Ranking Super Bowl’s best players for Chiefs-Eagles 2025 rematch

Let’s rank the 11 best players in Super Bowl LIX.

Super Bowl week is here.

Both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles have arrived in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, a rematch of Super Bowl LVII from a few seasons ago. While many of the game’s main characters are the same from that epic clash, there are some additions to both rosters that will spice things up on Super Bowl Sunday.

To kick off the week, we’ve ranked the best players in Super Bowl LIX.

11. Jalen Carter, DT, Eagles

Jalen Carter is who we thought he’d be. When the Eagles drafted the standout Georgia defensive tackle in 2023 we knew he’d be a problem, and quickly. In what’s quickly become one of the league’s most coveted positions, a pass-rushing defensive tackle has become pivotal in what separates good teams, from great ones.

Carter’s ability to be a multi-faceted difference-maker in the middle is his greatest strength. Top 10 in pressures, hits, batted passes, and hurries at the DT position, he is a player who can do it all. Everything Carter does is about making a quarterback’s life hell, and he’s good at his job.

The Eagles will know that interior pressure has given Mahomes problems in the past, and that could make him Jalen Carter one of the most important players in the Super Bowl.

10. Joe Thuney, OG, Chiefs

A perpetually underrated lineman, Joe Thuney has quietly amassed four Super Bowl rings while being one of the league’s best pass-blocking guards. Traditionally offensive guards have been more valued for their run blocking, but more recently the incredible importance of interior protection has reared its head.

When we look back at Mahomes’ Super Bowl loss to the Buccaneers, the biggest difference maker was interior pressure from Ndamukong Suh and Vita Vea. That’s why the Chiefs brought in Joe Thuney to fix the problem, and since then Kansas City has been a force.

However, with the Chiefs struggling to find their best five up front this season, Thuney has taken on a new role in the Kansas City offense, as he shifted to left tackle late in the season. Since that move, made in Week 15, Thuney has allowed just one sack according to charting data from Pro Football Reference.

While the Chiefs may miss his presence on the interior with the likes of Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis lining up across from them on Super Bowl Sunday, dealing with Nolan Smith and the potential return of Brandon Graham may put another spotlight on Thuney at left tackle. How he holds up in just his eighth NFL start at the position is a huge storyline heading into Super Bowl LIX.

9. Creed Humphrey, C, Chiefs

One of the many question marks the Chiefs have faced on their run to Super Bowl LIX has been their offensive line. With injuries and subpar play forcing Andy Reid to juggle combinations up front, finding the best five to put in front of Patrick Mahomes has been a challenge.

But not at center.

Creed Humphrey remains one of the best there is in the league among men in the middle, and this season has been another stellar campaign for him. According to available charting data from Pro Football Focus Humphrey has allowed just seven pressures this season, and has yet to give up a recorded sack.

The task gets tougher in Super Bowl LIX, with the Eagles’ imposing interior duo of Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. But if Humphrey’s upcoming performance in Super Bowl LIX matches what we have seen from him this season, it would go a long way towards the Chiefs winning that third straight title.

8. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles

When these two teams met in Super Bowl LVII, Patrick Mahomes walked away with MVP honors after Kansas City’s 38-35 victory.

But there is a scenario where the Eagles walk away winners, and it is Jalen Hurts headed to Disney World with the MVP award in hand.

Super Bowl LVII was one of his best performances as a professional, as Hurts connected on 27-of-38 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown, while adding another 70 yards on the ground — and three touchdowns — on 15 rushing attempts. Had James Bradberry not been flagged for defensive holding on Kansas City’s final drive of the game, Hurts would have had just under two minutes to get the Eagles into position to tie the game or perhaps win it, and with they way he was playing that night, that was certainly a possibility.

While the Eagles passing game has not been as consistent this season, Hurts’ performance in the NFC Championship Game against Washington was perhaps his best outing of the year. He was confident, decisive, and consistently throwing on-time and in-rhythm. With the expectations heading into Super Bowl LIX centered on the idea Steve Spagnuolo will focus on slowing down Saquon Barkley and put the game in Hurts’ hands, if he plays like he did in this game two seasons ago, that might be a recipe for an Eagles’ win.

7. Zack Baun, LB, Eagles

As far as revelations go this NFL season, there might be none bigger than Zack Baun and the role he has carved out in the middle of the Eagles defense.

Used primarily as an edge defender with the New Orleans Saints, Baun signed a one-year deal this offseason with the Eagles, who moved him to an off-ball role in Vic Fangio’s defense. In this role Baun has thrived, starting back in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers when he picked up a pair of sacks of Jordan Love, but continuing throughout the season as he showcased his athleticism against the pass, but his ability to play downhill against the run.

Super Bowl LIX will be his biggest test yet, as he’ll be tasked with helping decipher what Mahomes and company are doing schematically, coming down hill to slow down their rushing attack, and helping in the middle of the field where Travis Kelce tends to prowl. But if Super Bowl LIX is the conclusion to what has been a dream season for Baun, it might very well end with him holding the Lombardi Trophy aloft.

6. Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs

This season has been a bit of a mixed bag for Travis Kelce. Obviously the future Hall of Fame tight end can be a difference maker, but it’s also clear the Chiefs spent a lot of time preparing for life after Kelce, pivoting away from leaning on him being the biggest threat in the passing game, to simply another option for Mahomes.

The result is that Kelce might be more dangerous than ever in Kansas City’s hyper-efficient offense. There are numerous plays where Kelce is used as a decoy, disguising his routes where he looks like the focus on the play, when he’s really a third or fourth progression in Mahomes’ reads.

It’s for this reason Kelce had 10 games during the regular season with fewer than 10 targets, only to have some games where he would explode for 80+ yards, as he did against the Texans in the playoffs.

Kelce may not be the focal point of the offense anymore, but he still needs to be accounted for on every down — and that makes him a factor.

5. Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs

In the wake of the AFC Championship Game, and the stunning blitz package Steve Spagnuolo sent after Josh Allen on the decisive fourth-down play, much has been said and written about Allen’s decision on that play, starting with sliding four offensive linemen away from the eventual blitz.

And towards Chris Jones.

Jones has that kind of impact on an offense, and consequently, on a game. He is a true game wrecker up front for Spagnuolo and the Chiefs, racking up 60 hurries and 7 sacks this season for Kansas City according to charting data from Pro Football Focus. He is no slouch against the run as well, something that will be critical against Saquon Barkley in Super Bowl LIX. But every time Hurts drops to pass — or even just sets the protection — Jones is going to be a huge factor for the Chiefs.

4. Lane Johnson, OG, Eagles

If you want to teach a young player how to play offensive line using film from the NFL then Lane Johnson is on your tape. For the better part of a decade he’s been one of the best linemen in the league, and there’s zero sign of him slowing down.

Johnson is able to marry incredible lateral athleticism with a massive frame that turns him into one of the league’s best pass protectors and run blockers. This season was an absolute triumph in both facets of the game, with Johnson allowing ZERO sacks this season, only one QB hit, and 10 pressures on the entire year.

All this while being a pivotal part of the road-grading blocking that allowed Saquon Barkley to come a whisper from the single-season rushing record. When it comes to Johnson the calculus is pretty simple: You’re not getting pressures on him. Obviously you still need to rush the passer and try to push into the backfield, but the right side of the field might as well need an extra rusher every down because of his ability to stonewall a single man.

3. A.J. Brown, WR, Eagles

With just over two minutes left in the first half of the NFC Championship Game, the Eagles held a 14-12 lead and faced a 4th-and-5 situation at the Washington Commanders’ 45-yard line. Nick Sirianni left his offense on the field, and if the Commanders forced a stop they could dream of taking the lead into the locker room for the halftime break.

Washington brought pressure, and Jalen Hurts looked in one direction.

A.J. Brown.

The pair connected on a go route for 31 yards, giving the Eagles a fresh set of downs in the red zone. A few plays later Hurts plunged into the end zone on a short touchdown run, and the rout was on.

While the Eagles passing game has not exactly been a well-oiled machine this year, when it is clicking it starts with the connection between Hurts and Brown. Again, with every expectation holding that Spagnuolo is going to try and stop Saquon Barkley first, a big game from this passing connection is one pathway to a Philadelphia win in Super Bowl LIX.

2. Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles

The missing piece the Eagles never knew they needed. Saquon Barkley has been such a profound difference-maker to the Philadelphia offense that it’s a wonder they were able to win a Super Bowl without him.

The past running game for Philadelphia hinged on a gimmick, albeit an effective one — the infamous “Tush Push.” It forced the team to routinely grind out short plays through Jalen Hurts as the primary short rusher, and all the explosive plays to come in the passing game.

Barkley has changed all that. Not only has it ensured the Eagles are a more balanced total offense, but can generate explosive plays on the ground without risking injury to Hurts. It helps when you’re also the best running back the NFL has seen in almost five decades, with Barkley coming within a whisper of breaking the NFL’s all-time rushing record.

If the Chiefs can’t stop Barkley from eating then it’s going to be a long Super Bowl for them.

1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs

It’s Patrick Mahomes, need we say more? It’s fair to say that Mahomes was pushed to his limit by an underwhelming supporting cast for much of the season and an offense that wasn’t nearly as explosive as past iterations, but the ludicrous thing about Mahomes is that a “down year” still means almost 4,000 passing yards, completing 66.6%, and throwing 2.5 touchdowns to each interception.

The ultimate big game quarterback of the NFL, Mahomes is nearly unflappable in the face of pressure and continually finds ways to produce when things aren’t working for him. We saw this in the AFC Championship Game where explosive passing plays were few and far between, causing Pat to morph into a significant touchdown running threat, showing off his underrated athleticism.

Comfortable in the pocket, off-platform, and everywhere in between, Mahomes has an uncanny talent to manipulate defenses pre and post-snap, simply finding ways to win. If the Eagles want any chance of winning the Super Bowl in hinges on their ability to shut down Mahomes, because if he’s left the smallest of margin he can kick the door down unlike anyone else in the NFL.