NEW ORLEANS — Of course we know that no NFL team has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls. No three-peat, ever. Nine teams have won back-to-back Super Bowls, but none of them have ever even made it to a third straight — until now.
The Chiefs are in position to do something unprecedented. Standing in their way on Sunday in Super Bowl 2025 in New Orleans is the opponent that put the three-peat in motion.
It was two years ago that the Chiefs came back to beat the Eagles, 38-35. Two years later, the Eagles are back, as are the Chiefs, and away we go.
With a victory, the Chiefs can lay claim to elite dynasty status. This is their fifth Super Bowl appearance in the past six years, with the top quarterback (Patrick Mahomes) and top head coach (Andy Reid) winning three Lombardi Trophies and one victory away from a fourth.
Though the Chiefs went 15-1 in games they cared about in the regular season — they rested their starters in the season finale — their point differential was just 59 points. That would be the fifth-lowest by a Super Bowl champion. They went 12-0 on one-score games.
The Eagles stand in their way. Led by a stunning outbreak from free agent addition Saquon Barkley (Giants fans, avert your eyes here) — 2,005 rushing yards during the season and 442 more yards in three playoff victories — the Birds are as complete a team as you will see.
They went 14-3 and are coming off a 55-23 demolition of the Commanders in the NFC Championship game. Their offensive and defensive lines can dominate, and often do just that. In three postseason games, the Eagles have 10 takeaways and no turnovers. That is a winning combination.
Eagles pass offense vs. Chiefs pass defense
Is Jalen Hurts on the upswing? He was at his best two weeks ago in the NFC title game, completing 20 of 28 passes for 246 yards and one touchdown for a quarterback rating of 110.1 It was just the second time since the middle of November he reached 200 passing yards.
The Eagles were a disappointing 29th in the NFL in passing offense, a brutal ranking considering the receiving talent they have with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert. Plus, Barkley is a more-than-capable pass-catching option.
The Chiefs were 18th in the league in pass defense and the trade of their top cornerback L’Jarius Sneed to the Titans continues to be felt. The cornerback tandem of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson (who came off injured reserve at just the right time in the postseason) will be challenged mightily by Brown and Smith.
The key for the Chiefs to hold up on the back end is their pass rush, which was not strong in the regular season (39 sacks, compared with 55 and 57 in 2022 and 2023, respectively). The pressure rate in the two playoff victories has risen, though, and DT Chris Jones is too much for one blocker to handle.
Lest we forget, Hurts on the big stage two years ago was great in his first Super Bowl, with 374 total yards and four touchdowns in the loss to the Chiefs.
Edge: Eagles
Eagles run offense vs. Chiefs run defense
Saquon Barkley, meet Steve Spagnuolo. This is the best running back in the league vs. one of the NFL’s top all-time defensive coordinators. Barkley has turned into a modern-day version of Barry Sanders, without the negative runs.
He has seven touchdown this season of 60-plus yards, the most in NFL history. He ran for 2,005 yards in the regular season and, incredibly, has picked up his pace in the playoffs — with 442 yards in three games, plus five touchdowns. He needs 30 yards to pass Broncos Hall of Famer Terrell Davis for the most rushing yards in a season, including the playoffs. It helps that Barkley averages twice as many yards as any other player in the league before initial contact with a defensive player.
He runs behind the league’s best offensive line, anchored by elite tackles Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata. Chiefs linebackers, Nick Bolton (106 tackles), Drue Tranquill (94) and Leo Chenal (60) will stick their nose in as run defenders, and Jones is not merely a pass-rusher — he will make the needed run stops.
In addition to the headache that is Barkley, Hurts is a gifted runner and the Chiefs faced an NFL-high 50 quarterback scrambles during the season, allowing 7.5 yards per run.
As far as the Tush Push, the Chiefs defended it excellently two weeks ago against the Bills, but the Eagles are the masters in this short-yardage play.
Edge: Eagles
Chiefs pass offense vs. Eagles pass defense
Every year, it seems, Patrick Mahomes is asked to do more with less. His targets are far from intimidating, though skinny Xavier Worthy is a legit speedster. He led the Chiefs with six touchdown catches this season, a modest number for a team leader.
Tight end Travis Kelce (97 receptions) remains a weapon but not a gamebreaker at age 35. Now-healthy Hollywood Brown and past-his-prime DeAndre Hopkins are only decent options. JuJu Smith-Shuster had just 18 receptions during the season but he came up big two years ago in the Super Bowl. Despite Mahomes’ greatness, it is no wonder the Chiefs were just 14th in the league in passing offense.
