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The 2022-2023 NFL season was anything but predictable, but ultimately the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, the two number-one seeds, found themselves in the Super Bowl, which will be held Sunday, Feb 12. There are a plethora of compelling storylines highlighted, from brothers Travis and Jason Kelce facing off to Andy Reid coaching against his former team. This will also be the first Super Bowl that features two Black starting quarterbacks: Jalen Hurts for the Eagles and Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs. The two squads are pretty evenly matched, and this contest is littered with superstars on both sides of the ball. Will the Eagles capture their first Super Bowl in the Jalen Hurts era? Or will the Chiefs win their second Super Bowl under Andy Reid and cement themselves as a dynasty? Sam Weitzman-Kurker ’26 and Teddy Benchley ’26 offer their predictions below.
Sam: Why the Eagles will win the Super Bowl
There is no other way to put it, the Philadelphia Eagles have been the best team in the NFL this entire season. The Eagles are 16–1 and average 30 points in games that Jalen Hurts starts. The staple of the Eagles’ offense is a dynamic running game spearheaded by Hurts, who finished second in the league in rushing touchdowns despite missing two games. Philly’s passing game cannot be overlooked. The off-season acquisition of star wideout A.J. Brown has helped turn the Eagles into a top-10 passing offense by almost every metric. Defensively, the Eagles are middle-of-the-pack on defending the run, but make up for that with the best-passing defense. Much of Philly’s defensive success stems from their ability to pressure the quarterback. The Eagles recorded a league-best 70 team sacks this season, 15 more than any other team. The Eagles’ dynamic defense has been on full display so far this postseason, holding the Giants and the 49ers to a combined 14 points. Philly will now face Patrick Mahomes, who cannot even be compared to the likes of Daniel Jones, Brock Purdy, Josh Johnson, and Brock Purdy with one arm.
Mahomes and the Chiefs were the number one scoring offense this season. Fortunately for the Eagles, they enter this game with many injury concerns, chiefly (pun very much intended) Mahomes’ high ankle sprain, which clearly bothered the superstar quarterback against the Bengals. Wide receivers Mecole Hardman, Kadarius Toney, and JuJu Smith-Schuster all left the game early due to injuries. Mahomes’ health and mobility will be an X-factor considering how deadly the Eagles’ pass rush is. If Mahomes is unable to get outside the pocket when his offensive line breaks down, it could be a long day for the Chiefs’ offense. Even if Mahomes is fully healthy, it won’t be an easy task picking apart a defense that allowed under 200 pass yards per game. The Eagles’ balanced offensive attack and lockdown defense should be enough to knock off the Chiefs and bring the Lombardi Trophy back to the City of Brotherly Love. Prediction: Eagles win 30-22!!
Teddy: Why the Chiefs will win the Super Bowl
This is actually a pretty good matchup for the Eagles on paper, as Sam detailed above, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they win. But I really trust the experience of Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid. This is the duo’s third Super Bowl appearance in the past four years, and during this run they’ve seen everything—they’ve played from behind, they’ve played from ahead, they’ve played in shootouts, defensive battles, and more. These guys have been here before, and I don’t think that can be overstated. In contrast, this isn’t just Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni’s first Super Bowl; this is their first deep playoff run ever. They’ve barely played in close games this year (especially this postseason), and as impressive as their blowouts have been, having that experience in dogfights matters immensely. And this will be a dogfight. As Sam mentioned, Mahomes is completely different from Daniel Jones or the 49ers without a quarterback. The Philly pass rush will definitely bother him a little, but I think Kansas City running back Isiah Pacheco will be able to exploit their average run defense. In turn, the Chiefs’ success on the ground will open the field for Mahomes to attack the vaunted Eagles’ defense.
The status of Mahomes’ injuries, star tight end Travis Kelce, and the Kansas City wide receivers will all be crucial to monitor, but I think the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl will give them enough much-needed recovery time. The other side of the ball will be interesting, as Philly’s balanced offense faces off against Kansas City’s underrated defense. I could see the Eagles having some immediate success and jumping out to an early lead, which would slowly wither away as they start playing more conservatively and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo slowly figures them out. Ultimately, I think Kansas City plays from behind for most of the game until Mahomes leads them on a late touchdown drive to secure his second Super Bowl title at the ripe age of 27. Prediction: Chiefs win 27-24!
While we made arguments for both teams, this game is honestly a very close call. The Eagles have more all-around talent, but the Chiefs have the best quarterback-coach combination in the league. Regardless of who wins, this one is going to be good.
Some game predictions:
- Isiah Pacheco rushes for a touchdown
- Jalen Hurts rushes for the first touchdown of the game
- Rihanna has a legendary halftime performance
- Dallas Goedert goes for 50+ yards and a TD
We’ll be back post-game to check our calls and give a recap! Until then, have a great couple of weeks, and enjoy your Super Bowl Sunday.
Sam Weitzman-Kurker can be reached at sweitzmankur@wesleyan.edu.
Teddy Benchley can be reached at tbenchley@wesleyan.edu.