Sunday's Chiefs-Eagles showdown, a rematch of Super Bowl LVII two years ago, will be just as much about talent vs. talent as coaching and execution throughout the game.
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Here's a breakdown of how each roster, by position group, compares to the other -- and which team has the edge in each:
Mahomes may have had his worst statistical season as a starter in 2024, but he's still the best quarterback of this era and remains on track to challenge Tom Brady for GOAT status when it's all said and done. He's borderline unbeatable in critical moments on the biggest stages.
Mahomes will be playing in his fifth Super Bowl in seven years as a starter, aiming for his third straight Lombardi Trophy.
Barkley will go down as one of the best free-agent acquisitions in league history. He became just the ninth player ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, and could've broken the NFL's single-season record for rushing yards had he played in Week 18, when Philadelphia rested its starters.
Barkley has been carrying the Eagles in the playoffs just as he did in the regular season, averaging 147.3 rushing yards per game on 6.7 yards per carry since the wild-card round.
The Eagles' passing attack had a down season -- that's at least partially because of Barkley, who has been the focal point of the offense -- but Brown and Smith are still one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league.
Goedert may have younger legs, but Kelce is still the more productive player, even at age 35 (Kelce averaged 51.4 receiving yards per game in 2024; Goedert was at 49.6). The past couple of years, Kelce has reminded the NFL world that the clutch gene is still there in the playoffs, even if his regular-season numbers aren't what they once were.
A fully-healthy Eagles offensive line is the superior group, after helping Barkley have just the ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in NFL history. But a banged-up Dickerson (knee) and Jurgens (back) bring uncertainty to the unit ahead of the Super Bowl.
Among qualified quarterbacks in the regular season, Mahomes faced just a 29.9% pressure rate per dropback, the 10th-lowest mark in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats.
Philadelphia has the edge in sacks and sack rate, while Kansas City has the better numbers in pressures and pressure rate. But the differentiator is in stopping the run (partially a linebacker stat). The Eagles' run stuff rate was at 17.3% in the regular season (14th), compared to the Chiefs' 14.8% (24th), per NGS.
Philadelphia's linebacker corps took a hit with Nakobe Dean's season-ending knee injury in the wild-card round, but Baun has been spectacular in his first season in Philly. Named a first-team All-Pro, Baun had 151 tackles, five forced fumbles, four pass breakups and 3.5 sacks in the regular season.
The Eagles have allowed just 105.6 rushing yards per game in three playoff contests, compared to the Chiefs' 148.0 in one fewer postseason game.
McDuffie is one of the best cornerbacks in football, but the totality of the Eagles' talent at the position is impossible to ignore. Mitchell, Slay and DeJean gave up just five touchdowns combined as the nearest defender in coverage during the regular season, according to Next Gen Stats.
Gardner-Johnson and Blankenship roundout what was arguably the best pass defense in the NFL in 2024. Neither of them allowed a passer rating more than 78 in the regular season, per NGS. Cook and Reid were both above that, with the latter at 103.9.
Of the kickers, Butker has been much more efficient. He drilled 84.0% of his field goals this season, compared to Elliott's 77.8%.
Kansas City also averages more yards per return on punts and kickoffs than Philadelphia.
The Eagles entered this season with one of the NFL's most talented rosters, and that comes across in this comparison. On paper, Philadelphia edges Kansas City in more position groups, including every level of the defense.
But the Chiefs have the edge in the position that matters most (quarterback), and health concerns with the Eagles' elite offensive line could open up opportunities for Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to get creative with his pressure packages.
That, plus Mahomes' greatness, makes the Chiefs hard to bet against.
Overall edge: Chiefs
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.