Finally. We made it.
Super Bowl LVII is here and the picks are in.
We all expect a phenomenal game and, as it turns out, we all see Patrick Mahomes being Patrick Mahomes. Feel free to give us your prediction in the comment section, and jump on into the gameday thread any time…
TYLER DUNNE
Two weeks off will help Patrick Mahomes’ ankle physically and Andy Reid schematically. As loaded as Philadelphia is on both lines, I have a hard time betting against the best player in the sport in such a big game. This isn’t the same KC offensive line that had Mahomes running for his life against Tampa Bay. In a one-possession game, he’ll make the plays the Chiefs absolutely need. This Super Bowl between two No. 1 seeds has the potential to be an all-timer.
Kansas City 28, Philadelphia 27
BOB McGINN
The Chiefs have vulnerabilities on the right side of their offensive line, in the secondary and at both wide receiver and running back. At the same time, they have the three most exceptional players in the game (Chris Jones, Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes), and one of them plays the most vital position. In what’s certain to be a single-possession game, KC prevails.
Kansas City 34, Philadelphia 31
JIM MONOS
They have been the two best and most consistent teams all year long. No advantages for either team statistically. I make this a very simple analysis. The Chiefs have arguably the best quarterback, defensive tackle and head coach in NFL history. And they are a small underdog? Easy decision for me, Mahomes adds another ring.Â
Kansas City 31, Philadelphia 28
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No doubt this is a great matchup. The Eagles have the more talented overall roster. The Chiefs have Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. If the Chiefs win we will be hearing they are the next NEP, Mahomes is the next Tom Brady and Reid is the next Bill Belichick. Seems like a logical reax. They all ascend to a higher level in terms of perception.
If the Eagles win, perhaps NFL fans and history are better served. Rather than blitzing our minds with the deification of one franchise and its principals, there would be a more conscientious effort to understand the complexities of this great game. Will Jalen Hurts add some depth of credibility to the notion a running quarterback is a viable, ah, option, no pun intended? Would that offer a new perspective on all the college quarterbacks who are dynamic RPO stars?
Indeed would this change some minds about Baltimore's Lamar Jackson and Chicago's Justin Fields and the alleged potential of San Francisco's athletic, but unproven (as a pro), Trey Lance?
The Chiefs are soulful, cheerful, alluring and definitely refreshing compared to, say, the Patriots. But gamblers and the computerized Madden game predict the Eagles. Gamblers have Eagles as 1.5-point favorites. The Madden Game simulation, which correctly predicted 32 SB outcomes, has Philadelphia winning, 31-17. This is a tough call. Question is, can Reid and Mahomes (with help from Kelce) overcome what is apparently logical odds? That is why this is such a great matchup.
Before the game (and in the first half) I would've said this just had all the looks of being the Eagles' year. Thoroughly impressed KC came back. That was a heck of a performance by Mahomes, and the Chiefs' offensive line and defense delivered, too.