By Amy Tennery
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – The Kansas City Chiefs chase history with an unprecedented Super Bowl “three-peat” on the line when they step into the Superdome on Sunday, facing a Philadelphia Eagles team determined to deny them the dynasty-building win.
The Chiefs clipped the Eagles’ wings two years ago, overcoming a 10-point halftime deficit to win the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl 57, and believe they have the right formula again led by golden-armed, twice-MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The league-leading Eagles defense could upset the odds, however, while the addition of prolific running back Saquon Barkley from the New York Giants has given their versatile quarterback Jalen Hurts a great new option.
“I expect a great football team, a team that’s going to play with a lot of pride, a team that’s going to play hard, play fast and they have a lot of great players,” said Mahomes, who led the defending champions to a 15-2 record in the regular season.
“It’s going to be an extreme challenge for us and we have to be ready for that on every single snap.”
The clash will feature an inter-generational coaching showdown with 66-year-old Chiefs playcaller Andy Reid, one of most successful coaches in NFL history, facing off against his 43-year-old Philadelphia counterpart Nick Sirianni.
“He’s got a lot of experience, that’s for sure, won a lot of football games. I can’t tell you how much respect I have for him and the job that he’s done,” Sirianni told reporters.
“The tape just oozes off of how good a coach he is.”
TRUMP, SWIFT TO ATTEND
The action on the field will be rivaled only by the figures in the stands, with Donald Trump set to become the first sitting U.S. president to attend the NFL title game.
Trump, who is expected to give a pre-game interview with broadcaster Fox, has a long, tangled history with America’s most popular league, having bashed the NFL after Black players began kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.
Another target of Trump’s ire will also be in attendance, Pop superstar Taylor Swift, the girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce who endorsed the Republican Trump’s opponent Kamala Harris in the recent presidential election.
Swift brought new fans to the NFL since she began attending games at the start of their relationship in 2023. But Kelce said this week he would be “honored” to have Trump in attendance even after he wrote on social media last year; “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!”.
Swift’s “Bad Blood” collaborator and generational hip-hop talent Kendrick Lamar will have the attention of the 73,000-plus crowd for the halftime show, bringing story-telling brilliance to the Superdome after winning five Grammys last week.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New Orleans, additional reporting by Rory Carroll, editing by Ed Osmond)
