KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid against his former team in Philadelphia. Patrick Mahomes vs. Jalen Hurts. The Kelce Brothers.
This was a Super Bowl script meant for Hollywood.
There are endless storylines as the top two teams from each conference are set to battle each other for a shot at the Lombardi trophy in Super Bowl LVII.
The Chiefs are in familiar territory reaching their third Super Bowl in four seasons.
Anything short of at least a Super Bowl appearance with Mahomes and Reid at the helm is viewed as a disappointment and will be for years to come.
Many expected the Chiefs to fall short of this destination.
The team lost top receiving target Tyreek Hill in the offseason, brought in a whole new cast of playmakers, had a plethora of rookies step into big roles, had their star QB suffer a sprained ankle before the AFC Championship.
Well, the rookies made plays when the Chiefs needed it most in the AFC Championship, including interceptions from Jaylen Watson and Joshua Williams. Skyy Moore had a 29-yard punt return with under a minute remaining to help set the Chiefs up for the game-winning field goal
Mahomes was—in the simplest terms—Mahomes. Going 29/43 with 326 yards and two touchdowns, numbers that have become common for the 27-year-old.
This was supposed to be the year—if any—the Chiefs took a step back. Someone else was set to take reign of the AFC.
So, the question remains: if not now, then when?
The rookies should only get better, the Chiefs will have more cap space this offseason and 11 picks in the upcoming draft, and Brett Veach has proven time and time again he has what it takes to fill the rosters needs.
Reid isn’t going anywhere and Mahomes looks as if he’ll be the best player in the league for a while as the 27-year old already has a Hall-of-Fame resume.
A second Super Bowl in four years can put the Chiefs in some very exclusive company, and surely we’d have to bring up that one word that has been floating around when discussing this team:
Dynasty.
The last team standing in their way this year is the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles have been the best team in the NFL all season, yet it seemed like people still didn’t take them seriously enough.
They’re headlined by MVP candidate in Hurts, but are strong in every phase of the game and have studs such as Hasson Reddick, Brandon Lane and Jason Kelce.
But, the Eagles weren’t necessarily supposed to be here.
They overachieved last season by sneaking into the playoffs last season with first-year head coach Nick Sirianni.
While they came into the season with high expectations—especially after the offseason addition of AJ Brown—a Super Bowl appearance may have seemed a little surprising.
Their path was a little bit different than Kansas City’s, coasting to their second Super Bowl in six years but with a completely different team and coaching staff.
They had hardships of their own, including a shoulder injury to Hurts during the final stretch of the regular season.
The Eagles team that won the Super Bowl in 2017 was dismantled just a few years after the franchise’s first title, so their hasty rise back to the top of the NFC is very impressive considering where they were even just a season ago, which is a credit to GM Howie Roseman.
Both teams—while in the championship now—are also set up to contend for Super Bowls for years to come.
So, to Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles fans—two of the best fanbases in all of sports—Enjoy the ride, cause history shows it doesn’t happen often.
