Yes, ladies & gentleman the rumors are true. The great state of Texas will be showcasing a starting QB for each Super Bowl team. The Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes will be representing Whitehouse, Texas while the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts is representing Channelview, Texas. For those of us from Texas this is nothing new. The past 4 of 6 Super Bowl winning Quarterbacks have been from the state of Texas. 2018 Nic Foles, Philadelphia Eagles by the way of Austin, Texas, 2020 Patrick Mahomes, Whitehouse, Texas, 2022 Matthew Stafford, Dallas, Texas and this year we will have either Mahomes or Hurts. The other two Super Bowl winners were none other than.. yup, you guessed it.. Tom Brady. Mississippi is also tied with Texas with the most representatives from its respective state with nine. Ok ok enough with boasting about Texas. Let’s get into this game!

My Case for the Kansas City Chiefs:

Patrick Mahomes is the best QB in the NFL and it really isn’t that close. He has the accuracy, arm strength, mobility and intelligence that puts almost all to shame. Mahomes will be facing the best pass defense in the NFL but the Chiefs do have the best offense. The Chiefs’ offense will be at full health, which includes JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kadarius Toney, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and everyone else. In the Eagles’ losses they had turnover issues. In their loss to the Redskins - Washington had 25 1st downs, 57% on 3rd down (good), ran twice as many plays as Philly, ran for 152 yards and forced 4 turnovers. Dallas had the same exact success against Philly with 4 turnovers highlighted. Neither the Redskins nor Cowboys jumped out quickly against the Eagles. They both kept scoring and were able to grind down the Eagles and then forced them to commit turnovers. This is what the Chiefs do, they run their offense, which will be scripted the whole first quarter by HC Andy Reid. After the 1Q Andy Reid will have a good sense of where this game will be going. This is another edge I give the Chiefs, the coaching! It is so important in games like this and they have some of the best.

The Chiefs’ defense is not pieced together with scraps like they have been in the past. They are middle of the road in the categories the Eagles’ defense is 1st place in. L’Jarius Sneed is healthy. Frank Clark and Chris Jones are some of the best pass rushers you’ll find. People also forget who is behind this defense. It’s Steve Spagnuolo, 2x Super Bowl Champion, that has been coaching for 40+ years at a high level. The man who devised game plans to defeat Tom Brady & Bill Belichick in multiple Super Bowls and playoffs. The Eagles use their run to set up the passing game. Some would categorize the Eagles offense as or similar to a college offense but it suits Jalen Hurts well. The Redskins were able to grind out the clock and capitalize on the Eagles’ mistakes. I mention this because Hurts had 1 interception but the other 3 fumbles were by position players. Something that doesn’t happen often. When the Cowboys forced turnovers it was against Gardner Minshew the backup QB. It’s so difficult to figure out the Eagles based on their losses.

The handicap I have been thinking about in my head for the Chiefs is this:

Jalen Hurts came back from injury after just short of a month and faced the Giants in the last game of the regular season. He played poorly. The next week they earned a bye in the playoffs and they didn’t play until the next round against the Giants. The Giants were beat up after a blood bath against the Vikings on the road. Giants’ QB Daniel Jones put his whole body on the line in that game rushing, passing basically willing the team across the finish line. The Eagle pass defense ate them alive and so did Hurts. The next round the Eagles faced the 49ers. The 49ers lost its starting QB (3rd string) the second drive of the game and its 4th string QB just before half time. The Eagles were 33% on 3rd down that game. 49ers have a great defense but The Eagles offense looked out of sorts especially with the 49ers defense being on the field the majority of the game (37 min possesion). If the Chiefs can put this type of pressure on Philly I believe they will crack like we spoke about above. Chiefs just need to grind this game out until a mistake is made or they force Philly to make a mistake. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense is very capable of putting the screws to Philly. They’ll need to get first downs and keep scoring. It’s when the Eagle defense stops offenses from scoring, then grind THEM down, submitting teams into submission. I feel Patrick Mahomes and the offense will score and make things difficult for the Eagles. Just take a look at the Eagles’ schedule, they have not faced an offense anywhere near the Chiefs’ caliber and that’s what I’m betting on. Mahomes, Andy Reid & Steve Spagnuolo. The Eagles are not battle tested and that would scare me if I was them. The Chiefs have been through the ringer and will be ready come kick-off.

My Case for the Philadelphia Eagles:

If the Eagles are going to win this game they will need a simple game plan. Run the ball, lean on one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and do not turn the ball over. The Eagles have a stable of running backs. All of them are short, which makes it perfect to hide behind that big offensive line pushing forward 4 yards at a time. This will enable the Eagles to open up the passing game using all of its weapons. Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and the others conduct massive problems for any defense. Unlike Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts has great talent around him that rise his game to an elite level. Mahomes is elite and his game elevates those around him (except Travis Kelce). The Eagles’ defense will need use its #1 pass rush to rattle Mahomes and force turnovers. This game feels dead even and the difference will be turnovers, pass rush and the running game. Oh, Philly has the best pass defense? They will need to prove it or they won’t win the game. If they prove it then Eagles will win this game and will have the opportunity to grind this game out. Who forces the turnovers?

My handicap for the Eagles: I can see Philly using its running game early in the game to try and dictate the pace / time management of the game. This will open up the passing game as well. Philly will want to score first of course so they can release their pass rush and have the pass defense play freely. Philly does not want to play catchup with the Chiefs. That is a game the Eagles will not win. So, if the Eagles can run it, open up the pass and release the pass rush there is a good chance they are successful. If they can force the first turnover that will give them the head start they need and they have the defense to do it. Again, this isn’t Daniel Jones off a blood bath (or in general) or against injured Brock Purdy. They are going toe to toe with NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes. You have the best defense in the NFL? They’ll have to prove it.

Pick: Kansas City Chiefs +1; over 51:

Let’s bring this all together now. I love Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid & Steve Spagnuolo in this game. Literally the three best at what they do. Experience matters in games like the Super Bowl. These three also have a sour taste in their mouths after getting their teeth kicked in by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady and blowing a 21-10 lead to the Bengals in the NFC Championship last year. Those demons were exercised two weeks ago. The Eagles are new to this party. Will their lack of experience matter? I’m willing to bet it’s a major factor. The games the Eagles lost, the game went over the total of 51. If the Chiefs are the first ones to break the ice then that puts the pressure on the Eagles to pass the ball and abandon the run - Philly’s worst nightmare. It’s not that the Eagles can’t throw the ball but it’s when they are FORCED to throw it - they have issues. I feel strongly whoever flinches first and commits the 1st turnover will probably lose the game unless that TO happens immediately in the game where there is time to recuperate. I WON’T PLAY the total personally but it does correlate with the Chiefs like the Eagles correlates with the under.

Who do yall think is going to win? Let us know in the comments!

Enjoy the big game, DDSN Nation.