PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs are meeting in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, a dream come true for a writer who grew up in the suburbs of the city watching Andy Reid and the Eagles make deep playoff runs on a regular basis.
For the past 26 years, I have been adamant regarding my thoughts on Reid. The Eagles are the successful franchise they are in 2025 because of the philosophy and culture Reid built when he took over as head coach in 1999, and went to five conference championship games and had just three losing seasons in 14 years leading the team.
Reid never won the Super Bowl in Philadelphia, but he set the foundation for what was to come. He took his knowledge to Kansas City, and has never had a losing season in 12 years coaching the Chiefs. Reid also finally got his Super Bowl in Kansas City, and two more since, becoming one of the greatest coaches of all time during his stint with the Chiefs.
Kansas City is back in the Super Bowl again, looking to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls in NFL history — and just the third team in the 106-year history of the NFL to win three straight titles. Reid is already a top-five head coach in NFL history, but a fourth Super Bowl title — and third straight — puts him in the Bill Belichick and Vince Lombardi conversation as the greatest head coach ever.
Unlike Belichick and Lombardi, Reid won big with multiple franchises — even if Reid didn’t get that Super Bowl championship in Philadelphia. He’s the only head coach to win 100+ games with two different franchises and 10+ playoff games with two different franchises. This Super Bowl is going to be Reid’s sixth, and fifth in six years, showing the model of winning consistency he displayed in Philadelphia — but at a much higher level.
Then there’s Patrick Mahomes, the generational quarterback that finally got Reid over the hump. Donovan McNabb helped Reid get to the Super Bowl, but couldn’t finish the job. Jeff Garcia and Michael Vick made runs to the playoffs, but their limitations prevented deep postseason runs. Ditto with Alex Smith in Kansas City, who made Pro Bowls and won double-digit games in the regular season, but couldn’t get Reid back to the conference title game.
All this changed with Mahomes, who has reached the conference championship game in every season he was a starting quarterback — and the Super Bowl in five of his six seasons. His 17 playoff wins are second only to Tom Brady in NFL history, and Mahomes is only 29 years old. When the Chiefs get this far in the season, Brady is typically the one that thwarts their championship dreams (and he’ll be broadcasting Super Bowl LIX, not playing).
Mahomes has helped show the world how elite of a coach Reid always was, and why I have been following Reid since he left Philadelphia. If there’s anything I learned since cthe Chiefs won their first Super Bowl with Reid and Mahomes, don’t bet against them.
The Eagles are a better team than the one that lost to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. They have a more experienced roster and better coaches across the board. Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts have also been through this before, so they know what to expect and what they need to learn in order to defeat the juggernaut that is the Chiefs.
Until someone beats Reid and Mahomes, don’t bet against them. The Eagles have the best chance at doing so.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
January 27, 2025 | 4:05 pm
