Super Bowl Predictions

Opinion posted February 9, 2023 in CommRadio, Sports by CommRadio Sports department

After a wild NFL season, it all comes down to the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles to battle it out in Super Bowl 57.

It was a monumental season for third-year quarterback Jalen Hurts, and he has a great opportunity to add a Super Bowl title to his young career.

Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are back in the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons, looking to avenge that 2021 loss to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.

The last time two No. 1 seeds met in the Super Bowl was 2017, the same year the Nick Foles magic propelled Philadelphia to its first-ever Super Bowl title.

With the Big Game just four days away, here are our predictions for Super Bowl 57.

Connor Fenix:

With it being their third Super Bowl appearance in four seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have replaced the New England Patriots in terms of an NFL Dynasty — with the Mahomes-Reid duo trying to mask the Brady-Belichick legacy.

This is a great matchup for both teams, and the Eagles have made a lot of key acquisitions both before and during the season to try to one-up that 2018 Super Bowl squad.

The Eagles have formed the talent that could compete with any team in all facets, but now meet a team with similar characteristics.

I think these past two weeks are imperative to making sure the Chiefs are completely healthy, with Mahomes riding a manageable ankle injury and Travis Kelce playing in the AFC Championship when he was listed as a game-time decision.

It goes without saying, but Andy Reid is one of the greatest coaches in NFL History, and there had to be a good reason behind Reid’s firing of Nick Sirianni after taking over as Chiefs head coach in 2013.

Since this is a great matchup for both teams, that alone will be enough to keep this game close throughout the entirety.

I think Reid’s experience gives him an edge in a matchup of two highly aggressive head coaches.

Prediction: Chiefs 27, Eagles 24

Matt Cabram:

The tale of two one-seeds facing off on the greatest stage of the game. With both of these teams being very fun to watch on both sides of the ball, only one can come out hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.

Both of these teams are looking for another title in recent years, for Philadelphia, it was the upset win over Tom Brady and the Patriots in 2018. Kansas City’s most recent title came over a late comeback win over the 49ers in 2020.

While Patrick Mahomes has been dealing with a recent ankle injury, the Chiefs superstar says he’s ready to go, after finally getting over the Joe Burrow hump winning the team's third AFC Championship in four seasons.

The game changer for the Kansas City offense is tight end Travis Kelce who also is 100% after dealing with back problems in the AFC Championship game.

For the Kansas City defense, it’s Chris Jones.

Jones was the difference maker in the AFC title game forcing the Cincinnati quarterback to extend plays uncomfortably.

The Eagles are having a dream season to remember. Coming into the season the team was just outside the top 10 in best odds to win the Super Bowl.

Jalen Hurts is having a true MVP season himself for Philadelphia, going 14-1 in the regular season the Eagles struggled to win a few games without Hurts under center.

The difference maker for the Philly offense is A.J. Brown, who had the single-season record for most yards by an Eagles wide receiver with 1496 yards and 11 touchdowns.

For the Eagles' defense, it is Haasan Reddick who posted 16 sacks and 49 combined tackles with 34 being solo and five forced fumbles.

If the Chiefs can avoid the Eagles' defense coming full force and allow Mahomes to be Mahomes, the Chiefs will prevail.

Prediction: Chiefs 34, Eagles 31

Darian Capobianco:

Two MVP candidate quarterbacks, two of the league’s best coaches on two of the most exciting teams in the league. But only one can come out on top.

Both teams are elite in their own ways. The Chiefs have excelled through the air, while the Eagles have been dominant on the ground.

In a battle between two star-studded offenses, the pressure will inevitably be placed on each team’s defense. The turnover battle and the ability of each team to limit the other’s offense will be key factors.

Defensively, the Chiefs rank near the middle of the pack in the NFL while the Eagles have had a top-five defense nearly all season long.

The X-factor for Kansas City will be tight end Travis Kelce. The Eagles' secondary outmatches the Chiefs receiving core, however, Kelce poses a mismatch.

With that being said, I believe if the Eagles manage to contain Kelce, the run game and defense of the birds will give them the upper hand in this matchup.

Prediction: Eagles 34, Chiefs 27

Rob Cardini:

I’ll start off by saying I think this game is going to be the best game of the year and one of the best Super Bowls of all time.

Both of these teams are loaded with talent and have been able to use that talent better than any other teams thus getting them to the Super Bowl.

When it comes to the Chiefs they got their revenge against the Cincinnati Bengals two weeks ago and have found their way back to the Super Bowl. But the question is are they healthy enough?

The Chiefs are very optimistic about their injuries including Patrick Mahomes, L’Jarius Sneed, Juju Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney.

As for the Eagles, not much to talk about from an injury standpoint.

They’ll try to get their run game going early and often vs this Chiefs defense which has been top 10 against the run this year.

On the flip side, one area to watch may be their rush defense which is middle of the pack and worse on the road this season.

Overall, I think that this will be a back-and-forth game that is decided by a final drive and a game-winning field goal. And if that is the case I’ll take the experience and mastery of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes to come out on top. 

Prediction: Chiefs 30, Eagles 27

Connor Fenix is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cjf5726@psu.edu.

Matt Cabram is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email
mwc5817@psu.edu.

Darian Capobianco is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email dpc5734@psu.edu.

Rob Cardini is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email rvc5706@psu.edu.