Super Bowl

Some Fun Facts That Link the Eagles and Chiefs Before Super Bowl LVII

Philadelphia and Kansas City have never met in the Super Bowl, but the two franchises have a number of unique connections

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Looking at some facts that link the Eagles and Chiefs originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs dominated the NFL this season.

Both squads are rolling into Super Bowl LVII after winning their conference championships. They’ll meet in Glendale, Ariz., for the big game at the Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium.

The two franchises have never met in the Super Bowl, but they’ve faced off nine times in the regular season. Kansas City has beaten Philadelphia in their last three meetings (2013, 2017, 2021), but Super Bowl Sunday is a completely different type of game.

What other connections do these two teams have? Here are 10 ties that link the Eagles and Chiefs:

Both teams were the No. 1 seed after going 14-3

The regular season was eerily similar for the Eagles and Chiefs. They were the only two teams to finish 14-3, each going 9-3 within their conference. The Eagles had a +133 point differential, the Chiefs were at +127. Both teams won seven games at home and seven games on the road.

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Both teams played (and won) at State Farm Stadium this season

When the teams get off their planes in Arizona, they’ll be entering familiar territory. The Chiefs visited the Cardinals in Week 1 and left with a 44-21 victory, while the Eagles defeated the Cardinals 20-17 in Week 5.

Miraculously, whoever wins the Super Bowl will finish the 2022 season with more wins at State Farm Stadium than the hometown Cardinals (who went 1-8).

Both teams have a Kelce brother

For the first time in NFL history, two brothers will face off in the Super Bowl. Eagles center Jason Kelce and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce aren’t just random players, either. They’re arguably the NFL’s best players at their respective positions. Each was named AP First-Team All-Pro this season, Jason’s fifth time on the team and Travis’ fourth.

The brothers each have one Super Bowl ring, so this matchup could determine bragging rights for life. Their mother, Donna, will surely be in the crowd wearing her patented split jersey. Last year, she trekked from Tampa Bay to Kansas City to watch two playoff games in the same day. This year, she won’t have to travel at all to watch both her sons play.

Travis and Jason Kelce will make history at Super Bowl 57 as the first brothers to compete against each other at the big game.

Both head coaches used to be employed by the opposing team

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni both have ties to their opposition.

Reid was the Eagles’ head coach from 1999 to 2012, winning a team record 130 games. He never won a Super Bowl, but he won the NFC title in 2004 and had just three losing seasons in 14 years. Reid, 64, took over the Chiefs in 2013 and has never had a losing season in KC. 

Sirianni was an assistant coach with the Chiefs from 2009 to 2012, serving as offensive quality control coach, wide receivers coach and assistant quarterbacks coach. He didn’t work under Reid, as he wasn’t retained when Reid was hired in 2013.

Both starting quarterbacks are from Texas

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are both Texas natives. Hurts was born in Houston and attended nearby Channelview High School. Mahomes has even deeper Texas ties – he was born in Tyler, went to Whitehouse High School and attended Texas Tech University.

Super Bowl 57 is set up to be the first where two Black quarterbacks will face off, with Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes taking center stage. Only three Black QBs have ever won the Super Bowl, one being Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl 54, so he'll be looking to be the first to win twice.

Both teams have played in a Super Bowl in the last five years

This isn’t the first rodeo for the Eagles and Chiefs. Philly has three prior Super Bowl trips and Kansas City has four, plus both have played in the big game in the last five seasons.

The Eagles are 1-2 in their first three trips, losing in 1980 and 2004 before winning in 2017. The Chiefs have two wins in four tries, winning in 1969 and 2019 and falling in 1966 and 2020.

Both teams led their conference in sacks

Both of these teams know how to rush the passer. The Eagles led the league with 70 sacks in the regular season, ranking third all-time. The Chiefs led the AFC and were second in the league with 55 regular season sacks. Their pass-rushing dominance has continued into the postseason, with the Eagles totaling eight sacks and the Chiefs getting seven in two games.

Both teams allowed the same number of points in their two playoff games

The Eagles have had much less trouble in the postseason, racking up a +55 point differential compared to +10 for the Chiefs. But both defenses have been consistent through two games. Philly allowed seven points against both the Giants and 49ers, while Kansas City allowed 20 points against both the Jaguars and Bengals.

Both teams were involved in star wide receiver trades last offseason

There were a number of star wideouts traded last offseason, and two of the biggest deals involved the Eagles and Chiefs – one team adding, one team subtracting.

The Eagles acquired A.J. Brown from the Titans in exchange for two draft picks, a move that immediately paid dividends. Brown had 88 receptions, 1,496 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in a breakout season.

The Chiefs traded away their star, sending Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins for five draft picks. Even without the speedy weapon, Kansas City’s offense didn’t miss a beat. Mahomes’ squad scored 29.2 points per game this season, one point more than 2021 when they had Hill.

Both cities are known for their iconic food dishes

OK, this one doesn’t exactly involve the two teams. But we had to talk about food when the two cities have meals that are this famous.

Philadelphia is known for the Philly cheesesteak, a sandwich made from thin, cut-up slices of steak and melted cheese on a hoagie roll. Kansas City has their own style of barbecue, which includes a variety of slowly smoked meat topped with a thick, sweet sauce.

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