Chiefs-Eagles: Super Bowl 2025 predictions, picks, odds
ESPN staff
Jan 27, 2025, 06:15 AM ET
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are officially headed to Super Bowl LIX, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 9, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
With two weeks until the big rematch, we're taking an early look at what you can expect in the matchup. Lindsey Thiry sets it up with what to know, and our NFL Nation reporters Adam Teicher and Tim McManus pick reasons for hope and concern for both teams. Seth Walder gives you some key stats, Matt Bowen picks a key matchup and Eric Moody pulls out an X factor. Aaron Schatz answers big questions surrounding the final game of the season, Dan Graziano judges one potential overreaction and Ben Solak explores the quarterback matchup. And finally, we have early gut-reaction predictions from our experts.
Will Saquon Barkley and the Eagles' offense dominate? Could Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs really pull off the three-peat? Here's everything you need to know.
This a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, which capped the 2022 season and put the Chiefs on a path toward a historic Super Bowl run. The Chiefs came from behind to defeat the Eagles in that game, 38-35, then went on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in Super Bowl LVIII last season. Now, as the Chiefs make their fifth Super Bowl appearance in the past six seasons, they can become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win three consecutive championships.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid will make his sixth Super Bowl appearance, tying Don Shula for the second most behind only Bill Belichick (nine), and quarterback Patrick Mahomes ties John Elway with the second-most Super Bowl appearances (five) for a starting quarterback. To earn a historic three-peat, Mahomes and the Chiefs must accomplish what few other teams have: Slow down quarterback Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley and get by the Eagles' top-rated defense.
After a 2-2 start, Nick Sirianni -- making his second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons as Eagles coach -- made adjustments that enabled the Eagles to win 12 of their final 13 regular-season games. Barkley, who arrived in Philadelphia via free agency over the offseason, led the NFL with 2,005 rushing yards. In the Eagles' three postseason wins, Barkley has scored five touchdowns. Hurts has won five playoff games since 2022, the second most in the NFL during that span behind Mahomes.
Kansas City Chiefs
Regular season: 15-2 | AFC seed: No. 1
Reason for hope: The Chiefs won't necessarily have to score a lot of points to win their third straight Super Bowl because their defense has consistently kept them in games. Kansas City finished the regular season ranked fourth in scoring defense (19.2 points per game). The pass rush, which had 10 sacks combined against the Texans and Bills this postseason, has also been productive of late.
Reason for concern: The protection for quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been shaky at times. Mahomes was sacked 36 times in the regular season, the most in his career, and another five times in the playoffs. The Chiefs benched three different players at left tackle before settling on Joe Thuney, who shifted outside from left guard. The consistent pressure contributed to Mahomes' 67.6 QBR, the second-worst full-season mark of his career.
Philadelphia Eagles
Regular season: 14-3 | NFC seed: No. 2
Reason for hope: The Eagles have the best defense and running game in the NFL -- and they have worked hand in hand. Saquon Barkley is an explosive play waiting to happen, as we saw on the Eagles' first snap of the NFC Championship Game, and he's backed by an offensive line that eventually wears down any opposition through four quarters. With that style of play, it's no surprise Philadelphia ranks No. 1 in time of possession (32:22). That means less stress on a defense that plays with the same type of bully mindset. The defense specializes in taking the ball away, the offense rarely turns the ball over and both sides are as physical as it gets. That makes the Eagles capable of beating any team.
Reason for concern: The passing game has left something to be desired. Some of that can be attributed to a purposefully conservative approach. With the ground game and defense performing at such a high level, there has been an increased focus on not turning the ball over through the air. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has been excellent in that regard, giving the ball away just three times since the Eagles' Week 5 bye. Still, the scheme borders on predictable, and the product should really be better with talents like A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith running routes.