NFL Playoff Picks: The Super Bowl Pick
Josh Frey
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Well folks, we’re here. The final weekend of the 2022-23 NFL season where we will see the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles battle in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday. Today, we make that final pick of the season, but before we do, here is a look back on how we did two weeks ago in Conference Championship weekend.
- Eagles -2.5 (W)
- Chiefs -1 (W)
Season Record: 69-65-5
The Super Bowl Pick
- Spread: Eagles -1
- Chiefs ML: +101
- Eagles ML: -121
- O/U: 51 points
Frey’s Pick: Chiefs ML
For the second time in his career, Patrick Mahomes will lift the Lombardi trophy by the time this weekend wraps up in his third appearance over the past four years.
The Chiefs offense is getting healthier in the days ahead of the Super Bowl with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney practicing this week. Patrick Mahomes has also been a full participant. Add that to other targets like Travis Kelce and Mecole Hardman, and the Philadelphia Eagles secondary will have their hands full.
I’m also making this pick based off some of the things we saw in the NFC Championship Game. Philly didn’t need to play a strong game against the 49ers in order to win, especially after Brock Purdy suffered a torn UCL.
However, that plays into a bit of a theme for the Eagles in recent weeks. It’s hard to find a game in the last two months where 1) the Eagles played a complete game or 2) they needed to play well in order to win. This week, they need a complete game to beat the Chiefs, particularly from QB Jalen Hurts.
Speaking of Hurts, if nothing else, the 49ers did a good job of putting pressure on the Eagles QB and making him uncomfortable. He completed 15-of-25 passes for 121 yards, not exactly a terrific showing.
Ultimately, I’m riding with the Chiefs in this game because I think Kansas City will be able to create pressure against Hurts this weekend. Kansas City landed 1st in total pressures, 2nd in total sacks, and 5th in pressure rate.
The formula to getting Hurts off track in playoff games is by getting pressure, much like it is for most quarterbacks. The Eagles have a strong offensive line, but the combination of Chris Jones and Frank Clark on Kansas City’s defensive front should be able to get home.
And finally, at the end of the day, whenever we can ride with Patrick Mahomes as an underdog, why wouldn’t we?
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.