This coming Sunday, the 2022 NFL season will come to its epic conclusion when Super Bowl LVII takes place in Glendale, Arizona. In this historic matchup, the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs will be taking on the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles. 

Both teams were the top seeds in their respective conferences, with both teams finishing their regular seasons at 14-3. In a season that was full of high stakes drama, both of these teams battled adversity in order to get to the biggest game of them all, Super Bowl LVII.

 Looking at the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles, they were viewed as the NFL’s top team from the opening kick of the season. A big reason for that was the Eagles high flying offense, led by MVP Finalist Jalen Hurts. Hurts had a fantastic third year in the NFL, throwing for 3,701 yards while completing 66.5% of his passes along with 22 passing touchdowns and 6 interceptions. 

He also was a force on the ground as well, rushing for 760 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. The Eagles’ quarterback couldn’t do what he was able to do this season without the plethora of weapons at his disposal. Newly acquired wide receiver AJ Brown is considered one of the biggest reasons Hurts was able to make a significant jump in his play in his second full year as the starting QB. 

Brown caught 88 passes for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was a dominant force and his impact was felt throughout the team. The Eagles’ second year Wide Receiver and former Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith surely felt the impact of having a top receiver on the team, catching 96 passes for 1,196 yards and 7 touchdowns. Look for Devonta Smith to be the X-factor on offense if the Eagles want a shot at bringing their second title home to the city of brotherly love. 

Defensively, the Eagles had one of the best defenses in all of football. Players like Haasan Reddick were a force to any opposing offensive line, tallying up 16 sacks. Defensive ends Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat also were forces to be reckoned with, with both players also tallying 11 sacks. 

In the secondary, All-Pro corner Darius Slay cannot be ignored, especially in a season where he had to shut down the likes of the league’s best wideouts, such as Justin Jefferson and Ceedee Lamb. If the Eagles want to have a chance to compete with Patrick Mahomes, the Eagles defense needs to step up in a big way and apply pressure on Mahomes if they want to secure the win. 

Speaking of Mahomes, the Chiefs were once again the AFC’s creme de la creme. Going into the season, everyone anticipated the Chiefs to take a step back this season due to the loss of stud wide receiver Tyreek Hill, along with serious acquisitions among other teams within their division. 

However, the Chiefs seemed to play as if nothing ever happened. All-Pro quarterback and MVP favorite Patrick Mahomes was flawless as always, throwing for an NFL record 5,250 yards and throwing 41 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Throughout the season, Mahomes has proven experts wrong and is leading one of the NFL’s most dominant and prolific offenses. 

Future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce continued to show why he is the top dog among NFL tight ends, tallying up 110 catches for 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns. Throughout the season, Mahomes and Kelce had help from other weapons within the offense such as wideouts Juju Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney, along with rookie running back Isiah Pacheco leading the way on the ground. 

Look for Mahomes to try to spread the ball around to his weapons in order to confuse and catch the stifling Eagles defense on their toes. Defensively, the Chiefs have the biggest game wrecker in the whole NFL, and I’m not talking just about defensive lineman Chris Jones, I am talking more specifically about Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. 

Throughout his career as a coach, he has found ways to shut opposing offenses down, including the likes of the NFL’s almost perfect team, the 2007 Patriots, where he was the Defensive Coordinator for the New York Giants. “Spags” as he’s called around the NFL, always finds ways to get the best out of his players and have them execute the game plan at the highest level. 

Spags is also fortunate to have game wreckers like Chris Jones on his D-line to disrupt opposing quarterbacks and offensive lines. The Chiefs defense could be the deciding factor in who wins the game and takes home the Lombardi trophy. 

This Super Bowl is lining up to be an instant classic. Not only does the Super Bowl have a bunch of legacies on the line, but it can spark the conversation that the Kansas City Chiefs are creating the NFL’s next big dynasty after the New England Patriots’ historic 20 year run. 

This game is also set to feature the first brother versus brother matchup in the Super Bowl, with Eagles center Jason Kelce playing against his brother and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The closest thing to something like this happening was Super Bowl XLVII where Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh coached against his brother, San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh. 

Needless to say, the NFL has had quite the turbulent season, with drama at every turn, but it can’t be understated that Super Bowl LVII is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing matchups we have seen in quite a long time.