The final NFL matchup of the season is set with the Eagles against the Chiefs.
Philadelphia, while getting lucky regarding injuries with San Francisco losing both its quarterbacks in the first half, still showcased it biggest strength and dominated the 49ers in the trenches on Sunday. The Eagles posted four rushing touchdowns against the top run defense in football. Defensively, Haason Reddick posted two sacks, including a sack-fumble on San Francisco’s first drive of the game.
Brock Purdy getting hurt on that play ruined what could have been an incredible game, but it’s still worth noting that the Eagles showed themselves as worthy title contenders nonetheless. Philadelphia might have the best roster in football with the ability to beat you in a number of different ways. The Eagles won 31-7 despite Jalen Hurts throwing for just 121 yards. Miles Sanders scored twice with Boston Scott and Hurts accounting for the other two rushing scores.
The other side of the bracket featured Patrick Mahomes putting on a quarterback masterclass once again. Mahomes threw for 326 yards and a pair of touchdowns without a single turnover in the 23-20 win over the Bengals. He did so despite playing through a high-ankle sprain that deteriorated as the game went along. Mahomes was able to extend plays with his legs even with his limited mobility and ultimately helped the Chiefs seal the win with a five-yard scramble on 3rd-and-4 in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. A 15-yard personal foul for a late hit out of bounds set up Harrison Butker’s game-winning 45-yard field goal.
Marquez Valdez-Scantling was Mahomes’ top target in the game with six catches for 116 yards and a touchdowns. Travis Kelce chipped in with 78 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions.
On the Chiefs defense, it was Chris Jones who led the way with two sacks and five quarterback hits, showcasing why he’s a finalist for this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Kansas City hit Joe Burrow a whopping 12 times on Sunday, sacking him on five occasions.
Now we’ll get to see a finale that features the league’s top roster against a quarterback that is trending toward being the greatest of all time. There are storylines aplenty as Andy Reid will be facing his former team and Jason and Travis Kelce will be the first brothers to ever play against each other in the big game.
The big storyline over the next two weeks will be the progression of Mahomes’ ankle. He had a serious limp by the end of the game on Sunday, and it’s tough to project how close to 100% he might be able to get prior to kickoff. Kansas City possesses the No. 1 offense in football by a wide margin and will provide the Eagles defense with its toughest challenge yet.
However, Philadelphia has edges in the trenches on both sides of the football. Its offensive line is the best in the game and its defensive line has been lights out through two playoff games. You could also argue that the Eagles have the better collection of skill players with a trio of capable running backs, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert compared to Kelce, Isaiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon and Valdes-Scantling.
When it comes time to make your pick, you’ll have to decide whether you’re going to side with the more impressive roster or Mahomes. The early money has been on Philadelphia with the line moving from Eagles -1.0 to Eagles -2.0, but who knows where the line will end up with the game not until Feb. 12. Positive reports of Mahomes’ recovery could bring in money on Kansas City, just as it did leading up to the Bengals game.
The total is set at 49.5, which seems high based on the run of unders we’ve seen the last few weeks. However playing in a dome in Arizona could lead to more points.
There’s so much to unpack and we’ll have the opportunity to do so over the next two weeks as anticipation for Eagles-Chiefs continues to build.
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