The Inevitable: Chiefs To Meet Eagles in Super Bowl Rematch
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are set to face off in the Super Bowl again, after the Chiefs defeated the Eagles in 2023. (Photo by Gavin Liddell/Kansas City Chiefs)
Commanders get Bird Flu in Philadelphia; Chiefs outlast Bills again at Arrowhead
By Charlie Miller, Staff Writer
Football fans have shuddered for weeks at the thought of a Super Bowl between the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. That isn’t a slight against the Eagles, as seemingly every fan outside Kansas City yearned to see the Chiefs go down. Patrick Mahomes, however, had other plans. Mahomes threw for 245 yards and a touchdown and added two more rushing touchdowns, finding a favorite target in rookie wideout Xavier Worthy, who grabbed six balls for 85 yards and a touchdown, leading the Chiefs to a 32-29 victory. Meanwhile, the Eagles scored a whopping seven rushing touchdowns, three coming from all-world tailback Saquon Barkley on the way to a 55-23 win.
In the first postseason of his career, after departing the hapless rival Giants, Barkley scampered 60 yards on Philadelphia’s first offensive play. He has been the difference for this year’s Eagles team, rushing for over 2,000 yards and leading his team through the playoffs to the Big Easy for the Big Game. In New Orleans, Barkley will walk on the field with over 400 yards rushing in three playoff games, averaging 6.7 yards per carry and five touchdowns. He will clash head-to-head with the face of the NFL for the last half-decade, who completed four consecutive passes on the final drive, setting up Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal.
The Bills-Chiefs matchup is the third iteration of Josh Allen and Mahomes matching up in the playoffs, and once again, Mahomes got the best of Allen. Pundits have talked for months about how this is Allen’s best chance at a Super Bowl, which would place him next to the wing sauce in Buffalo lore. Unfortunately, Allen could not gain the extra yard when it mattered, and his failure to sneak the ball for a first down in the fourth quarter gave the Chiefs the ball back. Then, with a chance to drive down for a game-tying field goal or potential game-winning touchdown, the Bills faced a fourth and fifth at their own 47-yard line.
With the season, the city’s hopes, and the empty trophy case in Buffalo on the line, the Chiefs sent a disguised blitz, which confused the Bills line. Allen scrambled around, trying to make something happen and somehow was able to heave a prayer downfield, which found the arms of tight end Dalton Kincaid–who dropped it. The Chiefs converted a third down to seal the game, and Buffalo came up short again. It was agony for Allen, who suffered another heartbreaking loss to Kansas City, once again ending their season.
The Chiefs will meet the Eagles and their vaunted rushing attack, spurned by the improved play of Quarterback Jalen Hurts to rout the Commanders by 30. The Commanders stayed in the game for the first half and at the beginning of the second, but a few key turnovers sunk the upstart Washington club. The Eagles had four takeaways altogether, including a key punch-out of running back Austin Ekeler. Their potent offense, which also features stud wideout A.J. Brown, who caught a touchdown Sunday, will face a tough Chiefs defense that has been a catalyst for their sustained success over the last few years. The NFL will crown a champion on Sunday, Feb. 9, in New Orleans, and many Gettysburgians will undoubtedly have kelly-green-shaded glasses while watching.
