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January 30, 2025
Throughout the week of the Super Bowl, we'll take a much more detailed look at the Philadelphia Eagles' and Kansas City Chiefs' rosters, and how they match up. But for now, let's take an initial look at their starting lineups, and try to figure out which team is better, on paper. We'll start with the offense.
When dissecting Jalen Hurts' career and even just his 2024 season, opinions are all over the map. Let's look at the pros and cons.
• He doesn't turn the ball over. He has gone nine straight games without throwing an INT, and he has thrown just one INT in his last 15 games. That's a pretty big "pro."
• He is a weapon with his legs, in a number of different ways:
• Throws a pretty deep ball down the sideline.
• Underrated accuracy from the pocket.
• He's 46-20 in regular season games, and 5-3 in the playoffs. He has also shown up in big games, notably the 2022 Super Bowl, and the 2024 NFC Championship Game.
• He holds onto the ball for an eternity.
• He is too cautious at times, and can be hesitant to throw with anticipation, preferring instead to see the receiver come open before he'll let it rip. (The above con and this one go hand-in-hand.)
• He has been hesitant to work the middle of the field.
While not a top 10 passer in the NFL, Hurts is pretty clearly a top 10 quarterback, as he probably doesn't get enough credit for his contributions to the best rushing attack in the NFL.
There really isn't a pros and cons list for Mahomes. It's just all pros. Like, he's even an elite flopper. When his career is over he'll be in the conversation for greatest football player of all time.
Edge: Chiefs, duh.
The Chiefs' RB1 this season was Kareem Hunt, with Isiah Pacheco playing more of a supporting role. Let's just do Saquon Barkley's numbers vs. all the Chiefs' running backs' numbers, combined
RB (reg season + playoffs) | Rush | Yards | YPC | TD |
Saquon Barkley, Eagles | 411 | 2447 | 6.0 | 18 |
All the Chiefs' RBs combined | 394 | 1451 | 3.7 | 11 |
Edge: Eagles, duh.
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith form one of the best WR duos in the NFL, though they took a bit of a back seat to Barkley and the rushing attack this season. The Eagles WR3 is just in there to run clear-outs (Jahan Dotson) or block (Johnny Wilson). Opposing defenses barely even need to cover those guys.
The Chiefs' one big loss this season was Rashee Rice, whose season was off to a great start before he injured his LCL and hamstring. The Chiefs' top receivers' numbers:
Chiefs WRs | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
Xavier Worthy | 59 | 638 | 10.8 | 6 |
DeAndre Hopkins | 41 | 437 | 10.7 | 4 |
Justin Watson | 21 | 289 | 13.1 | 2 |
Juju Smith-Schuster | 18 | 231 | 12.8 | 2 |
Hollywood Brown | 9 | 91 | 10.1 | 0 |
Worthy ran the fastest 40 time in the history of the NFL Combine, and is the Chiefs' most dangerous receiver. Brown only played in two regular season games, but he played the second-most snaps of the receivers in the AFC Championship Game.
Otherwise, the Chiefs have a couple of recognizable names in Hopkins and Smith-Schuster, who are both experienced vets, but have played better football at other points in their careers.
Edge: Eagles
After missing significant time during the regular season, Dallas Goedert has been a bit of an X-factor in these playoffs, as he has caught 15 passes for 188 yards and a highlight reel TD.
Travis Kelce has nine catches for 136 yards and a TD (in one fewer game).
In my opinion, Kelce has long since overtaken Rob Gronkowski as the greatest tight end in NFL history, and he remains the best skill position player in the Chiefs' offense.
Edge: Chiefs
The Eagles' and Chiefs' offensive lines look like so:
Team | LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
Eagles | Jordan Mailata | Landon Dickerson | Cam Jurgens | Mekhi Becton | Lane Johnson |
Chiefs | Joe Thuney | Mike Caliendo | Creed Humphrey | Trey Smith | Jawaan Taylor |
The Chiefs tried a few different guys at LT, but none of them played well, so they moved Thuney, formerly the LG, out to LT, and he has solidified the position. Still, the Chiefs have holes at LG and RT.
The Eagles have the best offensive line in the NFL. Mailata, Dickerson, Jurgens, and Johnson all either made the Pro Bowl or the All-Pro team, and Becton has had a resurgent season at RG.
Edge: Eagles
Position | Eagles | Chiefs | Advantage |
QB | Jalen Hurts | Patrick Mahomes | Chiefs |
RB | Saquon Barkley | Kareem Hunt | Eagles |
WR1 | A.J. Brown | Xavier Worthy | Eagles |
WR2 | DeVonta Smith | Hollywood Brown | Eagles |
WR3 | Jahan Dotson | DeAndre Hopkins | Chiefs |
TE | Dallas Goedert | Travis Kelce | Chiefs |
LT | Jordan Mailata | Joe Thuney | Eagles |
LG | Landon Dickerson | Mike Caliendo | Eagles |
C | Cam Jurgens | Creed Humphrey | Chiefs |
RG | Mekhi Becton | Trey Smith | Chiefs |
RT | Lane Johnson | Jawaan Taylor | Eagles |
• Chiefs: 5
The Chiefs have a significant edge at the most important position on the field, but the Eagles have the far better rushing attack.
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