In case you weren’t invited to a party already or somehow avoid sports news like the plague, I am saving you the surprise when your Sunday night show is delayed because Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend.
Starting at 5:30 p.m. on Fox in Glendale, AZ, the Philadelphia Eagles will play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII (or 57 if you don’t know roman numerals).
This is a fun catch-up for people whose only exposure to football might be the few minutes they glassily stare at the screen at said Super Bowl party or family get together and want to know who is even playing in this game.
The bad news for the casual fan who loves to root for an underdog story is that neither of these teams fit that bill. Both were probably picked on some expert’s list before the season began and neither have had a remarkably unlikely trip outside of dealing with some untimely injuries at quarterback.
Philadelphia
It’s good to have a Super Bowl come along where I have a team I can root against with all my heart not to win.
The Cowboy fan in me cannot stand another Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl win, with the one five years ago and the franchises first one ever still being unbelievable to me.
The fact the franchise is back after most of that team blew up and was rebuilt in the ensuing years is at once infuriating and begrudgingly impressive as the Eagles have arguably been the best team in the league from start to finish.
They had their conference best record 14-3 record, winning their first nine games and with two of their losses coming late in the season when their young, hot shot quarterback Jalen Hurts was out with a sprained throwing shoulder.
While he is apparently still dealing with the aftereffects of the injury, he is just one cog in the machine of this team instead of carrying it on his back like some other quarterbacks have to. On both sides of the ball their big guys up front are some of the best in the league.
On offense it allows Hurts and running Miles Sanders make up one of the best rushing attacks in the league. Not to be one dimensional, Hurts has big play receivers to throw it to with the beefed up A.J. Brown or the skinny/smooth Devonta Smith catching touchdown passes.
On defense, that line allows Philadelphia to get after quarterbacks as a unit instead of just relying on one star pass rusher. The Eagles led the league in sacking the quarterback, which is a big reason it has had success and could be a big key going against the Chiefs banged up offensive line.
Philadelphia has been dominant in its two playoff wins against the New York Giants (38-7) and the San Francisco 49ers (31-7) even without awesome performances from Hurts throwing the ball. Because of all this, the Eagles are 1.5 point favorites according to the Caesars Sportsbook as of Wednesday.
Kansas City
You might remember hearing about Kansas City either being in the Super Bowl or even winning one the last several years and you would be right. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 2020 and then lost the next year in 2021.
This has been one of the league’s best and most fun teams since quarterback Patrick Mahomes took over as starter in 2018. The former Texas Tech Red Raider has been arguably the best quarterback in the league during that stretch as he makes throws not many humans can make let alone attempt.
Kansas City also went 14-3, but its losses came earlier in the season when it was still discovering itself after losing speedy receiver Tyreek Hill in the offseason. Mahomes adapted and doubled down on his favorite receiver, tight end Travis Kelce who was the best player at his position this season.
His new look receivers on the outside have gotten the job done, but some recent injuries limited them in the playoffs. More importantly, Mahomes suffered an ankle injury in the playoffs and had to fight through it to get his team close wins against both Jacksonville (27-20) and its nemesis Cincinnati Bengals (23-20).
All have been practicing this week which is usually a good sign they will play.
Defensively, the Chiefs are usually just good enough to not be a liability as long as their offense is putting up points. The biggest star on that side of the ball is defensive tackle Chris Jones who has been one of the best players at his position as well.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.