What Every Possible Super Bowl Match-up Looks Like

The AFC and NFC Championship games are coming up and coming at us fast.

In less than 24 hours time we will know which two teams are heading to Phoenix for Super Bowl LVII on February 12. And whichever way one slices it, a scintillating match-up awaits.

Let’s look at the four possibilities.

• Eagles vs. Chiefs

  

  PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 03: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs is sacked by Javon Hargrave #97 of the Philadelphia Eagles during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on October 03, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

  
  Also known as the Andy Reid Bowl. The winningest coach in Eagles history, Andy Reid took the Eagles to great heights from 1999-2012, winning 130 games and leading the team to the postseason nine times with five trips to the NFC Title game, and a Super Bowl XXXIX appearance in 2004 against the New England Patriots.

  But it always felt like Reid was underappreciated in Philly because they could never win a World Championship.

  After the 2012 season Reid left for Kansas City leading the Chiefs to even greater heights with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs under Reid won Super Bowl LIV in 2020 before COVID-19 took over the planet.

  As for the Eagles, they have had a topsy-turvy time since Reid left. They have had four head coaches, but did win a Super Bowl under Doug Pederson (a Reid protege in 2017).
  Nick Sirianni is trying to become the fourth Eagles head coach to get to the Big Game.

  Ironically Reid is 3-0 all time in head-to-head match-ups between his Chiefs and the Eagles.

  In addition to Reid’s story-line, this match-up would feature a brother vs. brother match-up in Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce against his brother Eagles Center Jason Kelce. Both have Super Bowl rings already.

  Finally the match-up of Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts would feature the first Super Bowl where both starting quarterbacks are both African American — a huge historic note.

  Chiefs lead the all-time series vs. the Eagles 5-4.

• Bengals vs. Eagles

  

  PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 27: Josh Sweat #94 of the Philadelphia Eagles sacks Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals in the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 27, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

  These two franchises of course have never met in the Super Bowl, and it would be the fourth trip to the big game for both franchises.

  The Bengals are 0-3 in the big game, the Eagles are 1-2. This would be a fascinating match-up between two of the NFL’s youngest and better football teams. The match-up of young head coaches: Nick Sirianni (41-years old) of the Eagles and Zach Taylor (39-years old) of the Bengals, and the battle between Joe Burrow (1st overall pick in 2020) and Jalen Hurts (53rd overall pick in 2020) will be the headliner.

  But what about these defenses? The Eagles are second in the league in total D, while the Bengals were sixth in scoring defense in 2022, yielding 20 points per game.

  The Bengals lead the all-time series vs. the Eagles 9-3-2; in fact two of the last four meetings between these two ended in a tie.

• 49ers vs. Bengals

  A rematch of Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XXIII. In each case Joe Montana’s 49ers came out on top. Their first battle in 1982 wasn’t as close as the final score of 26-21 indicates. The Niners built a 20-0 halftime lead, before Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson led a late comeback. The victory was the first Super Bowl title for the 49ers, before becoming the team of the 80’s.

  The sequel in 1989 at Super Bowl XXIII in Miami was even better. The Bengals built a stunning 13-6 lead thanks to a 93-yard kick return by Stanford Jennings. The Niners tied it on a touchdown pass from Montana to Jerry Rice. After Jim Breech put the Bengals up 16-13 in the fourth quarter, Montana led one of the greatest Super Bowl drives of all time.

  The third installment would be equally fascinating with the battle between the 1st overall pick from 2020 (Joe Burrow) going up against the last pick in the 2022 draft (Brock Purdy). The 49ers lead the all-time series against the Bengals 13-4, including those two Super Bowl wins.

• Chiefs vs. 49ers

  

  SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 23: Clyde Edwards-Helaire #25 of the Kansas City Chiefs scores a touchdown in the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on October 23, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

  Another rematch. This one of Super Bowl XLIV from just three short seasons ago when Mahomes and Reid won their first Super Bowl together against Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers to the tune of 31-20.

  A lot of the names from Super Bowl LIV will return for Super Bowl LVII in the form of Reid, Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones for the Chiefs to Shanahan, tight end George Kittle, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, and defensive end Nick Bosa for San Francisco.

  This time the Niners won’t have Jimmy Garoppolo under center, but will be led by rookie Brock Purdy who has taken the league by storm. It would be a hell of a match-up to see Mr. Irrelevant (Purdy) take on the League’s MVP (Mahomes) with it all on the line, and a Niners team looking to get even.