10, 9, 8, 7…
It was Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023 at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ: the site of Super Bowl 57. As the clock ticked closer to zero, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts made a last-ditch Hail Mary pass after Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker put the Chiefs up 38-35. This left the Eagles eight seconds to win the game and hopefully bring home their second Lombardi Trophy in five years.
Instead, it was the Chiefs, under the helm of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, that secured the win. They put themselves on the pathway to winning three Super Bowls in a row, something that had never been done before in the history of the National Football League (NFL).
Standing in their way of the so-called ‘Three Peat’ are the Philadelphia Eagles once again. Coming off a franchise tying record of fourteen wins, the 2024 Eagles are arguably better than the 2022 squad that faced the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57.
At 6 p.m. on Sunday Feb. 9, 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will meet once again at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA—a game that will either cement the Chiefs’ legacy or cap off a legendary season for the Eagles.
A lot has changed in the past three years since the Eagles and Chiefs faced each other. Chiefs’ tight end, Travis Kelce, is no longer seen as the best in the league with PFF ranking him the fifth best tight end after a lackluster season. Questions could also be raised about the state of the Chiefs after almost losing to teams such as the Carolina Panthers. The Philadelphia Eagles added New York Giants’ running back Saquon Barkley over the offseason while rumors swirled about the state of the Eagles offense following a six-game losing streak at the end of the 2023 season. Barkley is on track to beat the all-time rushing yards record—playoffs included—this season, and the Eagles’ offense has never looked better, even with the retirement of Eagles legend, center Jason Kelce.
Around Campus: How Students Feel About the Big Game
The return of the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl for the third time in three years is seen as controversial to many football fans with issues surrounding the referees’ treatment of Patrick Mahomes and controversial play calling.
While many people wished to see anyone but the Chiefs and Eagles play, a survey conducted at Rollins shows that 70 percent of people want the Eagles to win, with 27 percent responding that they simply do not want the three-peat to happen.
However, despite the acquired fanbase, most people are still predicting the Chiefs to come out on top. One respondent said, “It doesn’t matter how well or poorly they play, they seemingly always just find a way to win. That’s what the great teams do, find a way to win. The 2020s is the decade of the Chiefs.” Others mentioned the referees’ love for Patrick Mahomes with comments like, “Refs are in love with Patrick Mahomes” and “Kansas City Refs.”
Kansas City, Taylor Swift, and the Refs
On July 26, 2023, Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end, Travis Kelce, revealed on his podcast “New Heights” that he had tried to gift Taylor Swift a bracelet with his phone number on it following Swift’s show in Kansas City.
Two months later, on September 24, Swift showed up at a Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, cheering on the Chiefs alongside Kelce’s mother as the Chiefs took on the Chicago Bears, all but confirming their relationship.
In the months that followed, the Kansas City fanbase blew up with many young girls finding a reason to love football. Suddenly the Chiefs went from not only being one of the best teams in the league but being the most popular.
Viewing records jumped in 2023, even as the NFL faced complaints about her appearances during the games.
Controversy arose this season following incidents surrounding the penalties gifted to teams playing Kansas City. Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, who now is the play-by-play analyst of Monday Night Football, was disgusted by calls made by the referees during the Conference Championship against the Buffalo Bills. ESPN even released a graphic showing that in the playoffs since 2021, the Chiefs had been penalized a total of 33 times for 319 yards compared to 66 penalties for their opponents for 541 yards.
Beyond the controversy, the Chiefs have established themselves as a dynasty. Now the question just remains, can they make history?
Philadelphia and The Saquon Barkley Revenge Tour
Following the 32-9 Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January 2024, questions and rumors surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles started to spread. Coming off a Super Bowl run in 2023, the Eagles looked like they were guaranteed a spot in the big game, and then after losing six straight games flunked out in a disappointing Wild Card matchup.
Head coach Nick Sirianni was on the hot seat coming into the season, with questions looming about the behind the scenes relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
On March 13, 2024, it was announced that the Eagles were signing New York Giants’ running back Saquon Barkley. Barkley, 2018’s Offensive Rookie of the Year winner, was already seen as one of the best running backs in the league despite the Giants’ inability to win games.
Week Four of the 2024 NFL Season saw the Eagles get blown out against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 33-16, and people once again started to wonder: was this the end of both Sirianni and Hurts’ time in Philly?
What followed was a ten-game winning streak—highlighted by Barkley’s 2,005 rushing yards—losing only to the Washington Commanders, when Hurts exited the game with a concussion, and securing the Eagles as the number two seed in the NFL Playoffs.
After scoring a record 55 points in the Conference Championship against Washington, 21 of which came from Barkley including a 60-yard opening drive run, only one game remains.
A rematch is set between two of the best teams in the league, and whether folks are rooting for Taylor and Travis and their post-game celebration once again or for the greased light poles on Bourbon Street, Super Bowl 59 is bound to be a good game.
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