Chiefs, Eagles make final preparations for Super Bowl Sunday showdown

• The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles made final preparations Friday for their Super Bowl showdown. Each team held its final full practices in the New Orleans area.
• The Chiefs will once again lean on Patrick Mahomes, who has a 17-3 record in the postseason.
• The Eagles feature six players from the University of Georgia who are used to playing in big games.

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Fridays in the NFL mean the last full practice before a Sunday kickoff, and that is no different for the 2025 Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs went through their final workouts in the New Orleans area. Both say they are ready for the upcoming showdown.

No player for the Chiefs will likely impact the outcome more than quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He has a 17-3 record in the postseason and beat the Eagles in the big game two years ago. His playmaking under pressure, in the final minutes of a game, is what usually leads to victory. Oddly enough, when that time comes, he says he’s playing basketball.

“I believe it’s like playing point guard, and when you’re driving on the fast break, you have to decide if you want to drive and slash and score, or if you want to pass it off to the big man down low, or if you want to throw the deep shot, or throw it to the wing for the three pointer,” Mahomes said. “So, it’s just playing that position. I’ve been playing basketball growing up, my entire life, and I feel like in those moments, it gives me the vision to go out there and execute the play.”

The biggest factor for the Eagles Sunday, Feb. 9, will likely be the guys tasked with stopping that “basketball point guard” on the other sideline. Philly’s defense, led by coordinator Vic Fangio, allowed the second-lowest point total in the regular season and surrendered the fewest passing yards. That defense also features six former University of Georgia players who won multiple college national championships. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni believes that’s a key to their culture.

“Obviously, their talent speaks for itself. But they also have this –– they’ve been playing together for multiple years, the couple years that they’ve been here together and all those years they’ve had playing on those great defenses and great teams that they had in Georgia under coach [Kirby] Smart,” Sirianni said.

Quarterback Jalen Hurts, who could have an impact on the game himself, was asked why the Eagles are so focused. “I think that starts with Nakobe Dean and all those guys that were able to play ball in college together and bring their ways to the league,” Hurts said. “And so I think that has a big impact on our culture: how they play on defense, how together they are, and I think that kinda seeps through the team in many ways.”

So, Mahomes versus the Eagles defense Sunday, Feb. 9 –– a key battle between two elite opponents that have played twice recently. In that previous Super Bowl back in 2023, Mahomes put together a game-winning drive for a 38-35 win.

In November 2023, just nine months later, the Eagles shut out the Chiefs in the second half to win in Kansas City, 21-17. That’s about as even as a matchup gets.