The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t just playing to win a Super Bowl—they’re looking to put a stamp on what could go down as the greatest dynasty in NFL history. It would not only be their fourth Lombardi in six years, they would become the first to accomplish a Super Bowl three-peat. Not to mention all of the “GOAT Talk” surrounding Mahomes and Tom Brady. But despite all that, Stephen A. Smith believes it’s actually the Philadelphia Eagles that have more to lose here.
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One would think that, with the Eagles coming into this one as 1.5-point underdogs, they would have less pressure. However, Stephen A. says a loss would be “a bigger failure for the Eagles” because the Chiefs have already proven their consistency when it comes to deep playoff runs.
Meanwhile, Philly will only get so many “bites at the apple,” with the rest of the NFC field improving at breakneck speed, Stephen A. adds.
“How many bites at the apple are you going to get if you’re the Philadelphia Eagles? … There’s no guarantee… Nobody has guarantees, please don’t get me wrong, but Patrick Mahomes is as close to a sure thing as it gets. There’s no sort of thing with the Philadelphia Eagles. And as a result, the opportunity is here for you, and if you miss it, it might be long, long time before we see this opportunity again for them,” the leading analyst said.
Smith mentioned that the Eagles were somewhat lucky that the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions had such an egregious injury crisis at the end of the season, because they were viewed as the better NFC team. There’s also the young and up-and-coming Washington Commanders, and we’ve also seen what the Los Angeles Rams are “capable of doing with Matthew Stafford.”
He didn’t even mention the San Francisco 49ers, who are bound to bounce back in 2025, or any of the other three teams in the intriguing NFC North. Regardless, the NFC is about to get tough, so Philly needs to take advantage of this chance. To do so, they’ll need to minimize Mahomes’ impact.
Eagles’ key to victory is keeping the ball out of Mahomes’ hands
In seven years as a starter, Patrick Mahomes has won seven division titles, reached seven AFC Championships, won five AFC titles, and triumphed in three Super Bowls, winning Super Bowl MVP in each of them. He is 17-3 in the playoffs, including nine straight wins coming into Super Bowl 59.
Needless to say, Philadelphia’s path to success in this Super Bowl will surely involve limiting the number of plays and the amount of time Mahomes gets on the field. Stephen A. believes the Eagles can do that by staying true to their offensive identity with a grind-it-out rushing attack.
“The Philadelphia Eagles starting offensive line stands an average of 6’6″ and 338 pounds… So I’m thinking about Saquon, and I’m thinking about that massive offensive line, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘What’s the best possible formula you could utilize to neutralize Patrick Mahomes?’ How about keeping him on the sidelines? Who’s capable of doing that? The Philadelphia Eagles, because you can run the ball on them.”
If they can manage to do that, the Eagles have a great chance of winning this one. As Smith also noted, apart from the QB position, the Eagles are the much better roster on paper.
“The Eagles are perceived as being the better team. The only negative thing people say about the Eagles is that they don’t have Patrick Mahomes. But everything else, you look at their defense, they’re ranked No. 1. You look at their offensive line, they’re ranked No. 1. You look at Saquon Barkley… We look everywhere with the Philadelphia Eagles and we think, collectively, they’re better.”
Their well-rounded roster is another reason that losing this game might feel like a bigger failure for the Eagles. They seemingly have advantages in every aspect of the game except under center. So, if they can somehow remove or reduce that Mahomes advantage, the Eagles should emerge victorious.
