The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will clash as the Chiefs look to secure their third consecutive Super Bowl title at Super Bowl 59 on Sunday in New Orleans. The Chiefs are aiming for their fifth Lombardi Trophy and fourth since 2019, while the Eagles are looking to win their second Super Bowl since 2017 and make their third Super Bowl appearance in eight years. The 15-2 Chiefs, who have won nine consecutive AFC Division titles, are 5-0 against the NFC this season. The 14-3 Eagles, who have won four NFL titles in their history, are 5-0 against AFC foes this season. Kansas City leads the all-time series 6-5, including a 38-35 win in Super Bowl LVII two years ago.

Previous Times the Eagles and the Chiefs Faced Off Against One Another
The last time the Chiefs and Eagles faced each other was in Week 11 of the 2023 season. Philadelphia came away with a comeback victory on Monday Night Football, winning 21-17 to avenge their loss in the Super Bowl nine months prior. This win was impressive for the Eagles, who entered halftime trailing 17-7. The Chiefs didn’t score again for the rest of the game, while quarterback Jalen Hurts came alive in the second half, scoring two rushing touchdowns to give the Eagles the 21-17 victory in that matchup, which was the last time these two teams faced off until now.

Chiefs vs. Eagles Regular Season History
The first game between the Chiefs and Eagles took place on October 22, 1972, a couple of years after the AFL-NFL merger. Philadelphia secured its first win of the season in Kansas City, 21-20, after starting the season 0-5. Another two decades passed before the two teams met again. On October 11, 1992, the Chiefs got their revenge with a 24-17 win at home. They met for the first time in Philadelphia six years later, where the Chiefs won 24-21. The Eagles won the next three matchups in 2001, 2005, and 2009, but Kansas City went on a four-game win streak with victories in 2013, 2017, 2021, and the Super Bowl in 2023. Philadelphia snapped the streak with its win during Monday Night Football in November 2023. As things stand, the Chiefs have a 6-5 edge against the Eagles all-time entering Sunday’s Big Game.

Chiefs vs. Eagles Playoff Record
As teams from different conferences, the only way the Eagles and Chiefs could meet in the postseason is in the Super Bowl. Super Bowl 57 two years ago was their first postseason matchup, which Kansas City won, 38-35. The Eagles can even the series 1-1 with a Super Bowl win on Sunday, but the Chiefs would remain undefeated in postseason matchups against Philadelphia if they exert dominance in another Big Game.

When the Chiefs Have the Ball
Patrick Mahomes continues to rewrite history and is on his way to challenging Tom Brady as the best quarterback ever. This season hasn’t lived up to his lofty standards, but his top three games by dropback EPA have all come over his last four games—he’s saving his best for late in the season when his team needs it most. In the AFC Championship, he posted season highs in dropback success rate. The Chiefs played things close to the vest throughout the regular season, especially on offense, but in the playoffs, Andy Reid has begun to fully unleash the playbook. With two weeks to prepare for the Super Bowl, expect Reid to have a stellar game plan. He’ll need it against what has been a dominant Eagles defense. In his first season as the defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio has pressed all the right buttons, helping the Eagles rank first in defensive DVOA. Of course, any season-long sample will be full of varying levels of opponents, but Philadelphia can hang its hat on holding Baltimore and Cincinnati, two top-six offenses by DVOA, to fewer than 20 points in road wins.

Pass protection has been a consistent issue for the Chiefs this season, and they’ve been forced to move Joe Thuney to left tackle. That has left the interior offensive line vulnerable, which is not ideal against the likes of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams. It should be an uphill battle for the Chiefs running the ball against an Eagles defensive front that allows 1.47 yards before contact per attempt, the fifth-lowest in the league. Ultimately, this game will likely come down to Mahomes donning his Superman cape against the league’s best defense. He has the best playoff EPA/play of any quarterback this century, and if the Chiefs find themselves down by one possession late, it’s hard to bet against him coming through in the clutch again.

When the Eagles Have the Ball
Last season, as the Eagles lost six of their last seven games, their rapid decline on defense underscored their total collapse. However, offensive inconsistency also became a massive issue. Enter Kellen Moore, who has paid dividends as the new offensive coordinator. So too has Saquon Barkley, who has had a triumphant season in the best offensive environment of his career, rushing for 2,447 yards and 18 touchdowns. The Chiefs had an excellent run defense for much of the regular season, but it has faltered in recent weeks. Since Week 11, Kansas City ranks just 20th in run defense EPA and 24th in success rate. It will be fascinating to see how Steve Spagnuolo attempts to contain Barkley, and the Chiefs may have no choice but to load the box to stop him. Barkley will still find ways to hit explosive plays against loaded boxes, but he’s been held to 3.93 YPC against 8+ man fronts.

Aside from stopping Barkley, Spagnuolo’s top defensive priority has to be to get Jalen Hurts into obvious passing situations. The Chiefs rank fourth in blitz rate this season (31.6%), and Spagnuolo will have some exotic blitzes saved for high-leverage moments in this game. He dialed up a brilliant disguised blitz against Josh Allen on the critical fourth-down play to seal the Chiefs’ victory in the AFC Championship game. Hurts has struggled under pressure this season, ranking 35th out of 43 qualified quarterbacks with 4.9 yards per attempt and 41st in that same group with a 32.9 PFF passing grade. The Eagles have an excellent offensive line, ranking sixth in pass-block win rate, but Hurts has often been prone to holding onto the ball too long, inviting unnecessary pressure. If the Chiefs are forced to load the box to stop Barkley, as most Eagles’ opponents have, opportunities should open up for A.J. Brown. The Chiefs rank second in two-high safety rate (61.1%) per Fantasy Points Data, but the Eagles have seen the second-highest rate of single-high looks. Brown is a monster against single-high defense, averaging 3.94 yards per route run against that coverage, which ranks second among qualified receivers.

What to Expect for Super Bowl 59
When looking at this matchup on Sunday, it will be necessary for the Eagles to take advantage of what they do best and what the Chiefs struggle with. Super Bowl 57 was a coming-out party for Jalen Hurts, as he posted a 103.4 passer rating and finished the game with 70 rushing yards on 15 carries. He also completed 27-of-38 passes for 304 yards. The Eagles now have the horses on defense to keep up with the Chiefs, and Barkley gives Philadelphia a clear advantage in the running game and a home run hitter on all three levels. The Kansas City defense was 18th in the NFL in passing yards allowed, and the Eagles will have one-on-one matchups for A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. The Chiefs’ secondary will be tested early and often, with the fallback knowledge that Vic Fangio’s defense can slow Patrick Mahomes. The NFL’s best offensive line will help navigate an athletic and aggressive Kansas City defense while dominating the run game. Jalen Hurts will again establish himself as a top-five quarterback, and the Eagles will pull away late, winning Super Bowl 59, 38-27, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Kickoff will be at 6:30 PM EST / 3:30 PM PST and will be broadcast on FOX and streamed on Tubi, Fubo, and the Fox Sports App.