The 2022 NFL season concludes with Super Bowl LVII. The 14-3 Kansas City Chiefs will represent the AFC, and the 14-3 Philadelphia Eagles will represent the NFC. As we all know, this Super Bowl will be wild. This is one of the best matchups since Super Bowl LII this era has ever seen! Both teams have looked unstoppable and come into the game with identical regular season records. So what happens when the league’s two hottest teams collide? It will come down to a few key criteria. Let’s dive in!
Who has the better quarterback?
27-year-old superstar Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has led his team to five consecutive trips to the AFC Championship. He blew away the rest of the league, posting possibly his best year since 2018. He recorded 5250 passing yards, 41 touchdowns, and a 77.6 QBR as well as 358 rushing yards, and 4 touchdowns on the ground! He just took home his second MVP Award.
For the Eagles, 24-year-old Jalen Hurts is a dual threat with 35 touchdowns to his own credit. He’s a superior runner (760 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns), but with all that being said, we can all agree that Mahomes is better.
Who has the better line?
The Eagles’ offensive line ended the season playing better than any team in the league. Their line is anchored by three-time All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson and right guard Isaac Seumalo, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and five-time All-Pro selection. Center Jason Kelce, a former Super Bowl champion who hasn’t allowed a sack all year, is joined by left guard Landon Dickerson and left tackle Jordan Mailata
After the Eagles’ outstanding line would be the Chiefs. They are almost as good a line consisting of left tackle Orlando Brown, 2-time Super Bowl champion and second-team all-pro left guard Joe Thuney. Creed Humphrey was the highest-graded center in the league. They also have right guard Trey Smith and right tackle Andrew Wylie.
Who has the better receivers?
The addition of AJ Brown this offseason has contributed to the Eagles ranking sixth in the offense this season. Wide receivers Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, and tight end Dallas Goedert make up their receiving core. They combined for 3,748 yards receiving and 24 touchdowns. The Eagles have a top-three wide receiver duo in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. They are the first Eagles receiver duo to have 1,000 yards in a season, and they both have PFF grades of 80 or higher this season.
With the departures of wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Demarcus Robinson, as well as the addictions of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and rookie Skyy Moore, the team is in a difficult position. They only accumulated 3208 yards and 17 touchdowns. ( Most of that was by future Hall of Famer, Travis Kelce )
Who has the better defense?
According to ESPN, the Eagles’ defense at the end of the regular season was ranked second in the NFL, allowing 301.5 yards per game. This was very evident in their previous playoff games, where they held both opponents, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, to 7 points in each game. They were only second to San Francisco, whom they annihilated in the NFC Championship game 31-7. They finished the season and ranked first in sacks with 70. The next closest team had 55. Finally, they finished third in takeaways with a plus-eight ratio.
According to ESPN, the Chiefs ranked eleventh in defense, allowing 328.2 yards per game and 369 total points. They finished second in sacks with 55 and 22nd in takeaways with a minus-three turnover ratio.
Who will be the victor of Super Bowl LVII?
The Philadelphia Eagles!
