Super Bowl LIX is just over 24 hours, and the crew of Rotwald gather to get in touch with what each team needs to win, what the third straight Super Bowl title means for Patrick Mahome and Andy Reed And how they believe things will eventually unfold on Sunday.
The Chiefs win on Sunday…
Denny Carter: I think KC will edge the Eagles if pass catchers in the short story area – Xavier Worthy and Travis Kelce – could become productive after catching. This was a tall job against Philadelphia’s defense, and this season he attempted the fourth-lowest adjustment yard with 0-10 yard passes. The Chief is not going to get anything downfield. They must be very efficient in the shorter areas.
Kyle Dvorchak: Kansas City wins by taking an early lead and stepping into the gas. The Eagles can make a comeback, but that’s not what they were built.
Lawrence Jackson Jr.: If they keep pushing out their opponents and winning the usual situational football battle. They also cannot allow the Eagles defense to put pressure on four pass rushes, but the defensive back has been successful in coverage. The Chief must choose poison in defense and suppress balance by attacking the Eagles.
Patrick Daugherty: There are regular soccer matches. Normality is a friend of the Chiefs. Normality means limited turnover and sack. Normality means grinding drives that end at points. Whether it’s a field goal or a touchdown doesn’t really matter. This Chief iteration won a more ordinary football game than any team in NFL history. The Eagles need to diversify.
Zachary Krueger: They stick to the plan. It’s hard to imagine that one of the best quarterbacks in the game is one of the league’s more conservative passersby, but the Mahome and the Chiefs know what they’ve got here. Over the past three seasons, the Chiefs have been in the bottom 10 at both the add-rate and deep slow ratings, but have been in the YPA top 10 at EPA per dropback and its span. How does this happen? Good downfield blocking and perfect execution. The Eagles’ young pass defense has been surprisingly strong this season, allowing the third lowest yard after passing under 5.0 air yards (YAC/REC). Chiefs’ crime, meanwhile, has the 10th highest Yac/Rec in these passes. This is a strength matchup that the Chief needs to win if they expect three peats on Sunday.
The Eagles win on Sunday…
Carter: The Eagles have a great shot that knocks off the chief if AJ Brown continues to dominate against the human coverage looks, the way he has all the past two seasons. I think the Chiefs are selling out to stop Saquon Berkley and see if Jalen hurts. Hurts could potentially target browns heavily in such a scenario, and Brown, who tops the league by route against men’s coverage schemes in 2024, can make Kansas City pay .
DVORCHAK: The Eagles need to fully protect the short area. They have done so all year round, but no one performs a better throw than Mahomes or Chiefs. If Philly is able to shut down KC’s quick pass game, you can neutralize Mahomes.
Jackson: If they’re not fooled from leaving someone who comes to prom, it’s almost Saquon Berkley. I am not one of these ignorant people. Jalen Hurts believes he can’t throw the ball at a high level, but Berkley has been the best player in the NFL behind Lamar Jackson this season. Don’t be scared of the run game. In the passing game, the Eagles expect the defense to take what they give them. For the Eagles of Defence, you must find a way to remove Mahomes from his mark. That’s a simple answer, but not a simple task.
Daugherty: If the Chiefs’ running defense collapses. Kansas City is uneven on the ground, but is highly adaptable. If it ends on Sunday, they don’t actually have horses, so they have to commit too many extra resources in advance, then AJ Brown and Devonta Smith will start their souls back into the field You can do it. Steve Spagnuolo had answers for almost everything, but it’s difficult to come up with a solution for that.
Krueger: Saquon Barkley will be performing “Saquon Barkley.” Jalen Hurts has been unfairly criticized as a passerby, but he’s not going to look any more than the guy who ran for 2,005 yards and scored 15 touchdowns as the main reason the Eagles are. It’s also helpful to have an elite run blocking unit and top five defense. The Eagles are unlikely to win a coaching battle, but Berkley makes life easier for offensive with Nick Cirianni, keeping the offensive on schedule, and breaking the long-term one or two of his signatures. This will make the Chiefs more aggressive style play and play in Philadelphia’s hands.
Saquon Barkley projects another monster performance on the final NFL DFS slate of the season. With $1 million at the top, it’s key to SB Lix’s big score.
What does the third straight Super Bowl (fourth overall) mean for the legacy of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reed?
Carter: Mahome lost to Tom Brady in the Super Bowl, so he can’t really be the best quarterback of all time with the public imagination. Mahomes’ Super Bowl defeat to Tampa – not his own fault – sealed the deal. But I think Mahomes can establish himself as a clear No. 2 in history with his victory here, one of the other Super Bowl appearances he makes for the rest of his career.
