Super Bowl Weekend 2025: Game Overview and Prediction
Welp, here we are.
Super Bowl weekend is upon us – and it may not be the game most people wanted – but it will be a thrilling game regardless between two of the grittiest teams in football. On the AFC side, the reigning champs are just one win away from making NFL history. On the NFC side, the runner ups from two years ago are looking for revenge on the back of their newly crowned Offensive Player of the Year.
In this article, I’ll go over how both teams got here, the x-factors needed to win, and then we’ll finish up with some fun player props for all my gamblers out there (please gamble responsibly).
Enough small talk. Let’s dive in.
(2) Philadelphia Eagles vs. (1) Kansas City Chiefs – Sunday, 2/9 6:30 PM EST
How they got here
For Kansas City, everything went right for them all regular season after patching up what few holes they had from last year. The acquisition of Xavier Worthy in the draft, a healthy Juju Smith-Schuster, and snatching DeAndre Hopkins from Tennessee halfway through the season put an end to the dropped-passes narrative that haunted them last regular season, and familiar names that stuck around and showed out on the defensive side were crucial in maintaining a top 5 run defense all the way up to the big game on Sunday.
Minus a hiccup against the Bills in week 11, it was evident all through the regular season that the Chiefs were the team to beat yet again – and the playoffs have been no different. Putting away a humming Texans offense and then arguably upsetting the Bills in the AFC Championship puts KC in prime position to go all the way, as they prove time and time again that they shouldn’t be doubted. Even though Patrick Mahomes didn’t put up stellar numbers and was never really in MVP talks, the efficient play-calling and field management of Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo continues to be uniquely effective in putting their team in position to win every game they play.
For the Eagles, they started off a little shaky (if you can call 2-2 shaky) and haven’t looked back since – as Saquon Barkley continues building his legacy as maybe the greatest free agency signing of all time. Only the ninth running back to rush for 2000 yards in a regular season, Saquon has been pinnacle to Philadelphia’s success this season.
Bringing back Vic Fangio to coordinate this young defense has worked wonders in fixing Philadelphia’s biggest problem last year as well, as this defense last season was cripplingly lackluster in the secondary (most fantasy points surrendered to WRs). This year, with the acquisition of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the draft, Philly did a complete 180 and became 1st in the league for yards allowed per game and 2nd in the league for points allowed per game.
X-factors
There are a lot of strengths on both sides of this matchup that certainly will be of significance to the outcome of this game. Obviously, this is two of the NFL’s best – and there’s no doubt that will be on full showcase this Sunday.
For the Chiefs, the most obvious advantage they hold is having Patrick Mahomes under center – who is fully capable of keeping his team in the game in any way you can think of. What will be most important for KC though is how well they are able to contain Saquon Barkley, who’s been wreaking havoc against every playoff opponent he’s faced so far.
Like I said before, Chris Jones and the Chiefs’ defensive front are stout, but Saquon has been a completely different monster all season. One other thing I’ll be paying attention to on the Chiefs’ side is how they’ll adapt their passing attack, which over the course of the season has become a very adaptable unit. I have no doubt that Vic Fangio will place one of his star rookie DBs on Travis Kelce, so it’ll be interesting to see how Matt Nagy and Andy Reid create open-field possibilities for their wide receivers if Kelce gets taken out of the game.
On Philadelphia’s side, the biggest thing I see them needing to do in order to win this game is figure out a way to run up the score. The Chiefs are currently tied with the NFL record for one-possession game wins at 17-0, so it’ll be crucial for Philly’s top defense to get a few stops and their offense to capitalize every time they have the ball.
This ties into my other point, which is that the Eagles cannot afford ANY turnovers. They’ve been good at holding onto the ball so far these playoffs, but the Chiefs forced THREE fumbles on Josh Allen two weeks ago, so I’ll be interested to see if and how often Jalen Hurts tries to utilize his escapability in crucial moments. It’s common knowledge that KC doesn’t make mistakes in the playoffs – so if the Eagles start to get messy, that’ll be a difficult hole to climb out of.
In conclusion
With Saquon, Philadelphia has created one of the most efficient offenses in football. Steve Spagnuolo has an excellent playoff defense, but there may not be a defense in existence that can stop his relentless workload and shifty speed. He by far is the most important piece in Philly’s recipe for success, as well as Kellen Moore’s pass attack targeting KC’s weaker secondary – which should be productive on the backs of Jalen Hurts and his top-tier receiving core.
With Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are well in contention against any opponent they face. They don’t need to have the flashiest offense in football, the tandem of Mahomes and Andy Reid just find ways to win, period. That said, it’ll be critical for KC to mitigate explosive plays from Saquon and to keep the score within fighting distance in their favor, which they consistently prove they can do in the playoffs.
Player props
With all the formal sports talk now out of the way, let’s take a look at a few player props I like for the big game:
Travis Kelce Anytime TD Scorer – It’s the Super Bowl, and Philly can’t contain him the entire game. He’ll play a part in KC’s shot at making history.
DeAndre Hopkins over 13.5 rec yds – With what Andy Reid will have to do to navigate Vic Fangio’s secondary, I’d be shocked if this didn’t hit.
Saquon Barkley under 22.5 rush att – While he arguably holds the key to an Eagles win, I wouldn’t be surprised to see this game get decided more so through the air.
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Score Prediction: Chiefs 27, Eagles 23
