Chris Berman is back for his NFL pick for Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Odds provided by Caesars Sportsbook.
Kansas City Chiefs – Philadelphia Eagles (-1.5, 51)
Sunday, 6:30 pm ET, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona.
Super Bowl LVII should be great. We say a lot, but a couple of 16-3 records never sneeze. A pair of No. 1 seeds are also not meeting in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2017 season, when No. 1 Philadelphia beat No. 1 New England in Minnesota. The last time the Super Bowl was here in Arizona was at Super Bowl XLIX, it was the Patriots and the Seahawks, where the two No. 1s also met in one of the most memorable Super Bowls. Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson at the 1-yard line and the Patriots rallied to take the Seahawks for their fourth Super Bowl victory. This game changed the narrative of both franchises. New England, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, who started 3-0 in the Super Bowl, were about to lose their third straight Super Bowl game in a row. Instead, they went 4-2, no one questioned their ability to win big, and the rest is history. That would be two in a row for Seattle with a good chance of being the first to win three Super Bowls in a row, making them the team of the 2010s. As good as Pete Carroll and the Seahawks were during that decade, they never returned to NFC title games after that loss.
Needless to say, another Super Bowl in this building was arguably even bigger for the history books as the Patriots went 19-0 to a perfect season. Eli Manning, David Tyree and Plaxico Burress had other ideas for the monumental G-Men upset. So, this is the third Super Bowl in the Big Toaster… yeah, looks like it. I like the stadium. Let’s put down two English muffins and have breakfast. We call this game “Toaster Roaster”.
For Kansas City coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, this is their third Super Bowl together in four years, putting them on the shortlist. The fact that they are perennials says a lot. What they do every week is legendary. Reid’s game planning and adjustments were on full display when Mahomes injured his ankle against Jacksonville and was compromised against Cincinnati. Mahomes’ run for the first down against the Bengals – without a late call – will go down in history as one of his finest moments. He had countless chances, and more to come. This helps Reid and Mahomes have Travis Kelsey in the Super Bowl. He has never been better.
The Philadelphia we saw in the postseason looked just like the 13-1 Eagles we saw before quarterback Jalen Hurts was injured. Yes, in the NFC title game, San Francisco had to play one-sided offense, but the overall playoff score was 69-14. Teams that have won both the Divisional Round and the Conference Championship by 21 points or more make for one of the most impressive lists you’ll ever read. San Francisco ’89, San Francisco ’88, Bears ’85 and Steelers ’78. Yes, they all won the Super Bowl. Hurts are part of the deadly running game, but Eagles wide receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are the problem. Can a young Kansas City sidekick succeed like the Bengals’ standout forwards did? Brown’s addition was made by GM Howie Roseman, who deserves a lot of credit for the way he built this power plant in Philadelphia. Among other things, he invited linebacker Haason Reddick and others to the D-line, which plays seven depths and has an incredible 78 sacks. Can Mahomes escape them? Roseman came to Philadelphia when Reid was a coach in Philadelphia. Reid’s last year was 2012, but three of his draft picks are still big contributors: Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox on defense and center Jason Kelsey.
Will the Kansas City front wall of Chris Jones and Frank Clark decide they want the headlines and not the Eagles front? Both teams have three offensive linemen who have been named to the Pro Bowl. Mahomes and Herts, who finished 1-2 in the MVP race, are front and center, although neither is 100 percent healthy. They are more like 85 percent, but you would take this for your team in an instant. When Philadelphia beat the Niners in the championship game, the Eagles were the first to beat San Francisco after the Chiefs did it back in October. Yes, we do have a roaster in the toaster. I see a game that is decided by a field goal. The Chiefs have far more experience in these games than the Eagles this year, which could play a big role in the outcome. So did Reid and Mahomes.
KC 29, Philadelphia 26
Editor’s note: Last year, Berman picked the Rams with a score of 3. The final score of the game was the Rams 23, the Bengals 20.
Source: www.espn.com
