Super Bowl LIX (59) | Sunday, February 9, 6:30 pm ET, Ceasars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-1.5, 48.5)

First off, let's review the obvious. Kansas City defeated the best teams the AFC had to offer (Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills), both at home, and covered the spread in both contests. From a bettor's perspective, it doesn't get any better than that.

The Chiefs are looking at making NFL history. They are the first team ever to attempt to win three straight Super Bowls. Other teams - San Francisco, Pittsburgh, New England, Dallas - won two straight, but none of them returned to the Big Game for a try at a three-peat.

The Chiefs are the first to do so, and, if they prevail, will go down in history as one of the greatest - if not the greatest - NFL dynasty.

Kansas City (15-2) blew through the regular season, winning the AFC West by four games over the 11-6 LA Chargers, who were eliminated in the first round by Houston. The Chiefs, with the best record in the conference received a first-round bye, and took on the Texans in the divisional round, winning, 23-14, which, depending on when and with which service people laid their bets was either a push at -9 or a win at -8 or -8.5. The conference championship against the Bills - one of two teams to beat them during the regular season (the other was Denver, in a week 18, 38-0 rout the KC starters sat out) - was an epic struggle, as has been the norm for these two rivals the past few years.

The Chiefs consistently thwarted Buffalo on fourth downs, stopping them three times over the course of the game. Meanwhile, the Kansas City offense exploited the Bills' left side, with Mahomes consistently running loose for big gains. Mahomes scored two rushing touchdowns, one from a yard out and one a 10-yard scamper over the Bills' left-sde defense. The Chiefs won and covered the spread, 32-29.

The Eagles, regular season champs of the NFC East (14-3), took down the Packers on Wild Card Weekend, 22-10, dispatched a stubborn LA Rams team, 28-22, in the divisional round, and demolished the upstart Washington Commanders, 55-23. The Eagles covered the spread against the Packers and Commanders and just barely missed as 6.5-point favorites against the Rams.

The Chiefs and Eagles are fairly evenly matched and this is a reprise of Super Bowl LVII (57), which the Chiefs won, 38-35.

Then there are the various theories:

Taylor Swift Theory

Everybody knows that Taylor Swift and KC tight end Travis Kelce are an item, and that Taylor is the most popular performing artist in the world, so, since every Super Bowl in recent memory has to have a story line, this one will be about the perfect couple and their Kansas City love affair. Never mind that Kelce is a media whore who does ads for taking the death shot covid vaccine or the ineffective flu shot, the Chiefs have to win to complete the fairy tale.

All NFL Games are Fixed Theory

Offer just about anybody a couple million and they're likely to do as you please. Considering there's somewhere between $12 and $16 billion expected to be bet on the Super Bowl this year, having a controlling interest in some of that dough would give organized crime good reason to spend a little.

The average NFL referee makes about $200,000 and may get an additional $50,000 for working the Super Bowl. Even some players making over $2-3 million per season would appreciate an additional tax free income boost. Do the math.

Dynasty Theory

The NFL has a history of dynasties. Think Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots. This is the fifth Super Bowl appearance in the last six seasons for the Chiefs. Head Coach Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes have been there for all of them. The Chiefs have won their last two appearances.

A win here would give them three straight, four titles in the last six years, the stuff of dynasties, and Mahomes is only 29. There's reason to believe the Kansas City Chiefs aren't yet done.

BTW: Kansas City's first Super Bowl win in the Reid-Mahomes era was 31-20 over the 49ers in pre-pandemic Super Bowl LIV (Feb. 2, 2020).

Mahomes is an Alien Theory

This one purports that Patrick Mahomes is from another planet and possesses unworldly qualities. Could be something to that.

Even if Patrick Mahomes is merely mortal, he's still the best quarterback in the game and already (barring career-ending injury) a certain Hall of Famer. Also, he and Kelce have so much on-field chemistry, means the 49er linebackers and secondary are in for a world of hurt.

Here's a final theory: Kansas City will make NFL history by winning their third straight Super Bowl.

Fearless Rick's Prediction: Kansas City 28 Eagles 24

Coin Flip: Philadelphia

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