There’s a cliche that says only two things are certain in life …
We all know what they are, but that’s not exactly accurate.
There’s a third certainty in life: Sports journalists are very opinionated.
It just goes with the territory. We cover, and watch, so much sports we think we know it all.
We love to debate/argue/discuss who is the better running back, who is the best coach, who is the greatest hitter of all time, until the sun comes up.
With that in mind, I asked staff members of The Morning Call, Reading Eagle and Pa. Cluster to give their predictions on Sunday’s Super Bowl, hoping I would get the unvarnished truth from the experts.
Hope you enjoy their thoughts/opinions in preparation for the big game.
Rich Scarcella, Reading Eagle
Philadelphia has a plus-15 turnover margin in its last five games and has averaged 227.7 rushing yards in its last three games. Kansas City, on the other hand, has allowed at least 147 rushing yards in each of its last three meaningful games. Saquon Barkley and the Eagles keep the Chiefs from becoming the first NFL team to win three straight titles since Green Bay in 1965-67. Eagles 26, Chiefs 22
Rob Parent, Delco Times
OK, the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts played one of his best games of the season last Sunday in the NFC Championship Game. And running back Saquon Barkley is so good, he figures to more than make up the difference for an Eagles team that fell three points shy of the Kansas City Chiefs two years ago, the last time these clubs went up against each other in a Super Bowl. Oh, and that Birds defense is so much better than it’s been in recent seasons.
All well and good for inspiring Eagles fans.
But if you didn’t get it yet, if the last two years plus every other week this season hasn’t proven it to you … Andy Reid as coach and Patrick Mahomes as quarterback simply can’t be matched by any other team in the NFL. And one more thing: Do you really think the NFL is going to allow Taylor Swift’s favorite team to lose? Chiefs 28, Eagles 24
Keith Groller, The Morning Call
Forget this being a rematch of two years ago. This one is a throwback to seven years ago and the Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl in Minnesota. Philly is up against another despised dynasty and one of the greatest head coach-quarterback combos of all time. Just like the 2018 run, the Eagles had a close call and needed a late defensive stop to win in the divisional round and then blew out an overmatched opponent in the NFC title game. Their quarterback, Nick Foles, had his share of doubters much like Jalen Hurts this year. In 2018, Bill Belichick was expected to outcoach Doug Pederson just as Andy Reid enters this one with much more respect than Nick Sirianni. Oh, and there’s one more similarity. In 2018, they had injured Carson Wentz on the sideline probably rooting against the Eagles as he will this time as the backup for the Chiefs. In 2018, the Eagles needed to use a gadget play, “the Philly Special,” to pull out a close game. This time they’ll just need to give the ball to a special player, the Lehigh Valley’s very own Saquon Barkley, with the game on the line. Then it’ll be time to grease the poles on Broad Street and get out the Mummers suit for Jason Kelce for another profanity-laced speech at the parade. Eagles 23-21
Bruce Adams, sports editor, Main Line Times & Suburban
Although Kansas City is favored (by 1.5 points as of Jan. 30) and has the better coach-quarterback combo (at least by current reputation), the Eagles have several things going for them that they didn’t have two years against vs. KC. One is a run-based, ball-control offense led by Saquon Barkley (running behind a top offensive line); the other is a defense featuring young players with something to prove who weren’t part of our Super Bowl 57 loss to the Chiefs two years ago – players such as Quinyon Mitchell. Here’s another plus for the Eagles – they had a much better point differential (points scored vs. allowed) than Kansas City during the season, with a similar strength of schedule. Is there a “the refs hate Philadelphia and love Andy Reid; it’s in the NFL script that the Chiefs win their third straight title” conspiracy?” The Eagles will put that theory to rest with a 30-27 win on Super Bowl Sunday.
Christiaan DeFranco, staff writer
The Eagles will be playing against the refs as well as against the Chiefs, for whom the officials have greased the rails throughout the postseason. Kansas City will try to force Jalen Hurts to throw over the middle, but he’ll be up to the task. This will be another chance for him to show what he can do outside of the “straightjacket.” He played pretty darn well in the Super Bowl against them two years ago, and he’ll be looking to make up for that pivotal fumble he committed. Also, look for a late takeaway by the Eagles’ defense. Cheesesteaks and Bradley Cooper for the win over Midwest barbecue and Taylor Swift. Eagles 37, Chiefs 34.
