The Philadelphia Eagles will play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59, in a rematch of Super Bowl 57, in which Kansas City won in a thrilling 38-35 finish.
Two-time Super Bowl winner Chris Long recently appeared on “The Rich Eisen Show” and was asked about the upcoming Super Bowl matchup. While previewing the game, he mentioned that one player from Philadelphia could decide the outcome.
Chris Long Picks Eagles Star To Be Difference-Maker in Super Bowl
Long picked Eagles running back Saquon Barkley to be the ultimate difference-maker. He pointed out how if the Chiefs’ defense can contain Barkley, they can easily win the game as they have the edge at both quarterback and head coach.
“I think it’s a game where it’s hard to boil it down to one thing,” Long said. “But Saquon Barkley is the big difference from the last time these teams played. I also think the Eagles have a lot better personnel on defense. There’s been some issues that they’ve fixed certainly in the secondary and the linebacker.”
Long also mentioned that Philly’s defense has to plan specifically for Travis Kelce, as the Chiefs tight end can line up wherever he wants and cause havoc. The former Eagles defensive end also highlighted that quarterback Jalen Hurts has to protect the ball and not turn the ball over. Hurts fumbled just once in Super Bowl 57, but Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton returned it all the way for a score.
Long also highlighted that Cam Jurgens being available is crucial for Philadelphia. Without him, Chris Jones can completely take over and make life tough for the Eagles’ quarterback.
“If the Chiefs can’t stop the run, it’s going to be really hard for them,” Long added. “I think they have the better quarterback, the better head coach, and that’s not to take anything away from, you know, Nick [Sirianni] or Jalen, but it really doesn’t matter at the end of the game, you know, the best team wins.
“I feel like the Eagles have a better roster,” Long continued. “So, it’s a lot of pressure to put on the coach and the quarterback. But as long as they take care of business, that involves everything I just talked about, both sides of the ball for the coach and obviously for Jalen taking care of the football.”
It’s universally accepted that the Eagles have a far better roster than the Chiefs, yet they aren’t favored to win the Super Bowl. Nick Sirianni has had a great start to his career as an NFL head coach, but unless he wins the Super Bowl, nobody will pick him to come up with a better game plan than Andy Reid.
Hurts will be under immense pressure during the Super Bowl. Two years ago, in Super Bowl 57, he played the best game of his career against the Chiefs. He threw for 304 yards and one touchdown, completing 71.05% of his throws while rushing for 70 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. However, the lost fumble that was returned for a TD proved to be the deciding factor in the game.
This time around, Hurts will be helped by Barkley, who has been exceptional throughout the season. He is averaging 147.3 rushing yards per game in the playoffs, while the Chiefs haven’t allowed any running back to rush over 100 yards since the Christmas Day game against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023.
So, it will be interesting to see whether Barkley can highly perform or whether Hurts will have to become Superman for his team in the biggest game of the season.
