Chiefs vs. Eagles: 4 Super Bowl story lines, 3 X-factors, 2 unsung heroes and 1 prediction

When: 5:30 p.m. Sunday

Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.

TV: Ch. 9

Line: Eagles by 2½

FOUR STORY LINES

1. Aggressive GMs pay off in Super way: Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman boldly assembled a Super Bowl champion five years ago, disassembled it within the next three years and then aggressively built the team favored to win Super Bowl LVII. "To get to the top," said Roseman, "you probably have to risk being at the opposite end." Among his moves, Roseman signed free-agent linebacker Haason Reddick, swung a blockbuster draft-day trade for receiver A.J. Brown, stole safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson from the Saints, acquired yet another pass rusher in Robert Quinn at the trade deadline and beefed up the run defense with Ndamukong Suh and former Viking Linval Joseph. In Kansas City, GM Brett Veach traded star receiver Tyreek Hill for five draft picks and then built a home-run draft class. "You can't just sit back and wait for things to happen," Veach said. "You have to make things happen."
2. Reid, Sirianni have a history: Andy Reid, 64, is the winningest coach in Eagles history (140) and would match Hank Stram's Chiefs record of 129 wins with a second Super Bowl victory in four years. Nick Sirianni, 41, is Philly's second-year coach and, oh yeah, the guy Reid fired as a position coach when he took the Chiefs job in 2013. Hard feelings? Nah. At least not publicly. "I remember Andy lifting me up in that moment, telling me good things, knowing I would get back on my feet," said Sirianni, who posted a franchise-record 14 wins this season. "He gave me strength when I was down." A decade later, it's Sirianni who stands between Reid and a win that would crown the first NFL dynasty of the post-Brady era.
3. A list of firsts for Mahomes, Hurts: A league once known for automatically switching Black college quarterbacks to different positions will have two of them starting against each other in a Super Bowl for the first time. "It's history," said Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. His opponent, the now-two-time league MVP Patrick Mahomes, paid tribute to the past while looking to the future, saying, "The guys that came before me and Jalen set the stage for this, and now I'm just glad we can kind of set the stage for the kids that are coming up now." Speaking of "kids," the 27-year-old Mahomes and the 24-year-old Hurts are the youngest pair of opposing Super Bowl quarterbacks. They're also the first pair of native Texans and the first pair with Big 12 backgrounds to face off on the game's biggest stage. In five years as a starter, Mahomes is 74-19, reaching the AFC title game each year and the Super Bowl three times. Once considered only a bridge to Philly's future, Hurts is 24-9 in his two seasons as a full-time starter.
4. Defensive lines make the difference: Including playoffs, only 13 NFL players have at least 12 sacks this season. Four of them work for an Eagles team that has a 10-man defensive line rotation. Reddick (19 ½, including 3 ½ in the postseason), Josh Sweat (12 ½), Javon Hargrave (12) and Brandon Graham (12) are the first foursome of teammates to post double-digit sacks in a season. After posting 70 regular-season sacks – third-most in league history – the Eagles have added eight more while holding the Giants and 49ers to a combined 14 points. Meanwhile, in Kansas City, the Chiefs' No. 2-ranked sack attack (55) is led by All-Pro Chris Jones, a versatile interior player who has 17 ½ sacks — including two in the playoffs — and can wreak havoc anywhere along the line.

THREE X-FACTORS

1. Can Philly stop Travis Kelce?: The 33-year-old veteran tight end, a unanimous first-team All-Pro selection, is a smack-dab-in-the-middle-of-the-radar guy everyone in the world knows is going to get the ball. A lot. And yet he's seemingly always open. Including playoffs, he has 131 catches this season, 104 of which have resulted in a touchdown or first down. Linebackers Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards aren't bad in coverage, but Kelce can't be single covered. Safeties Gardner-Johnson and/or Avante Maddox, who should be good to go from a toe injury, will be needed to contain one of the best tight ends ever.
2. Is Watkins one too many weapons for K.C. defense?: Hurts tied the Philly franchise record for total touchdowns (35). DeVonta Smith set its mark for receptions (95) while A.J. Brown was doing the same for receiving yards (1,496). And the Eagles also set a team record for rushing touchdowns (32). In other words, K.C.'s defense has a lot to worry about. Is there enough left to keep tabs on speedster Quez Watkins? The receiver, who burned the Vikings' defense with a 53-yard score in Week 2, has only 35 catches, including two in the postseason. But his ability to rip the top off the defense will make the Chiefs pay if they aren't careful.
3. Which offensive line wins the day?: Oh yeah, there's another first-team All-Pro Kelce in the game. His name is Jason, he's 35 and his impact in the middle of the Eagles' offensive line is as considerable as his younger brother's highlight-reel catches are for the Chiefs. Philly's offensive line hasn't allowed a sack or a single hit on Hurts in the postseason. The Chiefs' offensive line isn't quite as good, but it's in much better shape than it was two years ago when both starting tackles were out and Mahomes had to run for his life while suffering a Super Bowl beatdown by Tampa Bay. Mahomes was sacked 26 times this year, but teams tend to blitz him at their own risk. He threw a league-high 17 touchdown passes against the blitz this year.

TWO UNSUNG HEROES

1. Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon: The former Viking, a nine-year veteran who spent two of them on injured reserve (including a Super Bowl season in San Francisco), has had a quiet postseason with 43 yards and no touchdowns on 17 carries. He might, however, be part of the answer to beating the Eagles' pass rush. An excellent receiving back with eight of his nine receiving touchdowns in the final six regular-season games, McKinnon can greatly enhance a quick-release attack if the Chiefs need to go that route.
2. Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell: A fifth-round draft pick in 2021, Gainwell can add to his standing as an unsung hero of the Eagles' postseason. After 240 yards rushing in the regular season, Gainwell has 160 yards and a touchdown on 26 playoff carries (6.2 yards per carry). The 5-9, 200-pounder is hard to knock off balance and is an excellent changeup to the rest of Philadelphia's running attack. Just ask the Giants, who got clobbered for 112 yards and a touchdown on just 12 Gainwell carries.

ONE BOLD PREDICTION

The Chiefs have the reigning MVP at quarterback and an all-time great coach on the sideline. But this game will be won at the line of scrimmage, which Philadelphia will own on both sides of the ball. On offense, Hurts will start off nervously and throw an early interception, but will settle in behind excellent protection. Defensively, the Eagles' never-ending tidal wave of pass rushers eventually will overtake Mahomes, who will be stripped of the ball by Hargrave – Philly's sixth sack of the game — while trying to pull off a game-tying drive in the final two minutes. Eagles 31, Chiefs 24