Super Bowl LVll is here and it’ll have several significant storylines with the AFC and NFC champions entering Glendale, Arizona with several similarities.
The Super Bowl will be a rematch of a 2021 regular season meeting in which Patrick Mahomes threw five touchdown passes and the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 42-30.
In last season’s matchup, Reid returned to Philadelphia and earned his 100th career win with the Chiefs, becoming the first coach in NFL history to win 100 games with two teams.
Reid’s 140 victories with the Eagles are the most in franchise history.
The 2021 matchup was also a coming-out party for Jalen Hurts who threw for a career-high 387 yards and two touchdowns but Philadelphia (1-3) couldn’t keep up with Kansas City’s high-powered offense.
With preparation underway for both teams, here are ten early storylines to watch in Super Bowl LVll.
1
Andy Reid vs. the culture
Philadelphia is a gold standard organization in the NFL and that model of consistency started in 1999 when a fresh new owner in Jeffrey Lurie hired the former Packers assistant.
Reid would go on to become the winningest coach in Eagles franchise history (1999-2012) and he’ll now face his former team as coach of the Chiefs.
Reid led the organization to five NFC championships and one Super Bowl, where Philadelphia lost to the New England Patriots in 2004.
2
Hurts vs. Mahomes
Sunday’s matchup will feature two All-Pros and it’ll be a historic situation as Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts will be the first Black quarterbacks to face off in a Super Bowl.
The matchup between Hurts and Mahomes comes 35 years after Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl.
Mahomes became the third Black quarterback to win the Super Bowl in 2020 and is aiming to become the first Black quarterback in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowls, while Hurts could become the fourth Black quarterback to win the Lombardi Trophy.
3
Kelce Bowl
For the first time in Super Bowl history, brothers will lock horns when Eagles’ All-Pro center Jason Kelce and Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce face off in the big game.
4
Rematch
It was only a regular season contest, but Philadelphia and Kansas City have some familiarity ahead of the Super Bowl.
Sunday will be a rematch of a 2021 regular season meeting in which Patrick Mahomes threw five touchdown passes and the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 42-30.
In last season’s matchup, Reid returned to Philadelphia and earned his 100th career win with the Chiefs, becoming the first coach in NFL history to win 100 games with two teams.
5
Nick Sirianni chasing franchise history
The confident head coach will look to join Jaguars’ Doug Pederson as second-year coach in Philadelphia that earned a No. 1 overall seed, and a Super Bowl victory.
Pederson’s underdog 2017-18 squad was led by backup quarterback Nick Foles, while Nick Sirianni’s 2022-23 was the top team from start to finish, and has an MVP candidate in Jalen Hurts.
6
Haason Reddick returning to where it almost ended
When the Cardinals drafted Haason Reddick out of Temple, the idea was that the Camden, New Jersey native would blossom into a talented middle linebacker.
The Athletic’s Zach Berman did a great job out outlining the career-defining position switch Reddick requested ahead of the 2020 NFL season.
Fast forward almost three years, and Reddick has had 10+ sacks with three different teams, including 16 during the 2022 regular season and 3.5 more during this postseason run.
On Sunday, Reddick will return to where it all started professionally and where it almost ended.
7
Mahomes limping into Super Bowl?
The NFL MVP frontrunner, Mahomes has been playing injured since having to leave and return during the divisional win over the Jaguars.
Mahomes again played through his ankle injury in the AFC title game, throwing for 326 yards on 29 completions with two touchdowns. Mahomes’ late fourth-quarter scramble play combined with a Bengals personal foul led to a game-winning field goal.
Will the Kansas City Pro Bowl quarterback be mobile enough to survive the Eagles’ pass rush?
8
Trench dominance on defense
Both quarterbacks will be on the run Sunday when Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes face two all-world pass rushes.
For Kansas City, Chris Jones is an All-Pro can be dominant, while Frank Clark is among the NFL leaders all-time in postseason sacks.
Philadelphia will counter with five players who had 10+ sacks, and they’ll be led by Haason Reddick and Javon Hargrave.
9
Andy Reid fired Nick Sirianni
Nick Sirianni’s first NFL coaching job came with the Chiefs as an offensive control coach under Todd Haley. Sirianni was promoted and spent one season as the assistant quarterback’s coach in 2010 under Haley.
He then was named as wide receivers coach under Romeo Crennel during a 2-14 season. When Reid was hired as Kansas City’s head coach in 2013, Sirianni was not retained.
10
Chiefs wide receiver injuries
They are hurting at wide receiver, making Patrick Mahomes’ performance that much more magical.
Mecole Hardman is doubtful to play with a hip injury, while JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Kadarius Toney (ankle, hamstring) are both questionable.
Kansas City will lean on Travis Kelce even more.
