Patrick Mahomes | Photo by William Purnell/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs will take home the Lombardi Trophy, and here’s why.
This might be a good time to be an umbrella salesperson in Kansas City.
The forecast calls for rain mid-next week. That will not keep the masses of Chiefs Kingdom from descending downtown. The Chiefs are going to host their second Super Bowl parade in three years after they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday.
Why?
Thanks for asking. Here are three critical reasons why the Eagles are going down Sunday.
Patrick F-ing Mahomes
Might as well start here. Mahomes will be the best player on the field Sunday and it won’t be particularly close. Barring a setback with the ankle injury he suffered against Jacksonville in the AFC Divisional playoffs, Mahomes is going to take over this game. He’s just different.
At 27, he is already in the discussion as a top-five all-time quarterback, and he has another 15 years or so remaining in his career. Philadelphia has an excellent defense (starting with a brutally tough pass rush), but Mahomes is so crafty and so talented. He will be able to withstand it. The Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game because Mahomes took over when he needed to, and he will do it again Sunday.
Andy Reid is Super Bowl hardened
The Eagles’ second-year coach Nick Sirianni has done an excellent job in Philadelphia, and I think Giants’ defensive back Julian Love is silly for saying Sirianni isn’t a big reason why the Eagles are in the Super Bowl.
Sirianni has big swagger and he has the Eagles playing out of their minds. I liked when Sirianni said last week when coaches treat big games differently they get in trouble. He’s on to something. But the truth is, he won’t be as ready for this game. He is just entering his fourth postseason game as a head coach. This will be Reid’s fourth Super Bowl as a head coach.
I give the coaching nod in this game to Big Red.
He will be more prepared for when things get tough. It’s not going to be too big for him. Also, I think Reid learned from the unexpected beatdown the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave the Chiefs two years ago. I think Reid has some things up his sleeve in this game against his former team and he and the Chiefs are going to put on a show.
Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images
Chris Jones
The defense is underrated
Here’s the thing — the Chiefs aren’t all Mahomes. The defense is pretty good and it has played well for several weeks, including in the playoffs against the Jaguars and the Bengals. The pass rush has been on a heater lately and the young secondary, with key contributions from rookies, has matured quickly.
Yes, the Eagles have an outstanding offensive line, but I think the pressure that interior superstar Chris Jones and the outside heat of veteran Frank Clark and rookie George Karlaftis will get to Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Mahomes is the headliner in Kansas City, but the Chiefs wouldn’t be in this position without Steve Spagnuolo’s unit. The defense is going to be a reason why owner Clark Hunt will lift the Lombardi Trophy again.
