1 of 6 | Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley speaks to the media at Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI |
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NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Some similarities remain between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles teams that will meet Sunday and their rosters from their first Super Bowl matchup, but key differences could trigger an alternate outcome.
The man lining up in the Eagles backfield could be the most significant difference. Veteran running back Saquon Barkley, who led the NFL in rushing this season, will appear in a Super Bowl for the first time in his seven-year career.
"You see all the big-time names, the star player, but at the end of the day, all we want to do is win games and see each other succeed," Barkley said at Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday in New Orleans.
"When you have a group with that mindset, it's easy to go out there and make plays."
Chiefs and Eagles players will wear the same respective white and green jerseys they wore in Super Bowl LVII when they face off again in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday in New Orleans. The Eagles hope for a different outcome than the 38-35 loss on Feb. 12, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz.
Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Travis Kelce, A.J. Brown, Darius Slay, Chris Jones and Trent McDuffie will be among the familiar faces suiting up again on the NFL's grandest stage, but 17 of the starters from Super Bowl LVII are no longer with the Eagles and Chiefs.
The departures include center Jason Kelce and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox -- two former All-Pros -- as well as cornerback L'Jarius Sneed and offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
"We're not the '22 roster, we're the '24 Eagles," Slay said. "So, it's not the same roster. I think it's just the next big game we can have, and we're looking forward to it."
While losing star power is rarely positive, the Chiefs and Eagles managed to improve in some areas, allowing themselves to win in different ways on their return routes to the Super Bowl.
The offense largely carried the Chiefs during that 2022-23 season. The Mahomes-led attack totaled the most yards and points in the NFL, including the most passing yards and passing scores. They also averaged the most net yards per pass attempt, an indicator of their explosive nature.
This Chiefs team has an average offense, ranking 16th of 32 NFL teams in yardage, while scoring the 15th most points in the league. They rank 21st in net yards per pass attempt. But the 2024-25 Chiefs defense allowed the fourth-fewest points and ninth-fewest yards in the league and was vital in preserving late leads to squeak out tight victories throughout the year.
The Eagles, who brought the league's No. 2 defense to Super Bowl LVII, tout the top unit in 2024-25. They also have the No. 8 offense, with the No. 2 rushing attack, but totaled the third-fewest passing yards this season.
The Eagles had the No. 3 offense, with the No. 5 rushing attack and No. 9 passing unit during their last Super Bowl trip. They allowed the fewest passing yards in the league in 2022-23 and 2024-25.
"There are a handful of things, based off walkthrough, practice and meals, that we are doing a little bit different this time to try to give ourselves the best chance to win," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said of the rematch with the Chiefs.
Coach Andy Reid, who will make his fifth Super Bowl trip with the Chiefs in six years, said each of his rosters "felt different." The Chiefs' 15 wins this season were the most ever for a Reid-coached team.
The Chiefs have won at least 10 games in 11 of Reid's 12 seasons with the franchise. Reid's Chiefs missed the playoffs just once after going 9-7 in 2014, three years before Mahomes joined the team.
"Every team is different," Reid said. "They develop their own personalities throughout the season, and that's where we're at now. So, this team, they've developed certain characteristics that maybe the other teams didn't have. Then maybe the other teams had some things that this team didn't have. That's how it goes."
Both the Chiefs and Eagles are prepared for the distractions of Super Bowl week, which started on Opening Night and will include many other media obligations and communications with family members and fans, while squeezing in practices in unfamiliar environments.
"We try to work hard," Reid said. "I keep it that simple. You really know it's about the game. All this other stuff doesn't necessarily matter. It matters to people in the entertainment part of the business, but without the guys focusing on the game or the coaches, you lose track of what this thing's all about.
"You get really caught up in all this and you can't get too far from what's real and that's playing the game."
Reid's Chiefs are 1.5-point favorites to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy for a third-consecutive season, but Hurts, who ran for three touchdowns while throwing for 304 yards and another score in Super Bowl LVII, says he'll take lessons from that setback into Sunday's showdown.
"It's had a great driving force," Hurts said. "It lit a flame, lit a fire in me, and to have this opportunity again is exactly what you work for."