Sports Then and Now

The Kansas City Chiefs are on the doorstep of National Football League history. No team has ever won three straight Super Bowls and the back-to-back defending world champion Chiefs could become the first as they prepare to play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. In fact, Kansas City is the first and only team in the history of the Super Bowl to reach a third straight Super Bowl having won the prior two. Thus, the Chiefs, champions of the American Football Conference, are in unprecedented territory which has never been explored before in the 105-year history of the NFL. Kansas City’s quest for a third straight Super Bowl win will take place Sunday Feb. 9 with kickoff set for 6:30 pm EST in the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA. The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports and the most recent line has the Chiefs (-1.5) a slight favorite. The over/under for total points to be scored in the game is at 49 after opening at 49.5 With a victory, Kansas City would create a new standard for an NFL championship reign as well as a new mark for consistency at the highest level of football.

The Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in the last six seasons and are 3-1 in their prior four trips since the 2019 season. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes has the Chiefs on the brink of history and will be the most important player on the field on Sunday. Mahomes, a two-time NFL most valuable player, is the top quarterback in the game today largely due to his ability to consistently execute plays with his arm and legs. If a play should break down in some way, Mahomes draws on his experience by using his mind, creativity, and talents to deliver, especially in the clutch moments of games. His prime target is veteran tight end Travis Kelce who has the same ability to come up big in the biggest of moments. Look for those two to connect in some big moments on Sunday. Named to the Pro Bowl six times thus far in his career, Mahomes is one of only three players in NFL history with three Super Bowl MVP awards. The other two are Joe Montana with three and Tom Brady who holds the record with five such honors.

Along with masterful coaching by Kansas City head coach Andy Reid, Mahomes has the Chiefs at the top of their game. Kansas City won their ninth straight AFC west division title this season and set a single-season franchise record for most regular season wins with a 15-2 mark. Over this nine-season span, the Chiefs have gone 46-8 in division play and had a 6-0 record in three of the seasons, two of which culminated with a Super Bowl championship following the 2019 and 2022 seasons. While they have dominated their division and been the team others are targeting in the Mahomes era, they have done so not just by winning by big margins. In fact, it has been just the opposite this year. Kansas City enters the Super Bowl having won 17 straight one-possession games dating back to the 2023 season. This includes five postseason games, one of which was the classic 32-29 win over Buffalo in the AFC Championship game on Jan. 26 that sent them to New Orleans. The Chiefs just play above their opponents in the important moments throughout the game as well as in the biggest moments in the late stages of the fourth quarter or overtime. Reid and Mahomes have a lot to do with that along with the rest of the Kansas City players who provide a proven supporting cast. The Chiefs have succeeded time and time again in either pulling out a victory or preserving a small lead. Such was the case this season back on Nov. 10 when linebacker Leo Chenal blocked a potential game-winning field goal attempt by Denver with :01 left to play, preserving a 16-14 victory that moved Kansas City to 9-0. The Chiefs have so much moxie that when a big play or must have situation arises for them, they almost always make the play that gives them the edge. This is what the Eagles will have to monitor and be ready for from Kansas City as the game progresses on Sunday. Philadelphia will need to be very alert at all times.

The Eagles and Chiefs are playing in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons. Kansas City rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Philadelphia 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII in 2023 in Glendale, AZ. There, the Chiefs stormed back in the second half to take a 35-27 lead with 9:02 left to play in the fourth quarter. The Eagles responded with an eight-play 75-yard drive capped by Jalen Hurts’ two-yard touchdown run. Hurts added the two-point conversion to force a 35-35 tie with 5:15 left to play. That’s when Kansas City turned to Mahomes for his leadership and clutch ability. Hobbled by a high right ankle sprain, which he had reaggravated in the first half, Mahomes lead the Chiefs down the field, going 3-for-3 for 17 yards and adding a critical 26-yard run to get deep into Philadelphia territory. Three plays later after Mahomes’ big run, Mahomes threw a short pass to the left side looking for JuJu Smith-Schuster on third-and-eight. Officials called a defensive holding penalty on the play against Eagles’ defensive back James Bradberry nullifying the play and giving Kansas City a first-and-10 at the Eagles 11-yard line with 1:54 left to play. Philadelphia was forced to use its’ remaining timeouts and the Chiefs ran the clock down to :11. Harrison Butker’s 27-yard field goal clinched the win for Kansas City. Only :08 remained as the Eagles took the kickoff back to their own 36-yard line. Six seconds remained for the Eagles and Hurts’ pass down the middle fell incomplete to end the game.

