Super Bowl LIX is go! The Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans is ready to host the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs, seeking an historic Lombardi ‘three-peat’, and the Philadelphia Eagles, champions of the NFC for the second time in three seasons and with revenge on their minds.

The Chiefs came out on top after when the two teams met at the end of the 2022 campaign, and will be making their fifth trip to the Super Bowl in the last six seasons, having gone 50 years between their first and second appearances in 1969 and 2019. For the Eagles, Sunday will mark a fifth participation all time, but their fourth since 2004 and second in three years, having been the Chiefs victim at the start of their historic hat-trick bid.

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The Chiefs earned the #1 seed in the AFC with a 15-2 regular season record, securing a ninth consecutive AFC West title in the process. After a week’s rest, they took on and beaten the Houston Texans (23-14) in the Divisional round and the Buffalo Bills (32-29) in the Conference Championship game to ensure head coach Andy Reid of a fifth Super Bowl appearance since 2019 and a sixth all-time having made the Super Bowl as the head coach of the Eagles in 2004-05 season. Reid has three Super Bowl titles as a head coach but was also a member of the Green Bay Packers staff when they won following the 1996 season.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has not lit up the scoreboards in this road to the Super Bowl, averaging 211 yards and a touchdown per game so far this postseason. Tight end Travis Kelce, the owner of a slew of postseason receiving records, and rookie Xavier Worthy have done most of the heavy lifting in the receiving game. Worthy leads the Chiefs with 11 receptions this postseason, with Kelce has the edge with 136 receiving yards. They each have a touchdown reception to their name.

Kareem Hunt, in his second spell with the team that originally drafted him out of Toledo back in 2017, has done the bulk of the rushing work, with 108 yards and two touchdowns on 25 rush attempts. Perhaps surprisingly, Mahomes ranks second on the team with 57 yards on 18 attempts and has two rushing scores.

The Chiefs boast a dangerous kick return game, with Nikko Remigio leading all players this post season with 52 punt return yards (with a long of 41 yards, also a postseason best) and 217 kick return yards, featuring a 63-yarder.

Defensively, Steve Spagnuolo is the mastermind for the Chiefs and is looking to add to the four Super Bowl rings he already owns. Three of them came as a member of the Chiefs staff, while he also earned one as the DC of the New York Giants when they upset the previously undefeated New England Patriots team in 2007. Spagnuolo is also going up against the team that gave him his first NFL coaching gig, having served as defensive assistant, defensive backs coach and then linebackers coach for the Eagles between 1999-2006. The Chiefs’ defense is led by star defensive tackle Chris Jones but, while his impact is considerable, the most productive player in terms of counting stats during these playoffs has been George Karlaftis, who owns 3.0 sacks, seven quarterback hits and three tackles for lost through two postseason games. Jones has a single sack but has also dished out four quarterback hits.

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The Eagles won the NFC East, but their 14-3 regular season record was only enough to earn them the #2 seed in the conference. However, having beaten the Packers 22-10 in the Wild Card round and held on to defeat the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 at the Divisional stage, the Detroit Lions loss to the Washington Commanders ensured the NFC title game would be held in Philadelphia, and it was here that the Eagles flexed their offensive muscles. The Commanders, 150-1 longshots to win the Super Bowl before the season, were unable to stem the offensive tide or stop turning the ball over as the Eagles romped to a 55-23 win, scoring eight offensive touchdowns in the process.

Head coach Nick Sirianni has made the postseason in all four seasons of his reign, with Sunday marking the team’s second Super Bowl appearance in that time. Like Reid, Siranni will be going up against a former employer, having spent four seasons as a Chiefs offensive assistant between 2009-2012.

Jalen Hurts is the first quarterback since Jim Kelly to return to the Super Bowl after losing his first appearance at the event. He has been efficient when passing this postseason, completing almost 70% of his passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another four touchdowns on the ground, thanks to the Eagles infamous ‘Tush Push’ play. Hurts has also been sacked 11 times, however, the most of any quarterback this postseason.

The heartbeat of the Eagles offense, in both the regular and postseason, has undoubtedly been Saquon Barkley. Following up his 2,005 regular season rushing yards, Barkley has racked up another 442 in the playoffs, averaging 147.3 yards per game, with five touchdowns.

The Eagles’ passing game is one of the most concentrated in the entire league, meanwhile, and the postseason has been no different. Tight end Dallas Goedert leads the team with 15 receptions, 188 yards and a touchdown. Wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are not far behind, with 9-120-1 and 12-121-0 lines of their own.

Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is the favourite to become the new head coach of the New Orleans Saints after the Super Bowl, which weirdly echoes the Eagles losing defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to the Cardinals two years ago after playing a Super Bowl in Arizona.

The 2024 Eagles defense has been one of the best units in the entire league and veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has overseen a dramatic improvement after the shambles of the 2023 season. Pass rusher Nolan Smith has 4.0 sacks this postseason, as well as four tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. He also has one of the seven forced fumbles over the last three games, with linebacker Oren Burks leading the way with two. Rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell has an interception in two of the Eagles’ three postseason games, as well as four pass breakups, while wily veteran Darius Slay has five passes knocked down.

The Eagles are hopeful that long-time defensive stalwart Brandon Graham, who tore his triceps back in Week 11, will be able to suit up in what could prove to be the final game in his illustrious Eagles career. Graham is third in franchise history with 76.5 regular season sacks and made the most famous play in Eagles history with his strip sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII.

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PREDICTION: The Eagles can make a genuine claim to having the better roster from 2-53, but the Chiefs enjoy a clear advantage at quarterback if Patrick Mahomes is upright. However, the GOAT’s presence will not be enough this time, as the Eagles do enough to claim their second Vince Lombardi Trophy by the barest of margins.