The Eagles bolstered their secondary in a huge way, adding rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean into the starting lineup alongside veteran Darius Slay. The Eagles were No. 1 in the NFL in pass defense. Mitchell and DeJean were both finalists for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson had six interceptions this season.
If given time, Mahomes can carve up anyone, and he is the best in the business in buying time when pressured. The Eagles had 70 sacks two seasons ago in their run to the Super Bowl, but this year’s group has just 41 sacks, as defensive coordinator Vic Fangio does not send the heat with blitzes very often.
Up front, the Chiefs are forced to mix-and-match with their offensive line, and right tackle Jawaan Taylor can be a problem — he was second in the league with 14 penalties. Under Fangio, free-agent signing Zack Baun became a Pro Bowl linebacker, and he can get after Mahomes. Look for DeJean to get a crack at covering Kelce. Mahomes elevates everyone.
Edge: Chiefs
Chiefs run offense vs. Eagles run defense
Where would the Chiefs be without Kareem Hunt? He was not in the NFL when Isiah Pacheco went down in Week 2 with a broken fibula. Hunt, a Chiefs’ third-round draft pick in 2017 who was most recently with the Browns, called up Andy Reid and a deal was struck.
Hunt has been a lifesaver, leading the team with 728 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He runs hard, as does Pacheco, who returned from injury to provide a strong 1-2 punch. Still, the Chiefs finished 22nd in the league in rushing offense, averaging just 105.3 yards per game.
The Eagles, led by massive and athletic Jalen Carter, are tough to run against — 10th in the NFL, allowing just 104.2 yards per game in the regular season. Carter after a sluggish rookie year is living up to his lofty draft status (No. 9 overall in 2023). He leads the Birds with 12 tackles for loss.
Baun has been a revelation. He was a nondescript player in four seasons with the Saints, and in his first season with the Eagles he had 151 tackles. The loss of linebacker Nakobe Dean (128) tackles to a torn patellar tendon in the playoff victory over the Packers was a tough blow.
Hunt and Pacheco fight for every yard but neither is a game-wrecker, as far as busting loose for huge gains. Mahomes, of course, cannot be discounted here. He glides and darts and tiptoes for yardage not on designed runs but on unscripted scrambles, especially on third down.
Edge: Eagles
Special Teams
What has happened to Eagles kicker Jake Elliott? He used to be near-automatic and a top-notch long-range threat but not this season. He went 1-for-7 in field goal attempts of 50 or more yards in the regular season and missed a 54-yarder in the NFC title game.
The Chiefs’ Harrison Butker missed a month of the season, and he is a proven big-game performer. He has not missed a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter or overtime in his postseason career.
Punters Matt Araiza (Chiefs) and Braden Mann (Eagles) are close in most statistical categories. Samaje Perine had a 56-yard kickoff return this season. Kenneth Gainwell averaged 25.3 yards on kickoff returns.
Edge: Chiefs
Coaching
Andy Reid has 29 playoffs wins in his storied career — 18 with the Chiefs and 10 with the Eagles. He is three wins away from Bill Belichick’s record for the most in NFL history. This is the sixth time he has taken a team to a Super Bowl, tied with Don Shula and behind only Belichick’s nine Super Bowl appearances. You get the point we are making here?
If the Chiefs win, it will be Reid’s fourth Super Bowl triumph, tying him with Chuck Noll of the Steelers for second, behind Belichick’s six Super Bowl wins. His top lieutenant, defensive guru Steve Spagnuolo, is the only coordinator in league history to win four Super Bowls — three with the Chiefs, his first with the 2007 Giants.
Nick Sirianni made the Super Bowl in his second year as a head coach at any level, but the Eagles’ meltdown late last season was rough for him. He has the Birds flying, and is 53-25 in the regular season and the postseason.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is 0-8 against Mahomes.
Edge: Chiefs
Intangibles
Despite what they say to the contrary, there is pressure attached to going for the first three-peat in NFL history. The Chiefs could feel it late in a tight game. There is also a narrative that the Chiefs get the calls at the critical times, and that is something for the Eagles to confront and overcome, if need be. Mahomes is already a Hall of Famer in waiting, and he is becoming one of the greatest big-game players in league history. If he has the ball late in a close game, he is an intangible all unto himself. How does the Chiefs edging the Eagles in the Super Bowl two years ago affect the headspace of both sides? There are legions of Taylor Swift fans rooting for boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Chiefs. Do with that what you will.
Edge: Chiefs
