It was really unfortunate that I had to miss the majority of the Championship Games. I can’t really provide too much commentary, therefore, but sadly, I do have to say that I am 0 for 2, as both of my picks, the 49ers and the Bengals, lost. I’ll break down the games from what I saw, though.
49ers vs. Eagles
I did see a bit of the game on the go, but as a 49ers fan, it was painful to watch in detail. After the injury to Brock Purdy, the 9ers had their fourth quarterback take the field—and, it was very obvious he was not ready. The Eagles took advantage of that and ate the 9ers offensive line alive. But, the 9ers game got worse from there when 4th Quarterback (QB) Josh Johnson himself was ruled out after a hard hit that caused a concussion. At that point, the 9ers were struggling for QB depth and had to turn to Christian McCaffrey as the 5th option. McCaffrey did not play long as Purdy came back soon, but the 9ers had limited offensive strategy as it became increasingly obvious that Purdy’s ability to throw was significantly hampered by his injury, so they turned to relying almost solely on the running game. The disheartened 9ers defense tried to keep the Eagles attack at bay, and at many times players like Fred Warner and Nick Bosa stepped up to make plays, but it just wasn’t enough. All in all, the Eagles had over 15 minutes more possession, 14 more first downs, and almost a 100 more total yards. While the game was an absolute disaster from a 49ers perspective, credit must be given to the Eagles for capitalizing on the situation and playing ‘up’ not ‘down’. The Eagles will go into the Super Bowl with a lot of confidence after such a commanding playoff presence.
Bengals vs. Chiefs
I watched a lot less of this game, so I won’t be able to say much. I will, however, give credit to Mahomes, as even with his ankle injury, he got his team through. In my last piece, I mentioned the importance of Mahomes’ teammates stepping up for him, and I think that played an important role here. The plays helped give Mahomes time in the pocket and allowed him to make quality throws. The evidence supports this, as he threw for 326 yards and 0 interceptions. The Chiefs defense also stepped up as they sacked Burrow 5 times and made 2 interceptions. Burrow didn’t have a terrible game himself—he threw for 270 yards. The score reflects this—it was by no means one-sided, and the game came down to the last few plays and the unnecessary roughness call on the Bengals, which brought the Chiefs into field goal range. I think that the Chiefs will be very happy to have bagged this one, but are wary that they go into the Super Bowl as the underdogs. This is something the Chiefs don’t experience a lot—they are veterans of the Super Bowl and consistent playoff contenders. I think that’s going to make the Super Bowl all the more exciting.
Super Bowl Predictions
Chiefs vs Eagles
Two of the highest scoring offenses are to play each other in this year’s Super Bowl—the Eagles (3rd highest) and the Chiefs (highest). This game features some of the youngest quarterbacks to play in a Super Bowl and some of the best talent we have seen this season. With two really amazing teams, big games like these come down to small margins. For this reason, I have to back the Eagles in this game.
They have shown consistency and dominance throughout the entire season, and they are firing at full capacity right now. A host of Chiefs injuries make it hard to back them even with the counterbalancing effect of Mahomes (even though the status of Mahomes’ own injury will play a role too). They might have been able to scrape through the Championship Games, but many of these injuries came during that game, which has caused a further hit to their depth. While some are beginning to practice again, others are still not practicing and are listed as questionable for the Super Bowl (found at https://www.chiefs.com/team/injury-report/). These players include Mecole Hardman, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Kadarius Toney. While Andy Reid is optimistic about the return of Toney and Smith-Schuster, he hasn’t been the same about Hardman. These three wide receivers will be important to a Kansas’ passing game, so their not being at full health can potentially have bad implications. The health of these players may also have an impact on the Chiefs’ offensive strategy, exposing weaknesses during the game that the quick and adaptable Eagles defense will exploit.
Along with this, if Mahomes is not at full health and can’t use his running game as an additional play option, that can also have issues, considering that this Eagles team has some of the most sacks this season and Mahomes might not be able to have as much time in the pocket. The Eagles have some insane statistics this season, with four players with 10-plus sacks in a season and a total number of sacks that earns them a spot as the third-most in a season in NFL history.
I’ve discussed the Chiefs offense vs. the Eagles defense, but the matchup between the Eagles offense and the Chiefs defense will be just as important.
The Eagles’ running game has proven to be successful, especially in the Divisional Game against the Giants. That could come into play here again, as the Chiefs have been quite poor against the running game, allowing 4.7 yards per carry (ypc). Because of how strong both teams are offensively, the role of the defense becomes all the more important. In a game of small margins, the Chiefs’ defensive abilities can make or break the game–especially since they are the weakest link here.
While the 49ers defense was not playing in ideal conditions and thus could not have been at the top level of play, they are still one of the best defenses that the Eagles have faced all season. Therefore, it was crucial that the Eagles prove they could win the game on offense as much as on defense— and they very much delivered.
They’ve broken records this entire season and I don’t see a reason it stops now. They have the most rushing touchdowns in an NFL season. They also became the fourth team to get 300-plus passing games and five 200-yard rushing games each in a season which speaks to the power they have to make running and passing plays and be potent in doing so. The offense leads the NFC in yards per game and points per game. And, the list goes on.
To add to the clear and overwhelming evidence of the depth of their squad, the Eagles have the most Pro Bowl selected players with eight selections and nine alternates.
The superb offensive line is especially highlighted. They have given Jalen Hurts the time to make the impressive plays he’s completed all season. So, rightly so, every member of the offensive line was chosen either as a selection or alternate for the Pro Bowl.
What’s making the Eagles so special this season? And, what makes me and so many others believe they can win it all? Despite the 49ers lack of a stable quarterback, the same sentiment has been reiterated—their superb depth offensively and defensively, and their coaching staff, pulled them to the Championship game. The Eagles have one up on them—they have the coaching, the depth on both sides of the ball, and unlike the 9ers, the QB as well. I say they bring it home for Philadelphia.
