Ty Johnson breaks down Super Bowl 59: The Eagles are the better team. But can they win?

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Super Bowl Sunday is almost here, and the anticipation is at an all-time high.

The Kansas City Chiefs, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid, are aiming for a historic three-peat in their Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles.

With Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts at the helm and the NFL’s No. 1 defense, the Birds are ready to rewrite history.

Both teams bring powerhouse talent to the field, but the matchup is more than just X’s and O’s: it’s about legacies, redemption and proving who truly deserves to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

As the countdown to kickoff intensifies, so does the debate over who has the edge.

WHYY’s “Morning Edition” host Jennifer Lynn sat down with Ty Johnson, host of “The Fanatic” on Philly Sports Radio, to break down the key matchups, the impact of star players like Saquon Barkley and whether the Eagles’ dominant defense can stop the Chiefs’ high-powered offense.

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Jennifer Lynn: Hasn’t this week gone by in slow motion in anticipation of this Sunday’s Super Bowl contest in New Orleans between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs? Both teams are eager to bring home the Lombardi Trophy and the NFL championship title. Joining me this morning to talk about these teams in the home stretch is Ty Johnson, host of the best show ever on Philly Sports Radio, “The Fanatic.” Ty, has your week been moving along like a jog through deep mud?

Ty Johnson: It absolutely has. It’s like I’m in quicksand, and as an adult, I realized quicksand wasn’t really a thing. Well, I was wrong. This week is quicksand.

JL: It is like quicksand. Hey, I want to try something. Let’s take the letter “V” as in versus: what is this, a series of verses this weekend?

TJ: It’s interesting. You have Andy Reid, head coach and offensive coordinator of the Chiefs, versus Vic Fangio, the defensive coordinator for the Eagles. Two years ago, when these teams faced off, Jonathan Gannon, the then-defensive coordinator, really struggled. Then, there’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who’s going for a three-peat — and at just 27 years old, he could already be considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

On the other side, we have the Eagles’ defense, ranked number one in the NFL. And lastly, it’s Jalen Hurts vs. history. He’s the first quarterback since 1993 to lose his first Super Bowl and get another chance. There’s no guarantee he’ll get a third shot because, in the last 30 years, no quarterback who lost their first Super Bowl has made it back.

JL: Oh yeah, a story of redemption, for sure. Well, let’s turn our attention away from the media superteam and sports darlings persona of the Chiefs, and the fact that they are slightly favored over the Birds. If we do that, do the Eagles actually have an edge over Kansas City?

TJ: Absolutely. They’re the better team. If you go through players 1 through 53, the Eagles have the advantage. I think persona plays a role in this. The fact that the Chiefs have been there, done that so many times makes people believe in them. And to their credit, there is an aura around them. But the Eagles have the better defense. They also have Saquon Barkley, who, right now, is the best football player on the planet. At this moment, the Eagles are simply the better team.

JL: What are they doing right heading into this game?

TJ: So many things. Saquon Barkley, again, he’s the best player we’ve ever seen in Philadelphia. Not the most important position, necessarily, because quarterback is the most important position, but he is the best player. In fact, he only needs 30 yards in this game, and he’s averaging well over 100 yards per game in the postseason. If he gains those 30 yards, he will have the most yards ever in a regular season and postseason combined. And he’s doing it efficiently, with big plays. That’s huge.

Then, there’s the Eagles’ defense: they’ve been able to force turnovers time after time after time. That completely changes any game. Even if the Eagles weren’t the better team — which they are — if you make the other team give you the ball when they don’t want to, you’re going to win. And the Eagles have done that consistently this entire postseason.

JL: Tell us about the Chiefs at this point in their season.

TJ: It’s a weird thing. They’re back in the Super Bowl for the third straight year, looking for a three-peat, but they don’t win by wide margins. We just saw the Eagles set a record with 55 points in the NFC championship game against the Commanders. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have won 12 one-score games this season. The law of averages usually says that if you keep playing that many close games, you’ll lose one.

On paper, this is not Mahomes’ best year. This is not Andy Reid’s best year. But they keep finding ways to win. They also have an excellent defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, who, by the way, is a local Philly guy doing a tremendous job for them. Still, it’s shocking how many close games they’ve won, while the Eagles have blown teams out this year.

JL: Ty, the Eagles have battled through challenges this year: a pair of early-season losses forced them to quickly shape their identity on the field. What kind of team steps onto the field in New Orleans on Sunday?

TJ: A tremendous one. Even with those early losses, they weren’t healthy at the time. The only thing that has slowed this team down all year has been injuries. A.J. Brown, their star wide receiver, missed three of the first four games, including both early-season losses. Their right tackle, Lane Johnson, and wide receiver DeVonta Smith were also missing in one of those losses.

When they’ve been healthy, they’ve won all year long. And now, Jalen Hurts has reached a point where, in any game he starts and finishes, he’s won 13 in a row. If I had to find a weakness, the only one right now is probably kicker Jake Elliott. He was tremendous up until this season but has struggled lately. He even missed a field goal in his last game.

But other than that, this is the best team, on paper and on the field, going into this game in Philadelphia sports history.

JL: All right, Ty. Coach Nick Sirianni?

TJ: You know, Nick Sirianni is a very unconventional guy, but he’s doing things that no Philadelphia Eagles coach has ever done, including Andy Reid. He’s in his second Super Bowl in three years, and if he wins this game, he can already stake the claim as the best Eagles coach ever. And the man is in his early 40s. No one expected this when he was first hired, but he’s truly on a historic run.

JL: If you could personally will the result of this game, what would play out in New Orleans on Sunday?

TJ: I want Philadelphia to be able to party for a long time. This is well-earned. It’s well-deserved. I’d love to see the Eagles get a lead early so we don’t have another nail-biter like we did two years ago.

I think early scores could force the Chiefs to play outside their character, and then a big defensive play late in the game could let fans flood Broad Street early. That’s what I want to see on Sunday.

JL: Ty Johnson is the host of the best show ever on Philly Sports Radio, “The Fanatic.” Thank you, as always, Ty.

TJ: Thank you so much. And go Birds.

JL: Go Birds.