Super Bowl LVII championship game on February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs.(HTGanzo/Adobe Stock)

The biggest National Football League (NFL) game of 2023, Super Bowl LVII (Fifty-Seven) will be played at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday, February 12th with kickoff starting at 3:30 pm California time.

The competing teams vying for the Vince Lombardi Trophy this time are the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football Conference (AFC) and the Philadelphia Eagles representing the National Football Conference (NFC). An interesting matchup here with experience (Chiefs) going up against momentum and exuberance (Eagles) with the real possibility of producing a truly memorable football game.

Before we get into the teams, some interesting facts about this game are worth sharing. First, this is the first Super Bowl in which the starting quarterbacks of both teams are Black (Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs and Jalen Hurts for the Eagles). Also playing against each other will be two brothers (Travis Kelce plays for the Chiefs and Jason Kelce for the Eagles). In this case, the Kelce family wins either way! This is the 5th appearance of the Kansas City Chiefs in a Super Bowl.

They have won 2 (1970 & 2020) and lost 2 previously. For the Philadelphia Eagles, this is their 4th appearance. They have won 1 Super Bowl (in 2018) and lost 2 previously. The years reported here are when the Super Bowl game was actually played, but the season as the NFL counts it is usually the year before. And a final tidbit. This is the 4th time that the Phoenix, Arizona metro area is hosting a Super Bowl. It is a good venue as the chances of inclement weather are low.

The road to the Super Bowl has been quite different for these two teams. In the AFC Championship game, the Chiefs barely beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 to get to the big game. It was a rough and tough contest that could have gone either way, but a last-minute field goal decided it in favor of the Chiefs. The NFC Championship was another story altogether.

The Eagles defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 which was quite a surprise against the #1 defense in the NFL. We can assume that this is the main reason that some pundits are predicting that the Eagles will win this Super Bowl. But we need to consider the fact that it was both injuries and penalties which doomed the 49ers this time.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a more experienced quarterback with impressive statistics. Patrick Mahomes is a member of the 5000 Club as he has passed for 5250 yards this season, averaging 308.8 yards per game. He also has 41 touchdowns under his belt and his chemistry with Travis Kelce on the field has been amazing as this duo can be significant in Chief victories.

But the Chiefs’ rushing game has been relatively weak and we will see if Isiah Pacheco can surprise us this time. Otherwise, the passing game will have to suffice, and the Chiefs’ offensive line will have to get Mahomes enough time to throw the ball successfully to his receivers without getting intercepted.

The Philadelphia Eagles have had convincing victories lately and quarterback Jalen Hurts with just over 3700 yards passing in the regular season has been instrumental in their wins. His total yardage may pale in comparison to Mahomes along with his average 246.7 yards per game and 22 TDs, but he appears to be on fire lately in his ability to find his receivers.

The Eagles also have a superior running game with Miles Sanders leading the charge with 11 TDs this season. On top of it all, the Eagles’ defense has been very solid lately, especially against the pass, and has allowed just 14 points to be scored against them in the past two games (7 points each) compared to 40 points scored against the Chiefs in their last two (20 points in each).

Fans here in Northern California may not have much skin in this game after San Francisco’s loss to the Eagles. But we are interested in finding out if we lost to the best team in the NFL this year. And who does not enjoy some good football? This matchup has the potential to produce a great game.

It is always difficult to predict the outcome of a Super Bowl because the best teams from the AFC and the NFC are represented and have already completed their own grueling journey to get here. Some experts are predicting an Eagles win and one cannot totally disagree with them. But the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs can still pull off a victory if they can survive an Eagles onslaught in the first half and keep them from scoring. If not, the outcome of this Super Bowl LVII leads to a party in Philadelphia.