Tom DeSchriver, sports editor
I will make several predictions for this game:
• Late in the game, with the outcome already decided, Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown will be seen on the sideline reading … a Disney World brochure. After making 14 catches for 199 yards and scoring three touchdowns, the game’s MVP will be deciding which rides he wants to go on first.
• Saquon Barkley will gain 49 yards on 25 carries and the talk show hosts on WIP will push for Howie Roseman to trade Barkley while he still has some value. The radio talking heads will say, ‘Do the deal now, get two first-rounders this year and two next.’ … Hmmm, might be worth considering, Howie.
• When asked 20 times after the game why he only gained 49 yards and does he think Howie will trade him, Saquon picks up the Lombardi Trophy, gives it a big kiss and then with that wonderful Saquon smile on his face and in a very, very loud voice says, ‘I don’t care where Howie trades me to, as long as it’s not Nazareth High School,’ which prompts Nazareth grad Jahan Dotson to challenge Saquon to a 40-yard dash out in the parking lot right there to determine the better Lehigh Valley football program, Whitehall or Nazareth.
• After masterminding an incredible performance by the defense, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio will be asked if this was the largest attended event of his life. Fangio, a native of Dunmore, Pa., will measure his words and softly say, “Well, at our last family reunion at Genetti’s in Wilkes-Barre, it seemed like there were 75,000 people there.”
• As the game winds down, TV analyst Tom Brady will still be going on and on how great Patrick Mahomes is, prompting 800,000 Pennsylvania residents to pelt their televisions with four-hour-old guacamole dip. Eagles 42, Chiefs 14.
Bryan Davis, Daily Local
As a born and bred Giants fan, locusts and frogs will descend before I root for the Eagles. Besides, KC barbecue is better than cheesesteaks, or most foods for that matter. Eagles may have the better roster, but Patrick Mahomes has a knack for winning the close game and will come up with just enough plays. Chiefs 34, Eagles 31.
Ed Morlock, Times Herald
Teams that lost the turnover battle are 1-8 this postseason. The only win came from the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, when they committed one turnover to the Bills’ zero. The turnover – a fumbled exchange between quarterback Patrick Mahomes and running back Isiah Pacheco – was Kansas City’s first giveaway in more than two months. The Eagles have forced turnovers in eight straight games and 13 of their last 14. In three playoff games, they forced four turnovers against the Packers, two against the Rams and four against the Commanders while committing no turnovers themselves. All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun leads the team with six forced fumbles and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has a team-high six interceptions. If Vic Fangio’s defense can force Mahomes and Co. into mistakes, then Eagles fans will be celebrating another Lombardi Trophy. Maybe wait a second or two to celebrate any defensive stops and make sure there are no flags on the field. Eagles 27, Chiefs 24.
Dave Seamon, sports editor, Standard-Speaker
For two teams that amazingly met only twice from the time of the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 through 1997, they’ve gotten to know each other quite well with this being their third meeting in as many seasons and fourth since Jalen Hurts became the Eagles starting quarterback in 2021. In this one, the Eagles’ running game and their offensive line will be the difference, not only with Saquon Barkley but Hurts as well. Hurts has recorded 146 yards and five touchdowns in three games vs. Kansas City. I look for him to add to those totals as he gets his Super Bowl redemption. Eagles 27, Chiefs 17.
Bill Uhrich, Reading Eagle
You gotta stay hyper-local and root for the old Lehigh Valley League.
And that means cheering for the Whitehall High School kid, the Zephyr Saquon Barkley.
Back in 1967, our family gathered around the black-and-white console television not so much to watch Green Bay against Kansas City in the AFL-NFL World Championship Game, also known as Super Bowl I, but to try to pick out my older brother’s Northampton High School social studies teacher Mike Lisetski, who was part of the officiating crew of that first Super Bowl.
If the officials this year display any level of Lisetski’s toughness and integrity, the Eagles win by 10.
But if they lack that Konkrete Kid fortitude and crumble like cheap, imported cement as they did two years ago, it’ll be K.C. in OT.
