagles in the playoffs just as he did in the regular season, averaging 147.3 rushing yards per game on 6.7 yards per carry since the wild-card round. 

Edge: Eagles

Wide Receiver

Chiefs: Xavier Worthy, DeAndre Hopkins, Hollywood Brown
Eagles: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson

The Eagles’ passing attack had a down season — that’s at least partially because of Barkley, who has been the focal point of the offense — but Brown and Smith are still one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league. 

Edge: Eagles

Tight End

Chiefs: Travis Kelce
Eagles: Dallas Goedert

Goedert may have younger legs, but Kelce is still the more productive player, even at age 35 (Kelce averaged 51.4 receiving yards per game in 2024; Goedert was at 49.6). The past couple of years, Kelce has reminded the NFL world that the clutch gene is still there in the playoffs, even if his regular-season numbers aren’t what they once were. 

Edge: Chiefs 

Offensive Line

Chiefs: LT Joe Thuney, LG Mike Caliendo, C Creed Humphrey,  RG Trey Smith,   RT Jawaan Taylor 
Eagles:  LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Cam Jurgens, RG Mekhi Becton, RT Lane Johnson

A fully-healthy Eagles offensive line is the superior group, after helping Barkley have just the ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in NFL history. But a banged-up Dickerson (knee) and Jurgens (back) bring uncertainty to the unit ahead of the Super Bowl. 

Among qualified quarterbacks in the regular season, Mahomes faced just a 29.9% pressure rate per dropback, the 10th-lowest mark in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. 

Edge: Chiefs

Defensive Line/Outside Linebackers

Chiefs: George Karlaftis, Tershawn Wharton, Chris Jones, Mike Danna
Eagles: Milton Williams, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Josh Sweat

Philadelphia has the edge in sacks and sack rate, while Kansas City has the better numbers in pressures and pressure rate. But the differentiator is in stopping the run (partially a linebacker stat). The Eagles’ run stuff rate was at 17.3% in the regular season (14th), compared to the Chiefs’ 14.8% (24th), per NGS. 

Edge: Eagles

Inside Linebackers

Chiefs: Drue Tranquill, Nick Bolton, Leo Chenal
Eagles: Zack Baun, Oren Burks, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. 

Philadelphia’s linebacker corps took a hit with Nakobe Dean’s season-ending knee injury in the wild-card round, but Baun has been spectacular in his first season in Philly. Named a first-team All-Pro, Baun had 151 tackles, five forced fumbles, four pass breakups and 3.5 sacks in the regular season. 

The Eagles have allowed just 105.6 rushing yards per game in three playoff contests, compared to the Chiefs’ 148.0 in one fewer postseason game. 

Edge: Eagles