Neither quarterback threw an interception in Super Bowl LVII and Hurts had a better statistical performance than Mahomes. Hurts went 27-for-38 for 304 yards and one touchdown while also running for 70 yards on 15 carries, three of which were touchdowns. Mahomes finished 21-for-27 for 182 yards and three touchdowns and was not sacked. Hurts was sacked twice and committed a costly fumble which was returned 36 yards for a touchdown by Chiefs’ linebacker Nick Bolton to force a 14-14 tie in the second quarter.

While most of Philadelphia’s roster is the same as two years ago, they have a new look on defense and it starts on the defensive line with second-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter. The 6-3 and 314-pound lineman wreaks havoc in the middle of the defensive front and makes life difficult for opposing runners. Carter teams with his former Georgia teammate Jordan Davis who is 6-6 and 336 pounds giving the Eagles the ability to clog the middle of the line of scrimmage with imposing size. Behind them lie linebackers Zach Baun and Oren Burks who are solid tacklers. Baun leads Philadelphia with 93 tackles and also has 3.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 1 interception this season. Baun was a finalist for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year at the NFL Honors ceremony held this week in New Orleans. The Eagles boosted their secondary in last spring’s NFL Draft, selecting cornerbacks Quniyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Both are first on the depth chart and have joined veterans Darius Slay, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Reed Blankenship to form a strong secondary.

The tandem of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith give Hurts two of the top wide receivers in the game to throw to along with tight end Dallas Goedert. Brown had 67 catches for 1,079 yards and 7 touchdowns this season while Smith had 68 reception for 833 yards and 8 touchdowns. Some new faces on the offensive line have given Philadelphia perhaps the best offensive line in the league this year as Cam Jurgens has taken over nicely for the retired Jason Kelce at center. The 6-7 and 363-pound Mekhi Becton was acquired from the NY Jets to fortify right guard. This duo has teammed with veterans Landon Dickerson, Jordan Mailata, and five-time Pro Bowler Lane Johnson to form a top unit.

That unit has imposed their will at the line of scrimmage leading to one of the best seasons the NFL has ever season by a running back. Acquired from the division rival New York Giants last offseason, Saquon Barkley finished the regular season with 2,005 yards rushing on 345 carries with 13 touchdowns while averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Barkley came within 101 yards of breaking Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards which he set in 1984. Barkley is one of only nine players in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, joining the likes of O.J. Simpson, Dickerson, Barry Sanders, and Terrell Davis who are all in the Hall-of-Fame. Named a first-team All-Pro and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year at NFL Honors this week, Barkley will be the most important player on the field for the Eagles this Sunday. The three-time Pro Bowler will be getting a lot of attention from Kansas City’s defense in the form of eight-man fronts to try to limit his production. Barkley has five touchdown runs of 60-yards or more this season, two coming in the postseason so far. Barkley getting loose with 20-plus yard runs a few times could be Philadelphia’s best formula for dethroning the Chiefs and their bid for a three-peat.

The outcome of the game will largely hinge on how well Kansas City’s defense contains Barkley and the Eagles’ running game to include what Hurts can do on the ground. The Chiefs surrendered 1,731 rushing yards this season, good for eighth fewest in the league this season and allowed 4.1 yards per carry, tied for fourth fewest in the league. With Barkley averaging nearly six yards per carry and posing a constant threat, Kansas City will have to be aware of where he is at all times.

Philadelphia ranked second in the league to Baltimore in rushing offense this season with 3,048 yards while the Chiefs ranked 21st with 1,790 yards. The Eagles have a big advantage here with Barkley and a jumbo sized offensive line. Hurts can also be a factor on the ground as he rushed for 630 yards on 150 carries and 14 touchdowns this season. Barkley is the biggest difference between this Philadelphia team and the one that lost to Kansas City two years ago in the Super Bowl. He gives the offense much more balance and makes Hurts a more effective passer. Hurts threw for 2,903 yards and 18 touchdowns this season while completing 248-of-361 passes, good for a 68.7 completion percentage.

On the other side, Mahomes is the centerpiece of the Chiefs offense. The eight-year veteran is in his prime and chasing unchartered territory. While his legacy has already been established, it can take a significant step forward should Kansas City win a third straight Super Bowl. A two-time First-team All-Pro, Mahomes ranked seventh in the league this year with 3,928 passing yards. He also threw 26 touchdown passes, good for seventh most in the league. In the Mahomes era, the Chiefs have been able to out perform their opponent when it has mattered the most. When the stakes are the highest, Kansas City is at their best with Mahomes making the critical decision by being the trigger man with a successful pass or run. His receiving corps has changed over the years but the results have stayed largely the same. After trading speedster Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins following the 2021 season for draft capital, they have acquired other wide receiver talent such as veteran DeAndre Hopkins and the speedy rookie in Xavier Worthy to bolster their receiving corps. They haven’t missed a beat. Kelce has such a strong connection to Mahomes that both are so reliable to each other and can be depended on by their teammates. Worthy had 59 catches for 638 yards and 6 touchdowns on the season while Hopkins had 56 catches for 610 yards and 5 touchdowns. Kelce, Mahomes’ favorite target, had 97 catches for 823 yards and 3 touchdowns. Although Mahomes had 11 interceptions on the season, he has not thrown an interception in the playoffs thus far. The Chiefs have committed less penalties than their opponents in each of their two playoff wins.

