For the first time in Super Bowl history, the Kansas City Chiefs will go head to head against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, Feb. 12. Buzz on campus has filled the air with the game only a couple of days away.

“Everybody doubted us,” said die-hard Eagles fan Dylan Fanelli, ’26. “Everybody said this would not happen and that it was a fluke. We can watch this Sunday and see if that happens, but you know what? Fly, Eagles, fly.”

While Fanelli is in good company with the rest of Philadelphia, the Chiefs are making their fifth Super Bowl appearance since the National Football League created the tournament in 1967. The team participated in the first-ever Super Bowl, losing to the Green Bay Packers by a score of 35-10. They clinched their first win in 1970, but did not return to the Super Bowl until 2019, where they went on to win again. This year marks the team’s third trip in the last four seasons, with their most recent appearance being in 2020.

In the twenty-first century, the New England Patriots went on a historic run, appearing in nine Super Bowls across 18 seasons spanning from 2002 to 2019. With the success Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have delivered to the Chiefs’ kingdom in their early years of partnership, one might wonder if they can replicate what Tom Brady and Bill Belichick did for the Pats in the past two decades.

Mahomes has been a special talent since getting the call to start in 2018. One year prior, during his rookie season, he was under the wing of veteran Alex Smith, who took the Chiefs to the postseason, losing to the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card round.

After gaining experience learning from a seasoned pro, Mahomes took off during his sophomore year in the NFL, throwing for over 5,000 yards — a marker that he hit again this season with 5,250 — and 50 touchdowns. The 2019-20 season rolled through, and Mahomes took the Chiefs to the promised land, giving them their first Super Bowl appearance and victory since their 1970 title.
If they are crowned victors again this Sunday, it will surely solidify Reid as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, and will inch Mahomes closer to reaching Brady’s seven rings.

The Eagles, meanwhile, came out of the gate with something to prove. They were the hottest team in the NFL all season, and began their 2022-23 campaign with a stellar 8-0 record. Second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts has led the team with just over 3,700 passing yards and 22 touchdowns on the season. Although his stats are not as glossy as Mahomes’ are, his supporters still believe he can get the job done under this kind of pressure.

“Hurts is the hardest-working quarterback I have ever seen in my entire life,” Fanelli said. “I think it will shine in the Super Bowl how hard that guy works.”

This is the Eagles’ first trip to the Super Bowl since 2018, when Nick Foles — who subbed in for Carson Wentz after he went down with an ACL tear late in the season — took down Brady and the Pats 41-33. It is the birds’ fourth appearance in franchise history, where they are looking to add a second ring to their collection.

Fanelli was able to witness the Eagles last Super Bowl, and was going to go to the 2018 NFC Championship game until he got subbed out by one of his uncles. Nevertheless, during the championship game, his family still had a party and Fanelli celebrated by jumping into a pool when they won.

“We were all there as a family at my uncle’s house, and we bought out Rita’s Water Ice and a Philly cheesesteak shop,” Fanelli said. “It was electric. I had a feeling of fear when I saw my granddad start to cry because that was the first time I have ever seen him cry. But it was blissful happiness and I hope to see it again this Sunday.”

The Eagles are strong in the trenches. They ranked as the number-one offensive line in the NFL throughout the entire season, listed on Pro Football Focus. In the middle of that group is Jason Kelce, brother of Kansas City’s star tight end Travis Kelce.

This marks the first time in NFL history that a pair of brothers will play together in the Super Bowl. The only downside is by the end of the night one will be celebrating while the other is in shambles. Still, their mother Donna Kelce could not be more excited.

“How could it get any better than this?” Donna Kelce said in a video interview with ABC. “It is going to be the best day ever.”

It has been a long road to get to this point in the season. There have been many surprises and disappointments for fans across the league in the 22-week stretch that led to the big stage.
The matchup is predicted to be a good one. Both teams earned a bye week in the Wild Card round after respectively winning their conferences. The Eagles steamrolled the Giants and 49ers the next two weeks. Although the Chiefs squeaked by the Jaguars and Bengals to get here, they represent a veteran team who has been to this point before with the same core guys. Opening kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m.