Dvorchak: For those who were enlightened among us, Mahomes is already a goat. The fourth Super Bowl will help bridge the gap between him and Tom Brady for non-believers.
Jackson: It means they’re in the NFL immortality because the team isn’t doing that. It’s difficult to make playoffs every season. These guys have transformed the Super Bowl into the Kansas City Chiefs Invitational. Both Reed and Mahomes will significantly fill the gap between them being goats in their respective lanes.
Daugherty: There is a desperate desire among certain people to identify this Chiefs group with a multicentury patriot dynasty. Even the third straight Super Bowl is still not comparable to that. What it does is give the Chiefs something other franchises don’t have – three straight Lombardis – to a systematic track to eventually catch or outdo the Brady/Belichick Pats. Keep them.
Kruger: That’s one of the things Tom Brady and Bill Belichick couldn’t achieve. The conversation between the best quarterback/head coaching duo of all time begins with these two, but Mahomes and Reid’s third straight Super Bowl victory approaches the top of the conversation, all the previous top said, It’s finished. Brady won three Super Bowls before his 30th birthday. Mahomes, who will turn 30 this September, has already hit that mark. The fourth will keep him well at pace, in order to tie Brady’s career totals together, and perhaps in a much faster way.
What are the bold predictions for the Sunday game?
Carter: I think the Chiefs will be the first team to stop Berkley a bit. KC’s defense adapts to the strengths of other teams, and in the run game the strength of the team is less clear. I foresee Berkley’s frustrating outing.
DVORCHAK: Kansas City is restraining Saquon Barkley. The Chiefs were one of the best teams to prevent explosive runs this year. Steve Spagnuolo lets Jalen Hurts defeat him.
Jackson: Jalen Hurts will be a more convincing Super Bowl MVP than my actual pick at Saquon Barkley (you know what I did there). When it comes to mental toughness on the quarterback field, there’s Patrick Mahomes, so Hearts is right there and he’s one of the best pocket passersby in football.
Daugherty: I’m sure there’s no surprise. These are two teams that commit to execution. Neither will try to reinvent the wheel on Super Bowl Sunday. Anyone who plays the best “regular football” brand will win.
Krueger: Ranked 29th in yards per game and 32nd in passing attempts per game, the Eagle Spashing Game surprises the public and surprises some explosive plays. Those who equal the raw pass total to the overall quality of the team’s offensive attacks this season ranked fourth in the Eagles passing game with a 10 plus air yards (60.6%) pass adjustments You’ll be surprised to find out. The sixth-highest explosive play rate among teams this season – plays above 20 yards – plays above 20 yards – plays above 20 yards are through the air (10.9%). It is also worth noting that with every PFF, the chief has tied up with the Giants for the ninth most explosive passing play (54) of the season.
The argument between Patrick Dorgerty and Denny Carter will have the most receiving yards in Super Bowl LIX. I question whether TravisKelce will play vintage games and whether AJ Brown will be able to take advantage of a good matchup.
How do you think you play on Sundays?
Carter: I think it’s hard to imagine a game with a landscape game script here. Like almost all Chiefs games, I think this will come down to the fourth quarter, but in the situation late in the game, no one is better than Mahome. He is simply invincible in these scenarios. I say the Chiefs will win 27-24.
DVORCHAK: The Chiefs win a tight 27-20 game with little magic from Mahomes and better execution in high leverage spots. Hate is “equipped” when the greatest quarterback of all time plays his opponent and one of the greatest coaches of all time corners his opponent. Who could have seen this coming?
Jackson: I see the Eagles stick to running with the Chiefs (unlike the AFC Championship bill), and it’s effective. If not, get ready for AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, and Dallas Gaedart. The game descends on the wire, but the Eagles pull away late, beating the Chiefs 34-24.
Daugherty: Like all the Chiefs games in recent memory. They will never be separated, but the opposition will never really threaten them. The finals are visible nearby. It certainly *nearly close. It really doesn’t feel that way. The Chiefs will win a 24-21 ball game variation.
Kruger: The Chiefs had one “legal” loss this season. This caused a 30-21 loss to the bill in week 11. It takes almost perfect effort to defeat the Chief. The Eagles run well and set up their pieces on Sunday to defeat this Chief Steam. That said, the Chiefs still retain their advantages at head coach and quarterback, and have been 60 minutes since making history. They may not always be flashy, but they are effective. Reed and Mahome hope that the Eagles will throw the road and find anything that they have won in a 24-20 victory.
