It all comes down to this.

The last two teams left standing will be battling it out for the right to lift the Lombardi Trophy as the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans.

Below is “The Edge” and predictions from the CPS staff…

Predictions:

Sean Selby

Ever since the matchup was set, I felt confident about this game for the Eagles. I don’t know why. They are going up against a Kansas City team that is looking to three-peat. They have a fantastic quarterback who always seems to make plays. They have a tough defense. But the Eagles are still the better team.

As I explained on our latest podcast , I think the positional matchups aside from quarterback favor the Eagles.  The Chiefs defense tends to over pursue against the run, which may bode very well for Saquon Barkley to reach an edge and break off long gains.  The KC defense also allowed the most yards to opposing tight ends partly due to their aggressiveness at the line, which could set up Dallas Goedert for a huge role.

The key for the Eagles offense is to capitalize on the early downs to set up 3rd and short situations. If they can’t sustain drives, it allows Patrick Mahomes for time to be on the field and we all know that’s not a good thing. Another thing to look for is the red zone play. KC’s defense has not been good in the red zone this year, but the Eagles haven’t been all that great either. Something has to give there. 

On the other side of the ball, this is a big task for Cooper DeJean. It’s likely that he will be shadowing Travis Kelce, and if he’s successful at slowing him down, the Chiefs offense may have a much different look than what we have seen during the playoffs.  It will be vitally important for the Eagles to keep Mahomes in the pocket and not let him extend drives with his legs. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has had two weeks to come up with a game plan (as Andy Reid and Steve Spagnola have as well), but I feel that it’s time for Fangio to break his 0-8 record against Mahomes.

It’s a tight game until late when the Eagles running game takes over to ice things and the Eagles host a parade next week. Eagles 34, Chiefs 24

Pat Mulranen

If you are a Philadelphia Eagles fan and do not have a healthy respect for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, you are kidding yourself. People who think the Eagles will have a dominant win, are in a fantasy world. The Chiefs do not get blown out. They are always in close games and, even when it seems over, it’s never over as long as Mahomes is the quarterback. There is a reason the line is 1.5 points. This game will be a dogfight, but the eagles should come out on top. They are 1-3 in their four Super Bowl appearances. If they lose and go 1-4, that’s not a good record. The Eagles have to get over the hump, and it has to be now. They cannot waste this historic season from Saquon Barkley. They cannot waste this absolute dominant campaign from the defense. This is their time, and the Eagles will prove it. They have the tools to beat the Chiefs and stop the three-peat.

 I think the Eagles are the better team, on paper. Sure, Mahomes is a better QB than Jalen Hurts. Andy Reid is a better head coach than Nick Sirianni. But Hurts and Sirianni are still great. Those two have to help carry the team. The defense will do their job (even though I still think the Chiefs will get their points). Barkley will do his thing. Hurts is going to have to make some big plays, and Sirianni and the coaching has to help make the right decisions. They also have the better offense and defensive lines. So, and this might sound cliche, but the Eagles are going to win in the trenches.

This game will be close. I have a feeling Mahomes will have the ball with under two minutes left, needing to get a field goal to tie the game or a touchdown to win. Then, Vic Fangio’s defense makes a stop, something most teams have trouble doing in clutch time when playing Mahomes and the Chiefs. And, yes, Jake Elliott hasn’t been great this year, but he will be Sunday. He will kick the go-ahead FG before Mahomes tries that two-minute drill, which will fail and Hurts will get to go in victory formation.  Eagles 32, Chiefs 29

Mike Sliwinski

Two years ago the Eagles had a questionable pass interference call on an uncatchable ball called against them. You’ve heard me complain at nauseum about it. Without that call who knows how that game ends…but at minimal I think it would have went to overtime. Fast forward to current times and the Eagles are back in the big game.

The offense remains relatively the same with exception of one big acquisition in Barkley. Defensively they made a lot of changes, much of them for the better and younger, which bodes well for the future. The Chiefs got a weapon in the first round at wide receiver in Xavier Worthy. Coach Reid gets creative and Worthy with tremendous speed is his swiss army knife. Meanwhile Kelce is near the end of his career but seems to still come up big in the playoffs. Mahomes is still in his prime and seems to make some incredible plays that no one is makes in scramble drills. He can carry the team in any game against any team to victory. I also think the Chiefs defense doesn’t completely stop Barkley but being the best run defense the Eagles have seen in a while, they contain him to ONLY one touchdown and just under 100 yards.

I actually think Hurts has a big game rushing and passing. I think he spreads it pretty evenly between Brown, Goedert, and Smith for perhaps a little over 300 yards. All that said, points will be hard to come by. The Chiefs will have the ball with a chance to win, but will need a TD to do so. At around midfield they will set up with a 4th and 3. Josh Sweat ends up the hero with a pressure, maybe a sack or some kind of disruption to break up the play. The Eagles take over and can do a couple kneel downs to take home the trophy. Eagles 23 Chiefs 17

Ryan Shead: Eagles 31, Chiefs 21

Gary Shead: Eagles 28, Chiefs 20