Super Bowl LVII: Chiefs take on Eagles in battle of familiar foes

by Jacob Fuller

Rob Issa, FISM News

Andy Reid vs. his former team. Brother vs. brother. The Super Bowl LVII matchup is set and there are plenty of familiarities.

The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII (57) in Arizona on Feb. 12.

Reid won more games than any coach in Eagles franchise history before he was fired following the 2012 season. He went to Kansas City and has continued his success with the Chiefs.

“Yeah, I had a great time there. Fourteen years, long time, huh?” Reid said. “I’m happy for them, I’m happy for the city. They’re passionate. They love football. I can’t wait till when Kansas City and Philly clash, it is going to be awesome. What a great Super Bowl it will be.”

Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce will go head-to-head against his older brother, Jason, who is the Eagles All-Pro center.

“It has been a fun year for Travis and I on multiple levels,” Jason Kelce said. “It would be really special playing against him and Andy Reid and a lot of other familiar faces over there with the Chiefs.”

The Chiefs advanced with a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Playing with a sprained ankle, Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City on a game-winning drive. He scrambled for a first down and was hit late by Cincinnati’s Joseph Ossai for a 15-yard penalty that gave Harrison Butker an opportunity to win the game with a field goal. Butker drilled a 45-yarder with 3 seconds to go to send the Chiefs to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years. They beat San Francisco in 2020 and lost to Tampa Bay in 2021.

The Eagles are going to their second Super Bowl in five years. They defeated New England in 2018.

49ERS QB WOES DASH HOPES

Philadelphia dominated the 49ers in a 31-7 rout on Sunday. The 49ers once again found themselves with two hurt quarterbacks and this time with no one to bail them out.

Pro Bowl pass rusher Haason Reddick knocked rookie phenom Brock Purdy out of the game on a strip-sack in the first half. Then backup 49ers quarterback Josh Johnson suffered a concussion, forcing Purdy to return. Purdy couldn’t throw and handed the ball off on all but two plays.

The rookie third-string QB had led the 49ers to an 8-0 record after taking over when Jimmy Garoppolo was injured earlier in the year. Purdy will have an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of his elbow injury.

Jalen Hurts had one of Philadelphia’s four rushing TDs and now moves on to face Mahomes in the first Super Bowl featuring two black quarterbacks.

“I don’t really know how to feel to be honest,” Hurts said.

You work really hard to put yourself in this position and I’m forever grateful. Only God knows the things that each individual on this team has been able to overcome for us to come together as a team and do something special as a group. That’s what means the most. I always want to go out there and give my best regardless of what’s going on because I don’t want to let down the guy next to me. That makes us all go harder. I know I’ve been through a lot personally, but I don’t want to steer away from the direction of how good this team has been at playing together, being together, and challenging one another. When we experience some painful times and some tough times, we always found a way to overcome. You want to be going into a situation like this, and we have a chance to go out there and win it all, so we want to prepare to go do that.

The Eagles and Chiefs are both 16-3 and were the No. 1 seeds in their conferences. The last time both top seeds met in the Super Bowl was in 2018 when the Eagles beat the Patriots 41-33 to win their first Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The Chiefs are seeking their third Super Bowl title. Their first came against Minnesota in 1970.

“I would appreciate it way more. I mean I don’t want to say that in a bad way. I think when I first got in the league it all happened so fast. I won the MVP; I won the Super Bowl and I thought that’s just kind of how it went,” Mahomes said.

You were going to play, I listened to what Coach Reid say that stuff happens and now that I’ve dealt with failure and losing the AFC Championship and losing the Super Bowl, I know how much hard work and daily grind that it takes (to win) and so I’m just excited to get to that game with the teammates that I have here. There’s a lot of new teammates that haven’t been in these Super Bowl games so lets bring them along and prepare them so we can go out and put our best foot forward.

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