The time has come for arguably the biggest sporting event in the United States: the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will be facing off in a highly anticipated matchup between two elite quarterbacks, Jalen Hurts of Philadelphia and Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City.

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off a resounding victory over the San Francisco 49ers, a game that saw the Eagles completely shutting down the 49er offense. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy suffered an elbow injury in the first quarter of the game, giving way to fourth-string quarterback Josh Johnson, who eventually had to exit the game in the third quarter due to a concussion. Purdy returned shortly thereafter, but barely passed the ball because of his injury. The 49ers resorted to giving the ball to star running back Christian McCaffery, a strategy that was quickly shut down by the Eagles.

Philadelphia would go on to defeat San Francisco 31-7 after a dominant performance from the Eagles’ rushing attack. Running backs Miles Sanders and Boston Scott combined for three touchdowns while Hurts added one.

The Kansas City Chiefs won a nail-biter against the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai committed a costly penalty on Mahomes in the fourth quarter, setting up the Chiefs to kick a 45-yard game-winning field goal.

The Chiefs weren’t able to pull away for most of the game, as Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow led multiple scoring drives. Mahomes and the Chiefs were able to keep the game tied at 20-20 for most of the second half, eventually getting bailed out by Ossai’s penalty with time expiring.

The Chiefs and Eagles will feature two high-powered offenses capable of scoring in bunches. The Northern Star Sports staff predicts exactly how much will be scored, as well as Super Bowl MVP.

Ethan Gonzales, Sports Editor

Score Prediction: 35-24 Philadelphia

MVP: Jalen Hurts

Although I almost desperately do not want Philadelphia to win, I believe the Eagles have the most complete roster in the NFL. The Eagles’ defense is elite, from the secondary to the front seven. Darius “Big Play” Slay, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and James Bradberry lead the secondary while Robert Quinn, Fletcher Cox, and Haason Reddick round out the pass rushers. All players listed, in my opinion, could be All-Pros. A defense full of studs is not to be taken lightly.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is a bonafide superstar in the NFL, garnering MVP votes in just his third season. Hurts’ ability to be a dual-threat quarterback will be too much for the Chiefs to handle, especially considering that the Eagles’ offense is dangerous on the ground too. Running backs Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott have proven as a group that they are difficult to stop.

I believe there are way too many factors for the Chiefs to prepare for. They might make it a close game, but the Eagles will most likely pull away late in the fourth quarter.

Alex Crowe, Senior Sports Reporter

Score Prediction: 28-24 Philadelphia 

MVP: Robert Quinn

This is an extremely great matchup between the two top seeds in each conference. I expect this game between two heavyweights to be an extremely tight battle.

The Chiefs receiving core has been decimated in the playoffs so far. Mecole Hardman is on injured reserve, Kadarius Toney is questionable and JuJu Smith-Schuster is fresh off injury, so he may not be 100%. Though with the likes of Travis Kelce, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Isiah Pacheco, Mahomes still has weapons to work with. The Chiefs’ offensive line will also have to contend with a heavy attack from the Eagles’ pass rush. With Mahomes’ ankle injury earlier in the playoffs, his mobility will be limited and will be forced to attack from the pocket. The Chiefs’ secondary will be stronger than anticipated as L’Jarius Sneed cleared concussion protocol.  

The Eagles are just a great team everywhere on the field. Led by Jalen Hurts, the offense has weapons such as A. J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, to name a couple. The offensive line is stellar and gives Hurts all the time he needs to make a play. The defense is among the best in the NFL as well. It’s hard to find a weak spot for Mahomes and the Chiefs to exploit. 

The Chiefs – who are unquestionably a great team – have a few cracks that I think a water-tight Eagles squad will be able to break through. The game will have to go perfectly for the Chiefs to win, and I don’t think that will be possible against such a well-rounded Eagles team. The game will be tight due to the Chiefs getting healthier this week, but Philly will hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the second time since 2018.

Joseph Segreti, Sports Reporter

Score Prediction: 37-31 Philadelphia

MVP: Haason Reddick 

This is one of the better Super Bowl matchups of the last ten years with the two best teams in their respective conferences facing off. 

The Chiefs have been banged up this whole postseason, with Patrick Mahomes’ high ankle sprain in the Divisional Round and losing key wide receivers in the AFC Championship like Mecole Hardman, Kadarius Toney and JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Chiefs limited receiver core could affect their offensive performance in the Super Bowl so Mahomes’ number one weapon Travis Kelce will have to carry most of the load in the passing game. The Chiefs’ young and inexperienced defense could be a problem and might not be able to stop the Eagles’ explosive running game. 

