Saquon Barkley is the star but Jalen Hurts can win Super Bowl for Philadelphia Eagles, says Neil Reynolds | NFL News

We now know the line-up of Super Bowl 59 – it’s a rematch of two years ago as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans on Sunday February 9.

Here is a look ahead to the big game with the five storylines I will be monitoring in just a couple of weeks…

History beckons

Every Super Bowl feels historic to me and tells a different story. Plays that are made in the Super Bowl just hit different, they stand the test of time, this is genuinely a time when players and coaches can become legends and statues can be built because of it.

Look at the Philly Special, there is a statue of Nick Foles and Doug Pederson outside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

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Travis Kelce led the Chiefs’ celebrations following their AFC Championship win over the Bills, as Taylor Swift watched on!

For the Eagles that is enough to make history again for their passionate fans. For the Chiefs, they have a chance to complete a historic run by becoming the first team to win three Super Bowls in a row.

The threepeat is still on. Every other back-to-back champion has failed to get as far as the Chiefs, they are within touching distance of footballing immortality and what a run it has been. Five Super Bowl appearances in six seasons, 107 wins in a seven-year span since Patrick Mahomes became a starter in the NFL – the most in NFL history.

This is an incredible run and an incredible time for us to witness as NFL fans. I know there is some fatigue around the Chiefs and people who believe they get too many calls in their favour.

I think that distracts from true greatness and that is what we’re seeing in this Chiefs team and they have a chance to cement that on Super Bowl Sunday.

Individual greatness

Every Super Bowl is huge for players and coaches involved, and this can be a really special moment for Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.

Reid has a chance to be in the conversation now as the greatest head coach in NFL history. He took the Eagles to multiple NFC Championship Games and to a Super Bowl and now has done so many wonderful things with the Chiefs.

He and Mahomes have the chance to become just the third head coach and quarterback pairing to win four Super Bowls, joining Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, and Chuck Noll and Terry Bradshaw.

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Highlights of the AFC Championship Game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs

Andy Reid has more than 300 career wins and 28 playoff wins – just three shy of Belichick – and is going for a fourth Super Bowl success.

This is not a sleight on Patrick Mahomes in any way, but he puts him in some really easy positions to create passes. The one to Samaje Perine to clinch the AFC Championship Game is the perfect example: three bodies flying across the field to occupy and distract defenders, and Perine comes out the backfield to give Mahomes a simple dump-off pass to seal the win over the Buffalo Bills.

As for Mahomes: 29 years old, getting ready to play in his fifth Super Bowl, trying to win it for the fourth time. His winning mentality and refusal to be beaten and refusal to be satisfied is why the Chiefs are here again, it’s really an incredible duo and they have a chance to take a massive step into football immortality on Super Bowl Sunday.

Can Saquon go all the way?

Super Bowl 59 could be the crowing glory for Saquon Barkley after an incredible and historic season. Saquon has been sensational, he is the biggest difference to me in this Eagles team compared to the one that was facing the Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago.

He gives them much more balance, much more danger, much more potency in the running game. They can score from where on the field in the running game, much like when teams can do it in the passing game.

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Saquon Barkley hits the afterburners and runs in a 60-yard touchdown for the Eagles against the Commanders!

Barkley has scored seven touchdowns of 60 yards or more – everybody knows he is the focal point, everybody knows that is where you start if you want to stop the Eagles.

That is where Kansas City will start, but he has had 14 100-yard rushing days – an NFL record, including the playoffs. He was sensational in the regular season as he rushed for more than 2,000 yards and if you look at his yards per game and carry, he’s even better in the playoffs.

He is the man who can win this Super Bowl for the Eagles, and if he does he will do so on his 28th birthday – what a gift to himself

Payback time for Hurts?

I’m sure Jalen Hurts will be out for revenge on Super Bowl Sunday.

When these teams met two years ago, Philadelphia’s quarterback played the game of his life, I think it’s the best anybody has seen him play in the NFL and he came up short with the agony of the pass interference penalty against James Bradberry and the Harrison Butker field goal to end it.

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Highlights of the NFC Championship Game between the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles for a place at the Super Bowl

Hurts is very level-headed, he will be all about the victory and I bet he doesn’t talk much about revenge in Super Bowl week leading up to the big game.

He won’t entertain us with any of that thought, he will just be about winning the game but it must be in the back of his mind.

I think he can lead the Eagles to victory. This is a Saquon Barkley-influenced team now and there were certainly some hand-wringing at the start of the playoffs when Hurts threw for 131 yards and then 128 yards, but he was very good and very efficient in the NFC Championship Game.

If he has to throw the football, he can do it with AJ Brown, with DeVonta Smith, with Dallas Goedert. The Eagles are a running team, but force them into the pass and Hurts can still deliver.

Which defense delivers?

There are so many offensive stars on display in the Super Bowl, but I don’t know if this will be a 38-35 game like the last time these teams met a couple of years ago.

Both defenses are really good. The Eagles have the No 1-ranked defense in the NFL and are No 1 against the pass with playmakers at all three levels.

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Patrick Mahomes was ‘lost for words’ after the Chiefs beat the Bills to reach their third straight Super Bowl

Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith can make an impact up front, Zack Baun is an All-Pro linebacker who is always around the ball and I love their secondary, which I think is one of their biggest improvements in the year.

When you look at the Chiefs, Steve Spagnuolo has won four Super Bowls as a coordinator and is a major reason they are in this game every year, even though we pay attention to all of their offensive stars.

I think the Chiefs can influence this game as well, they are susceptible to the running game and I think Saquon Barkley might not get shut down, but they can heat up Jalen Hurts, especially in those downs where you know it’s going to be a pass and you know Spags is bringing a linebacker, a safety or a corner off the edge.

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Jordan Mailata gives his thoughts after the Eagles reached the Super Bowl following their win over the Commanders

The chess match between the defenses is going to be real. I think the Chiefs rely more on the play-calling of Spags, I think the Eagles are more physical and more talented. I think the Eagles might have the edge in that department.

Defenses win Championships according to my pundits in the studio, especially Mr Ndamukong Suh. I tend to think that might be the case this time around.

The Kansas City Chiefs face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Sunday February 9, live on Sky Sports NFL and Main Event from 10pm ahead of kickoff at 11.30pm; 17-time Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar headlines the half-time show

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