The Big Lead

Super Bowl 2025: Ranking the 4 potential matchups ahead of the conference championships

By Sam Westmoreland

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen gets ready to launch a pass during first half action at the Buffalo Bills divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 19, 2025.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen gets ready to launch a pass during first half action at the Buffalo Bills divisional game against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Jan. 19, 2025. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
facebooktwitter
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles are fun, but this has the potential to be an ugly matchup.
Jan 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) reacts during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

4. CHIEFS VS. EAGLES

Why It's Good: The Eagles and Chiefs have been two of the NFL's best teams for most of the last four years, and this year is no exception; these two combined to go 29-5 on the year. We get to see two of the game's most unique stars, in Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, square off.

It's also a Super Bowl rematch; remember that Kansas City beat Philly 17-3 in Super Bowl LVII in 2022. That gives this potential matchup some real narrative juice, as the Eagles look to be the team to dethrone the two-time defending champs, after failing to beat them at the start of this run. With the way these two teams are built, it's very likely this will be a close game, that will come down to the final couple of possessions, with very little margin for error for either side.

Why It's Not: Given the state of both of these offenses, this matchup has the potential to remind everyone that just because a game is close does not mean that game is good. The Chiefs' offense remains...inconsistent, doing just enough each week to get by, helped by the continued magic of Patrick Mahomes. The Eagles' offense is incredible at running the ball, but can best be described as frustratingly inconsistent when they have to throw.

Further bogging this matchup down is the fact that Kansas City and Philly have two of the best scoring defenses in the NFL this season, and both are best at denying what the other is good at (Kansas City has an airtight run defense, while Philly has the best passing defense in the NFL in terms of yards allowed). Without a little luck (and some broken defenses), this could turn into a real slog.

Home/NFL