Super Bowl LIX Preview
By Mark Nagi
Ugh. Are we really doing this again?
Super Bowl LIX is coming up on Sunday, featuring the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. Like the dynastic Patriots, the Chiefs are the darlings of the league and seem to get every break known to man from the officials. QB Patrick Mahomes has had nothing but success since entering the league. Their tight end dates the biggest pop star on the planet. The Chiefs are trying to become the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls.
No one wants to see this.
Their opponents are the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles, whose fans are among the most vile and disrespectful in American sports. This is the fanbase that threw snowballs at Santa Claus and cheered when Michael Irvin lay motionless on the field. They were so out of control that a jail cell and judge were inside the old Veteran’s Stadium to deal with unruly fans. A win on Sunday would make them so happy.
No one wants to see this.
However, this is the last meaningful football game to be played for over six months so we take what we can get. I’ll be hate watching, along with most of America.
If looking for a Tennessee connection, offensive lineman Trey Smith plays for the Chiefs. He was picked in the 6th round of the NFL Draft in 2021 and trying to win his third Super Bowl title.
And that’s about it. If given a choice between the Chiefs, Eagles and a meteor… I’m choosing the meteor.
Kansas City is not only trying for a three-peat, but their fourth Super Bowl in five years, and their fifth in team history. That would place them in a tie with San Francisco and Dallas for third most all-time. Pittsburgh and New England are tied at the top with six Super Bowl wins each. The Philadelphia Eagles are playing in this game for the fourth time and hoping to win their second Super Bowl.
This is a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, only two years ago. Kansas City won that game 38-35, thanks in part to a questionable defensive holding call that benefitted the Chiefs (huge surprise, I know).
The QBs are the same, Mahomes at KC and Jalen Hurts with Philly. The defenses feature most of the same players as in 2023. But the newcomer difference maker in this game is Philadelphia RB Saquon Barkley. He spent six years with the Eagles NFC East division rival New York Giants before signing a free agent deal with Philadelphia last offseason.
All he did is rush for 2,005 yards during the regular season, while gaining 323 yards in their two postseason games while scoring a combined five TDs. The Chiefs didn’t have to worry as much about the Eagles ground game two years ago. They must worry about it now.
If you own a television set or a smartphone, you know that sports betting is legal in Tennessee. The folks in the big, shiny buildings in the Nevada desert have KC as a slight favorite, 1.5 points the last time I looked.
A few years ago, I should have started betting the kids’ 529 plans on Kansas City Money Line. The combination of coach Andy Reid, Mahomes and all-time in-game good fortune would have made paying for college no problem.
Alas, my wagers are of the small bill variety. Super Bowl LIX won’t change my life financially… but it will emotionally because one of these unlikable teams will take the Lombardi Trophy.
Can’t wait for college football to start again in late August.
