PHOENIX — It wouldn’t be Super Bowl Week without a week of super hype. And it begins in earnest for the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles Monday, with the event formerly known as media day.
Coverage of Opening Night will air live on NFL Network at 8 p.m. Pro Football Network will be on-hand and provide updates throughout the night and the days that follow of top stories of Super Bowl Week.
5 Biggest Storylines Leading Up to Super Bowl 57
But why wait until then? Here’s an early look at five of the many subplots involving the Chiefs and Eagles ahead of Super Bowl 57.
Health of Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts
Neither quarterback is 100%. Both will 100% play.
But how effective will they be?
Mahomes on Super Bowl Sunday will be three full weeks removed from the high ankle sprain he suffered in the Divisional Round. His mobility was clearly impacted in the AFC Championship Game, and yet he still threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns.
Hurts, meanwhile, has not been the same quarterback since returning from a shoulder injury that kept him out of two late-season games. In his three games since, he’s completed just 60.7% of his passes with an average of six yards per attempt and a passer rating of 80.7.
The Andy Reid Bowl
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Andy Reid used to coach the Philadelphia Eagles.
In fact, Reid is by far the winningest coach in Eagles history (130-93-1) and, this time next year, will almost certainly be the winningest coach in Chiefs history (124-76-10).
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Reid is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. And with a win Sunday, he’ll become the 14th coach to win two or more Lombardi Trophies.
Or Is It The Kelce Brothers Bowl?
Stop us if you’ve heard this before: Travis and Jason Kelce are brothers.
Travis is the star tight end for the Chiefs. Jason is the beloved center for the Eagles. This will be just the third time they’ll appear in an NFL game against each other. Travis won the previous two.
Remember when the Harbaughs faced off in the Super Bowl a decade ago? The tenor of the coverage this week will be a lot like that — except the Kelces are actually likable.
Chiefs’ Banged-Up WRs
The Chiefs’ wide receiver room is a MASH unit.
Mecole Hardman is doubtful to play with a hip injury.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Kadarius Toney (ankle, hamstring) are both questionable. And while Reid said he expects both to play, how effective will they be?
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Mahomes made do with spare parts against the Bengals in the AFC title game. But the Eagles’ defense is a step up in class over the Bengals’.
The only other WRs on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster? Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Justin Watson.
Chris Jones vs. Eagles Offensive Line
Perhaps the best value of any Super Bowl prop bet is the Chiefs’ Chris Jones at 50-to-1 to win MVP.
While it’s true that defensive players almost never take home the award — the last to do it was Von Miller seven years ago — the idea that Jones has less of a chance than Haason Reddick is absurd.
Jones might be playing the best football of his career at age 28. He was unblockable against Cincinnati, recording two sacks, three tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits.
Jones vs. Kelce and the Eagles’ marvelous offensive line might be the matchup of the game.