Official Super Bowl 57 Game Pick

Here we GO! With the biggest game of the year kicking off in just mere days, it is time for me to make my final prediction of the 2022-23 season. After this game is over, we will be heading straight into the off-season and all of that fun content that comes with it. But for one more weekend, we can talk all about football and predict the game.

Before I make my prediction, I have a crazy sad streak that I need to fill you in on. The JKFOOTBALL curse if you will. Starting in Super Bowl 49, when I predicted the Seahawks to beat the Patriots, I am yet to predict a Super Bowl game correctly. I am 0-8 picking my last 8 Super Bowl games. It is a crazy streak of bad luck, and I hope to break my own curse this weekend and hope I do not doom whoever I take here to win.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl 57
State Farm Stadium, Glendale AZ
February 12th, 2023
6:30 p.m. ET

Going into this game, I truly am having a hard time choosing a winner. Looking at the last couple of Super Bowls, I do not think there was one as evenly matched as this one in a good while. Both teams are so damn even in a lot of ways. Both teams have scored 546 points going into this game. Both teams are 16-3 coming into this game. Both teams were the no. 1 seed in their conferences. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes won league MVP tonight, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts came in second in the voting. The Chiefs' offense was first in yardage per game this season, the Eagles were second. Both teams have 7 All-Pros, including one Kelce brother. Andy Reid has coached both of these teams to a Super Bowl appearance. There are a lot of similarities about these teams, and it is going to make for a great, even game, that hopefully comes down to the wire.

Let me say, I do think Patrick Mahomes is the best player that will play on the field this Sunday, but that does not mean that the Eagles are at a disadvantage. Mahomes has a worse all around team in my opinion. The Eagles boast a significantly better pass catching group and they do have the best OL in the sport as well. Mahomes is the great equalizer because of the crazy off-script plays he makes every single game, but how will that change as he continues to play on a high-ankle sprain? The Eagles have the most sacks in the league, and their ferocious pass rush will not relent when going for Mahomes. If I had to guess, I could see the Eagles sending EXTRA pressure just to hobble him even more greatly. This is the Super Bowl, there will be no mercy. The thing is here, the Eagles have a stud QB too, and his name is Jalen Hurts.

Hurts is 16-1 this year when starting. It was an upset loss at the mid-season to the Commanders. No one else has stumped him all year. The only other two losses were with Gardner Minshew at the helm. While Mahomes is probably the better QB overall, Hurts brings an element to this offense that is so impossible to figure out. Sure, Mahomes makes the WOW plays that you marvel at, but that is usually a product of pass rushers not getting home or blown coverages. The Eagles will literally just straight up call plays for Hurts that no one can defend. I know KC probably has the slightly better offense, but I think Philly's advantage of defense is SIGNIFICANT. I don't know how this KC offense will be able to slow down the run game of Philly, and especially the RPOs that they confuse everyone with. Chris Jones and co. are not able
to dominate if the ball is out as quickly as it does with the Eagle O.

Ultimately, I think this could be an instant classic Super Bowl. These teams are just so loaded on offense that I cannot see it being a low scoring game. I think this is the kind of game too where a team could come out hot and jump out to a 2 or even 3 score lead, and lose the game. However, in a shootout, I'm taking the EAGLES to win it all. I just like their defense that much more, and the fact of Mahomes being hobbled scares me a little. How are you going to hobble through plays with Haason Reddick, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and MORE coming at you. I just feel like the Philly D will make one or two more big plays than the hit or miss KC D, and that will be the difference in a game like this. In terms of picking a Super Bowl MVP, I will give out three names I could see taking it for Philly: Hurts, Reddick, and Kenneth Gainwell. Yup. Gainwell is my X-Factor sleeper for that one. There always seems to be an unsung, back-up RB who goes off in a Super Bowl win. Think Damien Williams when the Chiefs won a few years back. James White in the Falcons Super Bowl for NE. LeGarrette Blount for Philly in 2018. It is never the back you think, and Gainwell has been hot recently. Look for him to score a TD and have a few game changing plays. While it is obviously hard to lock in a guy with +12500 odds to win it, but it is just my sneaky pick. I'm picking the Eagles to win their second SB in 6 years, breaking my SB curse, and watching Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts hoist their first Lombardi!

Final Score Prediction: EAGLES 37, CHIEFS 34

*Also, go check back on my mid-season awards article, I had the EAGLES over CHIEFS as my mid-season Super Bowl prediction... 🙏

Super Bowl MVP: RB Kenneth Gainwell
(Jalen Hurts & Haason Reddick as my other two honorable mentions)