So, the Philadelphia Eagles are out for revenge — again.
Super Bowl LIX will feature a Super Bowl LVII rematch between the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. We all know what happened last time around. Jalen Hurts put together one of the best postseason performances in recent memory, but it wasn't enough to offset the inevitable heroics of Patrick Mahomes.
That was an all-time great game, which ended in a final score of 38-35. It was Kansas City's first Super Bowl victory in this attempted three-peat. A dub in Super Bowl LIX would make Kansas City the first team in NFL history to win three straight, setting the Chiefs apart in the annals of NFL history.
The Eagles, of course, would love to prevent that, while avenging 2023's loss in the process. It's hard to win three straight Super Bowls. Even Tom Brady couldn't. This Eagles team has earned its spot on the field in New Orleans, but the prognosticators in Las Vegas are tentatively expecting history to be made.
The Chiefs are favored at -1.5 points over at DraftKings Sportsbook. The money line is -125 for Kansas City, with the Eagles at +105. These are extremely close odds, which means Philadelphia is at least expected to keep it competitive.
Now, what does this mean for Philadelphia in the broader context of this matchup?
Eagles are underdogs against Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, which is different
Philadelphia was the favorite to win last time around. The Chiefs began the betting cycle for Super Bowl LVII as slight favorites, but the market skewed in Philadelphia's favor by the time kickoff arrived.
Some will view this as a decline for the Eagles, but that doesn't really check out. Philly hasn't gotten worse. DeVonta Smith has more experience under his belt, the defense has stockpiled talents like Jalen Carter and Quinyon Mitchell, and, oh yeah, Saquon Barkley is a literal MVP candidate. The Eagles are the most dominant running team in modern NFL history, which was not the case last time around.
Barkley has been on a pronounced heater in the playoffs, scrambling for 119 yards against Green Bay, 205 yards against Los Angeles, and 118 yards against Washington. The Chiefs are easily the best run defense the Eagles will face this postseason, but does it matter? Barkley is running behind football's deepest O-line and he tends to find the gaps, however small. He has multiple 60-plus yard TD runs over the last few weeks.
That is the easiest difference to spot this time around. Kansas City's passing attack has subsided substantially, while Philadelphia has leaned all-in on the run. Mahomes still has a knack for late-game magic, but the Chiefs' WR room leaves much to be desired. Kansas City has reached this stage because of its defense, with Steve Spagnuolo creatively mixing blitz packages and keeping quarterbacks on their back heels.
Hurts has preferred a more reserved approach during Philadelphia's latest postseason run. He threw for 304 yards in the Eagles' Super Bowl LVII loss. The former second-round pick hasn't eclipsed 250 yards yet in these playoffs. That is unlikely to change against the Chiefs, which means Barkley will need to set the tone and pull off one more magical performance — on his birthday, no less — to help Philadelphia complete the upset.
The Eagles have lost a few notable contributors since Super Bowl LVII, with Jason Kelce's absence and Philadelphia's currently compromised center depth standing out the most. On the whole, though, Howie Roseman's roster is even deeper and more flushed with top-end talent than last time around. The Chiefs are just a more established juggernaut, with two straight Super Bowl victories to back up their reputation as a near-insurmountable force.
So, while Kansas City's odds are better this time around, don't think the competition has weakened. This should be another hard-fought battle between two elite forces with ample postseason experience.
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