Five reasons the Eagles will win Super Bowl LIX

The matchup for Super Bowl LIX is set, and fans are getting a heavyweight rematch of Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

As we prepare for the big game on Feb. 9, the next two weeks will be filled with analysis and predictions. So, here are our reasons why the NFC champion Eagles are going to walk away with the Lombardi Trophy.

1. Saquon Barkley

Need we to explain this one anymore? The league MVP finalist recorded 2,005 rushing yards this season, a career-high, and posted 442 yards in the playoffs alone. Fans saw Sunday as Barkley tore the Washington Commanders up for three touchdowns in the NFC title game, and they can probably expect more of that in New Orleans.

Kansas City’s defense ranks eighth against the rush, allowing 101.8 yards per game during the regular season. Barkley may not put up record numbers, but he’s bound to be defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s – whom Barkley knows well from his time in New York – biggest threat.

2. Jalen Hurts’ knee isn’t an issue anymore

The Eagles quarterback entered Sunday with concerns about his left knee, which was wrapped in a brace pregame, but he quickly put those to rest with three rushing touchdowns and throwing for 246 yards plus another score. Kansas City’s defense ranks 18th against the pass (218.8 yards per game) and will have to contain Hurts on two fronts. That’s a recipe for disaster on the Chiefs’ part.

3. The offensive line is still elite

Philadelphia’s starting center, Cam Jurgens, played through a back injury on Sunday, and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to do so again in the Super Bowl despite what he told reporters postgame. Regardless, the Eagles’ offensive line was virtually unbeatable all year. The “tush push,” as it’s been dubbed, has become an unstoppable play in the team’s arsenal as experienced by Washington on Sunday.

The offensive line has also been a huge reason why Barkley exploded for a year full of career bests and broken franchise records. Jurgens and Co. will be tasked with handling Kansas City’s pass rush, which is no easy job, but if they can handle that then Philadelphia is on track to spoil the Chiefs’ three-peat quest.

4. The defense is still clutch

When these two teams previously met in Super Bowl LVII, Philadelphia allowed 38 points and 340 yards of total offense. Now, with the top-ranked defense in the league, the Eagles are primed to not make the same mistakes twice.

Philadelphia forced 29 fumbles this season and came up with four turnovers in clutch moments against Washington on Sunday. However, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw just 11 picks and the team has only lost three fumbles this year. Something’s got to give in the bayou and the edge belongs to the Eagles’ talons.

5. History is on Philadelphia’s side

No team in NFL history has won three consecutive Super Bowls. The Green Bay Packers won three straight NFL championships from 1929-31 and again in 1965-67, including the first two Super Bowls. Several dominant clubs have played in as many but never found the immortality Kansas City is chasing in the Super Bowl era.

That being said, there’s a first time for everything but the odds are stacked against the Chiefs. Despite Kansas City being favored by 1.5 points to open betting in Las Vegas, underdogs have won three of the last four Super Bowls and are 10-7 outright since 2007. The game will be determined on the gridiron but sometimes the numbers just don’t lie.