Running the ball for Kansas City will be the duo of Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. Both are capable runners in support of Mahomes. Pacheco rushed 83 times for 310 yards on the season with one touchdown while Hunt tallied 728 yards on 200 carries with 7 touchdowns. Samaje Perine is a threat on third downs and short yardage situations. Perine only rushed for 92 yards on 20 carries this season with 1 touchdown. However he is valuable as an outlet receiver coming out of the backfield. Nowhere was this more evident than in the AFC Championship game. Perine’s 17-yard catch and run from Mahomes on third-and-nine was the clinching play that allowed the Chiefs to run out the clock and beat Buffalo to advance to the Super Bowl. The blockers up front include Creed Humphrey at center along with Joe Thuney and Jawan Taylor at tackle. Mike Caliendo and Trey Smith are the starting guards. Humphrey and Thuney are each two-time Pro Bowlers. This unit will be challenged by the size and strength of Philadelphia’s defensive front.

Kansas City’s defense will be tested by Barkley. Chiefs’ defensive tackle Chris Jones along with defensive end George Karlaftis will be integral pieces and look for Kansas City to run some stunts to interchange the two in hopes of getting pressure on Hurts and slowing down Barkley. Linebackers Drue Tranquill and Nick Bolton will also have to be sure handed tacklers, especially on Barkley. Trent McDuffie is one of the best cornerbacks in the league and Justin Reid is an experienced safety. They will be challenged by Brown and Smith and the Eagles passing attack especially in play-action situations should Barkley be getting loose for big yards.

With all this in mind, both teams have what it takes to win on Sunday. In these situations, time has told us that the team that makes the least mistakes has the best chance at winning. Thus turnovers, penalties, and dropped passes are going to play a big factor in determining the outcome. The Chiefs have the edge in experience but Philadelphia is not far behind and has the better rushing attack. This has the makings of a close game. Should it be a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, the edge could very well go to the team that has the ball last. Even if Kansas City is down by more than one possession, history will still be on their side as they have overcome 10-point deficits in all three of their prior Super Bowl wins in the Mahomes era. If Super Bowl LIX plays out like this with no bigger than a 10-point margin throughout the game, the winner will have really earned it. Either way, history will be made on Sunday with a first-ever Super Bowl three-peat or a first-ever denial of it.

As the NFL wraps up another remarkable season, Episode 18 of the COACH Podcast offers a heartfelt reflection on the year, highlighting its standout moments, growth, and future prospects. Hosted by Matt Patricia, Mike Lombardi, and Bill Belichick, this special episode dives into the evolution of the league, the Hall of Fame debate, and the dynamics of managing change in the NFL. It’s a masterclass for fans who love the game’s depth and intricacies.

COACH Podcast: A Look Back at 2024

Growth on a Global Stage
One of the key takeaways from this NFL season was its international expansion. From games in Brazil to fan-packed stadiums in Munich, the league has embraced a global audience like never before. “The UN of fans,” Patricia observed, describing the vibrant, jersey-filled crowds. As the podcast reflected on this development, Belichick highlighted how these international games are more than spectacles—they are integral to growing the league, expanding the salary cap, and investing in players.

Streaming platforms and new game schedules also brought fresh accessibility to the sport. Lombardi humorously noted his own struggles with streaming but praised how technology has made the NFL omnipresent. With discussions of future expansions to an 18-game schedule and international franchises, the league’s growth seems unstoppable.

Pros Looking Over Their Shoulders

We don’t normally think of the college game leading the charge in terms of the evolution of football but there is increasing evidence that the NFL is adopting some of their measures. It’s a bit like the tail wagging the dog, yet it is proof positive that all good ideas don’t necessarily germinate at the professional level.

Nevertheless, there are inherent differences between the two games, some of which will never be bridged. Wooing high school kids, and their parents or guardians is a different animal altogether than the sterile task of drafting a college kid onto a professional team. Alabama coach, Nick Saban, has etched his storied legacy in the college ranks but toiled at the NFL level for eight years. Below he explains why he prefers coaching at the collegiate level.

In this time when we are all spending time at home, I have spent some of my time looking at some of my old sports cards and memorabilia. As part of a new series about sports cards, I am starting by sharing 10 of my favorite football cards. Not necessarily my favorite players, but 10 cards that I think are cool, different or just unusual.

