Eagles Super Bowl Rematch With The Chiefs: 5 Things To Know

PHILADELPHIA, PA — The world's eyes will turn to Philadelphia's pride and joy next week as the Eagles return to their second Super Bowl in the last three years.

All they need to do to complete one of the greatest seasons in Philadelphia sports history is to topple a dynasty.

But it's familiar territory for the franchise. The Birds first and only Super Bowl championship was over arguably the greatest sports dynasty there ever was, the New England Patriots. Now it's up to the Birds again to stop the Kansas City Chiefs from winning their third ring in a row.

Here are five things to know and to keep an eye on as the big day draws nearer.

Bad blood

The Birds and the Chiefs, of course, are well familiar with one another.

The Chiefs have won four of the last five matchups between the two franchises, including the 38-35 nail-biter in Super Bowl 57.

But the Eagles did get some form of revenge about nine months later, in what represents the most recent meeting between the two teams. In Nov. 2023, they beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, 21-17.

Where the odds stand

Finally, the Eagles are underdogs.

Philly fans and the Eagles have grown used to being the very hungry dog over the past decade or so, in what has been a fledgling, but still aspiring, golden age of Philly sports. The 2018 Super Bowl champion Eagles were famously underdogs against the Patriots and at several other stops along their journey. The Phillies bore the same mantle all the way to the World Series through a fiery Red October in 2022.

But no one is sleeping on this year's Birds squad. They've been favored by increasing margins in each of their three playoff games thus far. Now, however, it appears bettors are turning on them in favor of what has been something of a sure thing the past few seasons.

The Eagles have arguably looked better this postseason than the Chiefs, who snuck by both Houston and Buffalo by small margins. The Eagles, meanwhile, set an NFC Championship game record by racking up 55 points against Washington, arguably the hottest team in the NFL over the past month.

But the Chiefs have consistently found ways to win close games, and they'll be going for their consecutive Super Bowl win next week. FanDuel Sportsbook calls them narrow minus 1.5 point favorites, and favors them on the Moneyline by minus 126.

This could of course change in the Eagles direction as injury reports are released and new developments emerge in the coming days.

Bird gang

The Eagles can count on franchise legend Jason Kelce to root for them next week. Sort of.

"I would be lying if I said I don't want the Eagles to win," he said on his New Heights podcast this week. "I want them to. But I also want Travis Kelce to win. That's a long-winded way of saying I just want to see a good football game and whoever wins, I'm going to be happy for (them)."

Jason's wife Kylie Kelce made her rooting interest clear on her own "Not Gonna Lie" podcast.

"I was raised to bleed green," she said.

While the Chiefs will certainly seek to claim ownership over the Kelce family's ultimate allegiance, the Eagles also have an array of other celebrity support. Notably, a number of highly successful Philly area female vocalists "bleed green."

Doylestown native Pink is a well known Eagles fan who sang the national anthem before the 2018 Super Bowl win. So is Philly's Patti LaBelle, who has recorded Christmas albums with Eagles players. As is Sabrina Carpenter, raised in Quakertown, who was accused of "cursing" teams whose jerseys she wore after the Phillies were eliminated from the playoffs last year. A legion of fans are convinced she's well aware of the curse, and sported a Dallas Cowboys jersey ironically once she got wise.

The greatest Philly sports team ever?

It's not a subject that's often broached. The Flyers, Sixers, and Phillies all had championship teams in the early 1980s. Bobby Clarke's Broad Street Bullies that won the Stanley Cup have a good case. The 1981 through 1983 Sixers, especially in their 82-83 championship season when Julius Erving and Moses Malone swept the Los Angeles Lakers in four games, are on the same level. In terms of sheer regular season dominance, nothing really approaches the 2011 Phillies and the four horsemen, but they were snakebit by the red hot St. Louis Cardinals in the opening round.

The 2017-18 Eagles could very well be it, considering the fact that they delivered the first Super Bowl championship in franchise history with their backup quarterback going up against Tom Brady's Patriots. It would take a special set of circumstances to top the Nick Foles Philly Special squad, but the Birds historic NFC championship game and a defeat of what many see as a destiny-bound KC team would likely qualify.

Bets between cities, states

Traditionally, governors and mayors of competing states and cities in the Super Bowl will host friendly — and not so friendly — public wagers with each other. Some Eagles fans still haven't forgotten the image of Chiefs gold and red flying above Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's desk after their 2023 loss.

He also made a few phone calls and shipped some of the Keystone State's most iconic snacks and treats from Pennsylvania to Kansas.

Among the foods that the Kansas governor's office received from Shapiro were soft pretzels from Philly Style Hand Twisted Soft Pretzel Bakery in Bucks County, cheesesteaks from Tony Luke’s in Philadelphia, and Eagles mini-donuts from Collegeville Italian Bakery.

Five years ago, then Gov. Tom Wolf received the following items from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker:

• Clam chowder from Legal Seafoods (Boston)
• Craisins from Ocean Spray (Middleborough)
• Apple cider donuts from Smolak Farms (North Andover)
• Apple pie, chicken pot pie, and maple syrup from Hollis Hills Farms (Fitchburg)
• Grillo's Pickles (Needham)
• Cupcakes and lemon squares from Koffee Kup Bakery (Springfield)

Wolf donated the items to a local food pantry.

Of course, if you need to feel better about 2023 and want a sneak peak of what 2025 could bring, perhaps the most unforgettable bet of 2018 is still paying dividends for Eagles fans. A baby goat named "Foles" after Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles still haunts the environs of Boston's Franklin Park Zoo.

The offices haven't yet announced their wagers this year, but it's a good bet they'll be made some time in the coming week.