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The Philadelphia Eagles will get an early test of their Super Bowl credentials when they go head-to-head with the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.
The Eagles defeated the Chiefs 40-22 to claim the NFL championship last season and will be eager to lay down a marker this time around.
Despite heading into the 2025 season as the reigning champions, the Eagles have spent the summer playing down their chances of going back-to-back.
Their reluctance to talk themselves up has had a knock-on effect elsewhere, with several NFL pundits overlooking them when discussing this season’s title race.
For example, in a recent interview with Betway Insider, former NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper predicted that the Minnesota Vikings would emerge victorious at the Super Bowl.
ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) computer model has also jumped on the bandwagon, predicting that the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills will contest the big game in February.
The FPI gives the Eagles a 9.5 percent chance of winning the Super Bowl, which seems surprisingly low given the manner of their success last term.
The Eagles have the opportunity to demonstrate why they should not be underestimated when they go head-to-head with the Chiefs again this weekend.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was made to look second-rate by the Eagles’ dominant defensive unit in the last Super Bowl, which allowed Jalen Hurts to strut his stuff during the game.
Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for a score to earn Super Bowl MVP honours. He threw for 221 yards as the Eagles cruised to an impressive victory.
While Sunday’s game will present a different challenge, given that it will be played in Kansas, the Eagles will fancy their chances of securing a positive result.
They triumphed 21-17 on their last visit to the Arrowhead Stadium in 2023. The Bills were the only other team to defeat the Chiefs on their own patch during that season.
Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni is expecting a tough battle and says both teams will try to learn from their recent matches when they face each other this weekend.
“We’ve played them every single year, so you’re constantly looking at those tapes and you have a plan of what you do when you play a team again, and you go through that process,” Sirianni said.
“From that, you can expect things they did successfully to come again in different forms, and you can expect things they may not have done successfully that they change a little bit.”
The Eagles’ chances of victory in Kansas would be significantly boosted if they can find a way to become more effective with their running game.
Running back Saquon Barkley was shackled by the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s plan holding him to a season-low 2.3 yards rushing on 25 carries.
Barkley had similar troubles in the season opener against the Dallas Cowboys, recording just 3.3 yards per carry on 18 runs at Lincoln Financial Field.
When considering that he ran for more than 100 yards in 11 games last year and had an NFL-record seven touchdown runs of 60-plus yards, it is easy to see why the Eagles need Barkley to fire.
The Chiefs will be desperate to set the record straight against the Eagles, especially after failing to impress in their first game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
A 27-21 defeat in Brazil has put the Chiefs on the back foot, and they cannot afford a similar outcome against the Eagles, setting up what promises to be a thrilling clash.
Categorized:Eagles News WegENT Blog
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