With a few exceptions, Topps Football Cards for their first couple decades were largely static pictures of players either as staged pictures or later pictures of players standing or sitting on the sidelines.

In 1972 the Sunoco Football Stamps came out with most of the pictures being awesome game action photos that were far better than anything Topps had ever produced on a football card. Beginning in 1972 with their own special action cards and then the next year in the regular series, Topps started trying to have more game action photos, though the results were a bit mixed.

Though cards produced in the last 30 years have gotten significantly better in terms of action pictures, my heart belongs to the Topps Football Cards from the 1950s through the 1970s, so all of my picks for this article are from that time period.

1973 MaCarthur Lane – Green Bay Packers

The 1973 Topps football card set was one of the first where Topps successfully incorporated action photos into the regular set as player cards. They were slightly hindered by the fact they could not show the team logos, so there are some cards with some interested color patches to block out the logos, but some of the action shots are pretty good.

My favorite of the action shots is the card of Green Bay Packers running back Macarthur Lane because it looks like he is holding a flat football. Though likely an illusion created by his hand, I remember seeing this card as a kid and thinking he was so strong that he flattened the football.

Lane spent 11 seasons in the NFL, playing for the Cardinals, Packers and Chiefs. His most productive season was with St. Louis in 1970 when he rushed for 977 yards and 11 touchdowns. Traded to the Packers before the 1972 season, he teamed with John Brockington to help the Packers reach the playoffs for the first time since 1967. In 1976, Lane led the AFC with 66 receptions while playing for the Chiefs.

He finished his career with 4,656 career rushing yards and 2,786 yards receiving. Lane passed away in 2019.

1958 – Lamar McHan – Chicago Cardinals

Though he spent 10 seasons as a quarterback in the NFL, there is a pretty good chance that you have never heard of Lamar McHan. However, from the first time I ever saw his 1958 Topps card, it has been among my favorites.

In 1958 Topps seemed to try and have some type of action within many of their cards, though they were clearly all staged as part of photo shoots. There is the iconic photo of Jim Brown running with the ball, but without his helmet.

Before Aaron Rodgers, the Wisconsinite dynasty that is the Green Bay Packers was led by another legendary gunslinger. Millennials might not recall the glory days of Brett Favre delivering laser-guided long-range passes to Antonio Freeman, Mark Chmura and Donald Driver, but he is one of the league’s few three-year consecutive MVPs and a respected Hall of Fame quarterback.

You might spot Favre appearing on the occasional sporting goods commercial, but if you guessed that he’s got much more going on, you’d be right. So what is your favorite QB up to these days?

Staying Active

It’s not just in the commercials that Favre continues to live up to his athletic past. The 16-season NFL quarterback still covers 100-plus miles per week on his bicycle. 

By the look of him, he could step right in behind center today and do just fine. He’s also taken up competing in triathlons and even an Ironman competition in Key West. 

Favre points out that he’s discovered a love for travel., and has visited such places as Yellowstone National Park with his wife, Deana. 

2020 is here and a lot has been made of the upcoming Super Bowl, the pending draft and the greatest players of the past decade but what about the franchises that have kept us entertained throughout the past 10 years? Now, we look at the best sides of the 2010s.

NUMBER 5 – DENVER BRONCOS 

It’s quite easy to forget about the Broncos because they’ve been someway off the pace in the last few years. The first half of the decade though was a different story. 2010 saw a poor campaign with 12 losses but when expectations were low Denver took off; five seasons followed where they finished in first place in their division, which was aided with the arrival of Comeback Player of the Year Peyton Manning in 2012. 

The post season was a sore subject for many years though with defeat in NFL Super Bowl 48 a hard pill to swallow but you can’t keep a good Bronco down and their decade reached it’s peak in 2015 as they finally lifted the Super Bowl with a victory over the Carolina Panthers.

NUMBER 4 – BALTIMORE RAVENS 

John Harbaugh has done a tremendous job with the Ravens over the last 12 years but, despite a more than competitive decade, they could have achieved so much more. Four division triumphs, a conference win and narrow Super Bowl glory – where Joe Flacco was named MVP – were the highlights and a win rate of .613 ensures the franchise keeps improving decade on decade. If they can continue the progression into the 2020’s then we’ll have a team on our hands and given they’ve switched style from a defense first approach to a now eye catching offense who knows what lays in wait.

NUMBER 3 – SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 

The Seahawks spent the entire decade challenging at the top of their division with all but one of the campaigns ending with the minimum of a second-place finish. Their post season displays were respectable too and although back to back Super Bowl wins eluded them after defeat to the Patriots in 2014 there is simply no ignoring their success the year before where they destroyed the Broncos 43-8, which was the biggest Super Bowl win of the decade.