Tom Housenick, Morning Call
Chiefs 3, Eagles 2. That will be the final score of the number of officials’ calls blown in favor of each of the teams. I stopped watching the NFL shortly after the 2001 ‘Tuck Rule’ game. It became too exhausting to see all the missed calls and twisted interpretations of the rules at crucial moments during games. Also, the number of gambling commercials and mentions during pre- and in-game broadcasts is exhausting. Seeing Taylor Swift is exhausting. Seeing Patrick Mahomes flop like a men’s soccer player is exhausting. Seeing NFL replay not work is infuriating. Watching and listening to TV, radio and podcast folks carry on like fans of their cities’ teams is infuriating. Stop being a cheerleader and make journalism proud. I grew up listening to Irv Cross articulate an opinion about an upcoming game. We now have the Stephen A. Smith generation screaming over colleagues. Most everything in sports today is bolder, louder. It is bettor, not better. The NFL lost me long before I got old much in the way the NBA did. People generations ago barked that you couldn’t breathe in Michael Jordan’s direction without a foul being called or sneeze near Tom Brady without a flag being thrown. It is comically worse nowadays with Mahomes and other stars of the sport. Perhaps the only aspect of this Super Bowl that has any interest to me is seeing Saquon Barkley get a Super Bowl ring, not because he’s a Whitehall grad but because he has been a good human being from his days as a Zephyr, Penn State Nittany Lion, New York Giant and now as a Philadelphia Eagle. Character and integrity still count for something in my book. Barkley should share some of that with the rest of the NFL.
Neil Geoghegan, Daily Local News
Let me start off by acknowledging that I have been a Kansas City Chiefs fan since I was a youngster on Christmas Day of 1971, watching the Chiefs and Dolphins in a legendary playoff game that is still the longest in NFL history. I fully expect Super Bowl LIX to be very competitive and would not be surprised to see the Eagles win it. Winning three straight Super Bowls must be very difficult, as it has never happened before, but the Chiefs seem to win every close playoff game they play. So I am going to go with Kansas City, 35-31.
Jared Montalto, Reading Eagle
As much as I’d love to see the Chiefs become the first team to three-peat, especially as a Cowboys fan, I think Philadelphia will come out on top. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense has allowed 148 rushing yards in their two playoff games, while Saquon Barkley averages 147.3 rushing yards per game in the Eagles’ three playoff games. Philadelphia’s run game has been dominant, but if any team can slow it down, it’s the Chiefs.
I expect this game to come down to the final minutes, similar to Super Bowl LVII. As long as Jalen Hurts takes care of the football and the Eagles’ defense forces at least two takeaways, they’ll be hoisting their second Lombardi Trophy as much as it pains me to admit.
On the flip side, history shows betting against Patrick Mahomes is a bad idea. The second-greatest QB of all time has the ability to control time of possession and make plays when needed. But ultimately, my final prediction is a 24-23 victory for Philadelphia.
Greg Johnson, The Trentonian
Everything is lined up for the perfect Eagles redemption story. They have the NFL’s most complete roster, a battle-tested coach and quarterback, a defense playing at a high level, and, of course, an even more dynamic offense than two years ago with Saquon Barkley in the backfield. And yet … I can’t shake the feeling that we’re witnessing the modern-day Michael Jordan of football. Patrick Mahomes has found a way in big moments to pull out a win, time and time again. He’ll snatch victory from the jaws of defeat once again to cement the first three-peat in NFL history. Chiefs 27, Eagles 24
Derek Bast, Morning Call correspondent
I’m going with the Eagles. The Chiefs have struggled against the run down the stretch and there’s no greater challenge than Saquon Barkley and the Eagles rushing attack right now, and maybe in the last decade as well. Philadelphia also has the recipe to slow down Mahomes as much as possible with the ability to push the pocket with only a four-man rush and athletes on the back end who can take away Andy Reid’s lateral offensive attack. I think Barkley breaks Willie Parker’s record for longest touchdown run in the Super Bowl to win MVP and Jalen Carter comes up with a timely sack to put the game on ice. Eagles 24-17.
Source: Berkshire mont
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