The Eagles’ defense outright dominated the 49ers. While San Francisco lost both of their quarterbacks, the Eagles’ defensive front was too much to handle for the 49ers’ offensive line. With the Chiefs having a weaker line than San Francisco, Haason Reddick will wreak havoc and total at least four sacks on Patrick Mahomes. The Eagles’ defensive front will be the difference maker in the Super Bowl, and will be the reason Philadelphia wins this game. 

While the Chiefs are a great team and have dominated football over the last five years, they will fail to win their second Lombardi trophy and the Eagles will finish their dominant season with a Super Bowl win.

Eddie Miller, Sports Reporter

Score Prediction: 34-31 Kansas City

MVP: Patrick Mahomes 

With the Kansas City Chiefs facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57, NFL fans are in for a treat. 

The Jalen Hurts led Eagles have been on fire so far in the postseason, beating both the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers in dominant fashion. The Eagles have talent in every position group in center Jason Kelce, dual threat quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receiver A.J. Brown and cornerback Darius Slay. The Eagles rank fifth in rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns. On defense, the Eagles have also been dominant, ranking first in passing yards allowed per game.

This game will come down to the wire and you can expect it to be high scoring. Kansas City, who had the most passing yards and touchdowns in the regular season, seem to be flawless on offense. Kansas City’s weak spot is their secondary. Sitting at 18th in pass yards given up and 19th in passing touchdowns. What could be the deciding factor in Sunday’s game is the Chiefs’ defensive line. Having four-time all-pro defensive tackle Chris Jones paired with defensive ends Frank Clark and George Karlaftis on the Chief’s defensive line has led them to being top ten in rushing yards allowed per game.

Even though the Eagles may have a more balanced roster, I believe that Mahomes and Kelce paired with an experienced roster, the Chiefs will come out on top, winning 34-31. 

Zachary Bertram, Sports Reporter

Score Prediction: 31-28 Kansas City

MVP: Patrick Mahomes

The Philadelphia Eagles on paper are undoubtedly better than the Kansas City Chiefs, but games aren’t won on paper. The Eagles steamrolled their way through the NFC to reach the Super Bowl, defeating the Giants 38-7 in the divisional round and defeating the 49ers 31-7 in the NFC Championship Game. The Chiefs advanced through the AFC in a less dominating fashion, taking down the Jaguars 27-20 in the divisional round and beating the Bengals 23-20 in the AFC Championship Game. 

Even though Philadelphia has looked unbeatable in the playoffs, and the Chiefs have pulled out two close wins, I believe Kansas City will get it done. The Chiefs have played much stiffer competition during their playoff run, in Jacksonville and Cincinnati, led by young star quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow, respectively. The Eagles, on the other hand, played a Giants team led by Daniel Jones and a 49ers team who had third string QB Brock Purdy injure his elbow in the first quarter. 

The Chiefs have been battle-tested by winning close games in both this year’s postseason, and the last few postseasons, as this is their third Super Bowl appearance in four years. This is the first time the Eagles have advanced in the postseason since the 2018 season and Philadelphia hasn’t won any nailbiter-type playoff games yet under Jalen Hurts. I believe the ability the Chiefs have shown to win close games when it matters most will be a big factor in helping them upset the favorite Eagles. Not to mention the Chiefs know what it’s like to get this far and lose, as they lost Super Bowl 55 just two years ago to Tampa Bay, giving them some added motivation to get the job done.

The Eagles have the better offensive line, led by Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson and the better defense highlighted by Hasson Reddick, Darius Slay, and Chauncey (CJ) Gardner-Johnson. But the embarrassment of riches for Philadelphia doesn’t stop there, they also have better offensive weapons, including Miles Sanders, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert. With that being said, the chemistry between longtime teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce is one of the few reasons Kansas City will win this game.

The biggest of which is Mahomes, he is far and away the best QB in football and has been here before, winning Super Bowl 54 vs. San Francisco. Mahomes will continue what he has been doing throughout the postseason, winning with banged up weapons. Guys like Travis Kelce, Kadarius Toney, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman have been banged up and in and out of the lineup this postseason. No matter what weapons he has Mahomes will have his offense ready to roll against a stout Eagles defense. As I mentioned earlier, the Chiefs’ ability and experience to play in and win big, close games is another reason they will win. It’s far from the best unit in football, but the Chiefs’ opportunistic defense is the final reason they will win this game. They’ve forced three fourth quarter turnovers in their two playoff games, including two interceptions from rookie cornerback Jaylen Watson. I suspect the defense will come up with another big play down the stretch to seal a close win for Kansas City.