Super Crystal Ball Part I: Gold Standards Collide
My friends, THE GURU is tuning up for Super Bowl LIX, a battle between the game’s gold standards, Kansas City (17-2) and Philadelphia (17-3). It may not be the matchup that many want to see but, truly, it’s what we deserve.
First, understanding that many beyond our nation’s heartland have Chiefs fatigue, let’s acknowledge that Andy Reid & Co. are in the midst of the most dominant run in the Super Bowl era. That’s right.
Indeed, this contest with the Birds marks KC’s third straight Super Bowl visit, tying them with three other franchises1, including Coach Marv Levy’s famed 1990s Bills, the only team to reach four straight Bowls. Please step away from chopping those onions as needed, BUFFALO ANDY2.
More impressively, this is the Chiefs’ fifth Super Bowl in six years - an unprecedented feat - and, with a bit of luck, it could be six straight. The only “failure”? A three-point overtime loss to the Bengals in the 2021 AFC Championship game after the Chiefs led by 18 points in the first half. Remarkable.
Think about that for a moment: Kansas City is one Joe Burrow-led comeback away from six Super Bowls in a row. In fact, of the 40 biggest blown leads in KC history, only two happened on Patrick Mahomes’ watch and both were to Joe B. and Cincy, with the other occurring four weeks before that AFC title game3.
One of the many things that’s striking about KC: their brisket is beyond reproach and, just as remarkably, they have a rare ability to win even when they don’t look dominant or, sometimes, even good. Twelve of their 17 victories this season were by one score or less, a strong indicator of how difficult it is to take them down.
That said, if there’s any team that’s built to beat them, it’s these Philadelphia Eagles, making their third Super Bowl trip in eight seasons and their second in four years under Nick Sirianni. To put that in perspective, here’s the complete list of coaches who’ve made two Super Bowl appearances in their first four seasons: Joe Gibbs, Mike Tomlin and Sirianni.
That’s one Hall of Famer, another future HOFer and a guy that many a Philadelphian wanted out of town during the Eagles’ Week Five bye week. Another example of how little the average fan knows about football.

The oft-maligned Sirianni holds two other great distinctions: he’s the first Philly coach to reach two Super Bowls and also the first NFL coach - period - to make the playoffs in each of his first four years while advancing to multiple Super Bowls4.
Raised 75 miles from Buffalo in Jamestown, NY, Sirianni is, nonetheless, a Philly type of guy. Sure, he has all of his teeth5 but, that aside, he feels like the kind of guy who grew up around 9th and Passyunk6, wears sweats 90% of the time and enjoys a good plate of linguine and clams.
Reid may not get the best pasta in Kansas City but he’s awash in ribs, brisket and pulled pork, in perhaps the finest barbecue city in America. And, like Sirianni7, he embodies the football town and the hearty people that he represents.
Both men have certainly earned their success and have also been fortunate to be backed by great organizations. Does anyone do a better job of roster building than their respective general managers, KC’s Brett Veach and Philly’s Howie Roseman?
While Reid and Sirianni rightfully take center stage in New Orleans next week, the game is also a validation of what Veach and Roseman have done to construct their teams. And their similar approaches are no surprise as Veach cut his teeth working for the Eagles, including three years scouting under Roseman.
Simply remarkable and, yes, it’s another reason why Kansas City-Philadelphia is the game we deserve.
Much more to come this week, folks. Stay tuned and God bless!
Besides the 1990-93 Bills, the others are the 1971-73 Miami Dolphins and the 2016-18 New England Patriots.
The biggest - and most-tortured Bills fan I know - Andy and I were college roommates. The friendship was particularly tasty when my Skins throttled Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVI.
Cincinnati’s three-point regular-season win was truly a harbinger of things to come as Burrow rallied the Bengals from a sizable second-quarter deficit (14 points), throwing for 446 yards, including 266 to Ja’Marr Chase. Chase’s yardage total is tops in Cincy history for a single game and is also the most ever allowed by the Chiefs.
Thank you, Dave Zangaro.
Hey, I’m joking here, ok? THE FAIR CLAUDINE is from the City of Brotherly Love and has all of her teeth - they’re pearly white - as do most of her friends.
Pronounced “Pash-unk,” the famed intersection is where Pat’s and Geno’s steaks are located.
Remember that Reid and Sirianni nearly worked together back when Big Red took the Chiefs job.