The Matchup

It’s been a long time coming. After a disaster of championship weekend, the big game is finally here. You could have made an argument for really any of the teams in either championship to be here but with a little bit of luck (5 downs), the Chiefs prevailed. The Eagles were also very fortunate to have played against the weapon that is Joshua Johnson. In my opinion I think they should have given CMC (Christian McCaffrey) another chance aside from that poorly designed trick play. Nonetheless, Haason Reddick broke through that line like swiss cheese and Trent Williams was a little more than upset. The Chiefs are also going to have some things to work out before Sunday the 12th.

If the defense stays at the same level of mediocrity it has been at all season, the Eagles will have no problem handling them. Chris Jones is going to have to play even better than he did in the championship in order for them to have a shot at stopping that corny option play they do like every down. And just like every reporter or sports analyst you have listened to in the past week, the key to the game for the Eagles will be running the ball as efficiently as they have all season. They have four dudes that can find the gaps in the line and turn it up the field. Boston Scott is every bit of 5’6” and still looks unstoppable out there. I also have no idea how they’re going to guard A.J. Brown and Devonta “Smitty” Smith, I couldn’t name one defensive back on the Chiefs besides that Nick Bolton guy who is respectfully mid. I get that he racks up tackles and whatnot but is he really about to stop either of those guys? It seems the Eagles just have infinite options with what they could do on each play. I can really see this game going anyway, but as long as Mahomes is healthy, I think this will be an excellent matchup scoring-wise and not a rematch of Patriots vs Rams in 2018.

The Storylines

Chiefs: After having a bumpy road through the playoffs, having to get past the Jaguars and the Bengals in 2 close games, the Chiefs are looking to win their 2nd Super Bowl in 5 years in their 3rd appearance over the same span. One of the major questions entering the game is the status of QB Patrick Mahomes, who suffered an ankle injury against the Jaguars and was clearly feeling the effects in the Bengals game. He has had limited mobility in the playoffs so far, so the 2 week break between the AFC Championship and Big Game should do him good to recover.

Eagles: Jalen Hurts has broken onto the NFL scene this year. He is an MVP finalist and has become what people always hoped Lamar Jackson would be. The Eagles offense has been more than efficient with him on the field especially because of the rushing attack. Defenses have had a hard time dealing with the read option attack from Jalen Hurts, Miles Sanders, and even Kenneth Gainwell has gotten involved. The addition of A.J. Brown has also proved to be a valuable component of the passing attack, certainly being worth the price of the trade.

Kelce Bowl: This Super Bowl will feature another interesting matchup within the game. The Kelce brothers, Travis and Jason will be playing on opposing teams in this game. Travis, the All-Pro TE for the Chiefs, and the #1 target for Patrick Mahomes will be facing off against his older brother Jason, the All-Pro center for the Eagles. This will be the first time since the beginning of the Super Bowl era that 2 brothers will start on opposite teams. The only other instance came in Super Bowl 47 back in 2013, when brothers Jim and John Harbaugh coached against each other for the Ravens and 49ers, respectively.

AMHS Predicts

Based on the votes cast in the poll sent out last week Academic Magnet favors the Eagles to be the Super Bowl 57 Champions. While more than half of students predicted that the Eagles would score between 24 and 32 points, more than a quarter of them thought the Chiefs would score between 33 and 40 points. This most likely means that those who selected the Chiefs to win thought that they would win by a larger margin of victory. The Chiefs were the only team that had a response which predicted that they would have a score of over 41 points. We will have to see if the data collected in the poll is accurate or if there are just too many Eagles fans at AMHS.

Big Time Players

In the biggest game of the year, there absolutely needs to be big time players. Both teams this year are anything but short of talented rosters. The Eagles specifically have one of the most talented rosters I have seen in a while. Both sides of the ball are littered with x-factor players who can single-handedly change the game. The key to each team winning the game is through the use of their big time players who have been cooking all season. Here are some of the notable names from this season and postseason. 

Eagles: Where do I even start? Jalen Hurts? AJ Brown? Even Devonta “Smitty” Smith looks arguably more dominant than he did in his heisman season. Not to mention the versatile running back room. Miles Sanders and Jalen Hurts have been unstoppable all season (Unless you’re the Commanders). Even the random RB2 options have been doing their part. Kenneth Gainwell had over 100 yards in their matchup against the Giants. Boston Scott has like 100 touchdowns this season. Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce both haven’t even allowed a sack in the past two years or something like that. The offense isn’t even the best part (yeah it is idk why I said that). BIg time game for big play Slay? Especially if he’s guarding like MVS (Marques-Valdez Scantling) or someone, a perfect opportunity to patent the name. The defensive line features well known names like Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and edge rusher Brandon Graham who caused havoc for the beast Joshua Johnson in the NFC championship. I think it’s safe to say Andy Reid is going to have a tough time stopping this team.

