Who will be the X-factors for Chiefs-Eagles in Super Bowl 57?
The NFL Up Vote crew debates who will be the x-factor for the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57.
Sports Seriously, USA TODAY
Super Bowl 57 is set.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, coach Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl for the third time in four years, looking to win their second championship together and third as a franchise.
Their opponent will be the upstart Philadelphia Eagles, whose rebuilding effort behind third-year quarterback Jalen Hurts and second-year coach Nick Sirianni have the franchise back in the big game for the first time in five years.
The Super Bowl is set for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The Eagles enter as a 1.5-point favorite over the Chiefs, according to Tipico Sportsbook.
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Here are five storylines heading into Super Bowl 57:
Andy Reid could win second Super Bowl – against his former team
Reid, 64, is a no-nonsense coach who has become endearing, never too shy to be himself or make others laugh at his own expense. He proudly wears Hawaiian shirts and professes his love for a good cheeseburger. He’s also one of the most accomplished coaches.
Reid was the Eagles’ coach for 14 seasons (1999-2012) and did mostly everything for the franchise – six NFC East titles, five NFC title games, one Super Bowl appearance – except win it all.
When he was fired by Philadelphia, Kansas City pounced at the opportunity to hire him, and it has been rewarded with 10 winning seasons, nine playoff berths and a Super Bowl during the 2019 season.
Reid has the respect and the résumé to match, and he has an opportunity to solidify his Hall of Fame career with a second Super Bowl title. To do it against his former team would be special, too.
Kelce brothers, Jason and Travis, reach ‘New Heights’ in Super Bowl
For the first time in NFL history, two brothers will face each other in the Super Bowl: Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles center Jason Kelce.
Both players were drafted by Andy Reid – Jason in 2011 and Travis in 2013. Both players already have a Super Bowl ring – Jason with the Eagles after the 2017 season and Travis with the Chiefs following the 2019 campaign. Both may go down in NFL history as one of the greatest players to play their respective positions.
Their podcast, “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce,” is ranked among the most popular podcasts in America, according to Chartable. Their next episode after the Super Bowl will surely be a must-listen, too.
Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts will be first black QBs to start in Super Bowl
The first Super Bowl with two black starting quarterbacks comes at a time when the NFL is navigating a crossroads of racial diversity among ownership, upper management and the quarterback position.
The NFL has:
► Two majority owners who are minorities (Jaguars’ Shad Khan and Kim Pegula, co-owner of the Bills).
► Seven minority team presidents (Bears’ Kevin Warren, Broncos’ Damani Leech, Ravens’ Sashi Brown, Raiders’ Sandra Douglass Morgan, Bills’ Kim Pegula, Jets’ Hymie Elhai, Commanders’ Jason Wright).
► Six minority head coaches (Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles, Texans’ DeMeco Ryans, Commanders’ Ron Rivera, Jets’ Robert Saleh and Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel).
► Nine minority general managers (Lions’ Brad Holmes, Bears’ Ryan Poles, Browns’ Andrew Berry, Commanders’ Martin Mayhew, Dolphins’ Chris Grier, Falcons’ Terry Fontenot, Steelers’ Omar Khan, Titans’ Ran Carthon, Vikings’ Kwesi Adofo-Mensah).
The league is also seeing a transformation at the quarterback position. There were 11 Black quarterbacks who were opening day starters this season, setting a new NFL record. While Mahomes will play in his third Super Bowl, Hurts will become the eighth Black quarterback to play in the Super Bowl.
Will Eagles offseason moves pay off with Super Bowl win?
The Eagles have undergone a massive transformation since they last appeared in the Super Bowl when they beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots to wrap up the 2017 season. They have moved on from quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Nick Foles and coach Doug Pedersen, among others. Eight players remain from the Super Bowl 52 roster.
To return to the Super Bowl six seasons later is a major accomplishment for a franchise that has seen so much turnover.
Credit Eagles general manager Howie Roseman for executing Philadelphia’s rebuilding effort in quick order. Among his top moves: trading Wentz, firing Pederson, drafting Hurts and hiring Nick Sirianni as coach, acquiring receiver A.J. Brown and piecing together one of the best defenses in the NFL.
The Eagles started this season 8-0, won 13 of their first 14 games, clinched the NFC East and cruised past the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs.
How will Patrick Mahomes’ ankle hold up?
Mahomes’ recovery from a right high-ankle sprain and his dart to the sidelines that set up a game-winning field goal to help the Chiefs beat the Bengals in the AFC championship on Jan. 29 only added to his growing legacy.
How Mahomes’ ankle responds in the Super Bowl, two weeks after his last game, could be the difference in him securing his second Super Bowl ring.
Mahomes, Reid and the Chiefs have reached five AFC championship games, and this will be their third Super Bowl together. Their pursuit to repeat as champions after winning in 2019 was upended by Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020. And after losing to the Cincinnati Bengals last year in the AFC title game, the Chiefs have a chance to retake their claim as the NFL’s premier franchise with another Super Bowl title.
Mahomes also has a chance to further separate himself from the rest of the pack at the quarterback position. With Brady’s retirement, Mahomes could have more rings than any other active quarterback with his second championship.
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