The day of days in American Sport is almost upon us

Super Bowl LVII kicks off just after midday [NZT] with the top seeds of the AFC and NFC doing battle in Phoenix, Arizona.

It’s the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles for the biggest prize of them all – the Vince Lombardi Trophy. 

So who am I picking?

Well, lets answer a few other questions first:

Which quarterback is under more pressure – Patrick Mahomes (KC) or Jalen Hurts (PHI)?

It’s Patrick Mahomes … it’s always Mahomes. Freshly minted as league MVP (no player has won MVP and the Super Bowl in the same season this century), he’s the face of the league, the player who impacts the game with his mere presence and outrageous improvisation.  The pressure is heightened given the impressive nature of the Eagles defence and the unknown status of his ankle injury … Yes, of course he and the Chiefs  are going to say it’s great. It’s his third appearance in a Super Bowl and 2 and 1 reads a lot better than 1 and 2.

Which individual player (quarterbacks excluded) will have the most influence in the outcome of Super Bowl LVII?  

I’m a tight end guy so I’m going to lean into Dallas Goedert here … yes ahead of the more impactful Travis Kelce. No doubt he’ll get his share of targets from Jalen Hurts but he’s also going to have to help blocking or blocking-to-disrupt the outstanding Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones and success in that area may be even more important than his receiving yards.

Which skill group (O-line, secondary, specials team etc) must step up significantly to ensure victory for their team?  

It’s the Chiefs defensive line and their ability to stop the Eagles impressive run game.  Philadelphia have been running the ball very effectively in the postseason and if the Chiefs can’t impact that area, they are in for a long night.

Which kicker would you have more faith in to kick a Super Bowl winning field goal – Harrison Butker (KC) or Jake Elliott (PHI)?

Butker hasn’t been the Butker of seasons past so while he’s got the big game pedigree, I’m leaning toward Jake Elliott, though deep down I think both coaches will be hoping not to have to rely on their kicker to make a clutch play.

Which coaching staff do you trust more – Chiefs or Eagles?

The Eagles could have the best individual coach of either staff in offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Jeff Stoutland, but it is hard to go past the collective (big game) experience of the Chiefs staff, led by Andy Reid and featuring Eric Bieniemy and Steve Spagnuolo.  I would like it noted though that there is a lot to like about the Eagles staff and their collective “don’t-give-a-fats-rats-who-you-are” attitude, led by Nick Sirianni.

And finally, the biggest question of any Super Bowl week, who wins and why?  

I HAVE NO IDEA!!! I have listened to so many podcasts, read so many articles, tried to disseminate every stat I can read and am more befuddled than ever.  Seriously, everything, and I mean everything, seems to point in the Eagles direction, which is then automatically cancelled out by the thought of betting against Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.  Those of you who have followed me for a period of time know that I am more than comfortable admitting that I don’t know (already done that) but I’m also a card carrying member of the “defence-wins-championships” club, so I have to lean into that … don’t I? Oh what the heck, here we go …

Prediction: Eagles by five, Haason Reddick wins SuperBowl MVP, Rihanna absolutely slays the Half Time show!