Chiefs: The Chiefs are also anything but short of a talented roster. Travis Kelce is on pace to be the best tight end of all time. Pacheco and Mckinnon have torn it up this year and heavily expanded the Chiefs “one dimensional offense” or whatever the public calls it. Also does anyone have any idea why Pacheco runs like that. I get he’s trying or whatever but I’m like eighty percent sure stomping while you run does not make you any faster, to each their own though. Not to mention the NFL MVP of this season, Patrick Mahomes. I’m no Chris Collinsworth, but you have to give credit where credit is due. His ability to extend plays for that long everytime is the reason the Chiefs are where they are now. I am a very firm believer that by the time his career is over he will be better than Brady. The two week rest is great as well for him battling that ankle issue (although he played up that injury unbelievably hard). The Chiefs also have playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. Willie Gay and Nick Boloton are very solid secondary members. But the star of the defense can be found on the defensive line. Chris Jones has been one of the most effective pass rushers this season and has been an unstoppable force in each playoff game. If he plays at the level he has been all season then the Chiefs will be able to hang around with that star studded offense and possibly even bring home another Lombardi. Defense wins championships.

Players from Palmetto State

The Super Bowl will feature many players with connections to South Carolina universities and high schools. From nearby Fort Dorchester high school, former high school teammates Carlos Dunlap of the Chiefs and Robert Quinn of the Eagles will be facing off on the biggest stage in all of football.

Clemson will have representatives from both teams. Specifically, they will bolster the Eagles secondary with K’Von Wallace and Mario Goodrich. The Tigers will be represented on the Chiefs by reserve receivers Justyn Ross and Cornell Powell. The University of South Carolina will unfortunately not have any active roster players competing in Super Bowl 57.

Other Things to Note (Halftime & Gatorade Bath)

One of the integral pieces each year to the Super Bowl, the halftime show will be headlined by 9-time Grammy winner, Rhianna. The show will now be sponsored by Apple Music instead of the previous sponsor, Pepsi. Another question that many people are waiting to have answered is who will join her on features of certain songs. A few popular predictions to make an appearance are Jay-Z, Calvin Harris, Shakira, and Eminem.

One interesting fact to consider about this game is that whichever team comes out on top of the largest event on tv of the year, will have the most wins of any team in State Farm Stadium this year. The Arizona Cardinals, which had 8 home games at this stadium only had 1 win all season, meaning that either the Eagles or Chiefs will have more wins in the stadium for the entire 2022 season than the team that consistently plays there.

A favorite of viewers to predict, the Gatorade bath that will rain down on the winning head coach is one of the most highly bet on events of the entire game. The favorite according to Academic Magnet students is yellow, Lemon-Lime flavor, which was the same color used last time the Eagles won in Super Bowl 52.

Keys to the Game

The main factor that should influence the outcome of this game will be the high volume of the Eagles’ rushing attack. As a team they average 147.6 yards per game this season. They have not lost a game when they rush for over 100 yards as a team. They have had 5 games this season in which they have rushed for over 200 yards as a team, all of which have easily turned into wins. The Chiefs allow 107 yards per game rushing against them, so if they have an average performance, the Eagles should have their way with the outcome of this game.

The factor the Chiefs can control on offense is the ability of Patrick Mahomes as a playmaker. His unique ability to extend plays while protecting the ball and minimizing turnovers is something that fewer than a handful of quarterbacks in the league have. This should allow for those late-game heroics and comebacks from the Chiefs as long as the game is within reach late in the 4th quarter.

Final Predictions

When asking the popular AI engine, ChatGPT about a scenario in which this is the Super Bowl matchup, it stated that the score would be 42-28, with the Chiefs coming out on top. It also predicted that the MVP would be Patrick Mahomes, passing for over 400 yards and 5 TDs.

Here, we will make our official picks and score predictions, providing rationale and our picks for MVP in each case.

Jack: Eagles – 28, Chiefs – 24, MVP: Jalen Hurts MVP because of dual-threat passing and rushing attack. Boston Scott touchdown from the 1 yard line will be crucial to ice the game, holding off the Chiefs.

Noah: Chiefs – 31; Eagles – 21, MVP: Travis Kelce because of 3 receiving TDs and a clutch play to put away the game late. Eagles go up 10-3 and then Chiefs come storming back to take the lead right before halftime. The offense will open up in the second half and then Kelce will stake his claim for MVP with 2 touchdowns on consecutive drives.

Guest Picker (Boris Pekar): – “