Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes can enter into even more rarefied air with a win on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
Mahomes is already the third starting quarterback to reach five Super Bowls, joining Tom Brady and John Elway, and Mahomes already has the second-most playoff wins in NFL history behind only Tom Brady and his 35. With a win and high-end performance on Sunday, Mahomes could secure his fourth Super Bowl MVP. That would make him only the fourth player in MLB/NBA/NHL/NFL history to have at least four championship-game MVPs and put him in an elite club with Michael Jordan (six), Tom Brady (five) and LeBron James (four).
The last time Mahomes faced the Eagles in the Super Bowl, he became the first quarterback with three or more passing touchdowns, no turnovers and no sacks in the game’s history as Kansas City scored on every second-half drive in a 38-35 victory. He completed 13 of his 14 passes for 93 yards and two scores in the second half.
So what amazing feats could Mahomes accomplish in the Super Bowl rematch with Philadelphia? Let’s project what Mahomes could do on Sunday with three bold predictions.
1. Mahomes, Chiefs never trail in victory over Eagles
Kansas City has, in fact, trailed by 10 or more points in all four of their Super Bowls in the Mahomes era, and they have won three of them. That’s unfathomable considering all other quarterbacks are 4-48 when falling behind by at least 10 points in the big game.
Therefore, it’s a bold prediction to project Mahomes and Co. will produce a wire-to-wire victory. Why will they do that? It can happen because Mahomes has plenty of success against Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Mahomes’ Chiefs are 8-0 with an average of 26.9 points per game against Fangio from their AFC West battles as the Denver Broncos head coach (2019-2021) and two matchups when he was the Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator (2023).The Chiefs quarterback has thrown 10 touchdowns to only two interceptions in the eight meetings. He’ll build upon that success to power the Chiefs to a lead they won’t relinquish.
| Mahomes vs. Fangio as HC or DC (including playoffs) | vs. DEN (2019-2021) | vs. MIA (2023) | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
W-L | 6-0 | 2-0 | 8-0 |
Team PPG | 28.0 | 23.5 | 26.9 |
Comp Pct | 65.7% | 60.6% | 64.3% |
Pass YPG | 231.3 | 223.5 | 229.4 |
Pass Yards/Attempt | 7.7 | 6.3 | 7.3 |
TD-INT | 7-2 | 3-0 | 10-2 |
Passer Rating | 97.1 | 92.9 | 95.9 |
2. Mahomes hits both Hopkins, Brown for touchdowns
The Eagles are the NFL’s No.1 total defense (278.4 total yards per game allowed) and No. 1 pass defense (174.2 passing yards per game allowed), so it would be surprising for Mahomes to be able to just throw the ball around the yard at Caesars Superdome on Sunday. Especially to a 32-year-old DeAndre Hopkins and the 2024 version of Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who clearly isn’t all the way back after undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury suffered in the preseason.
Hopkins has just one catch this postseason, and he didn’t have a catch in the divisional round, which ended his 184-game streak of having at least one catch in every game of his career, including the playoffs. Brown has caught just 12 passes for 126 yards receiving in four games played, including the postseason. Mahomes will hit both for touchdowns in throwback moments for each wideout.
3. Mahomes doesn’t throw a touchdown to Kelce
Travis Kelce is the NFL’s all-time playoff leader in catches (174), and he is tied with Bills Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas for the most playoff games (15) with a touchdown in league history. He and Mahomes have connected for 18 playoff touchdowns, the most by any quarterback and pass-catcher duo in NFL postseason history. However, the two won’t link up for a touchdown on Sunday with Eagles All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun, among others, putting air-tight coverage on the 35-year-old tight end. That’s pretty bold.
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Author: Garrett Podell
February 5, 2025 | 12:55 pm
