The Bleeding Green Nation writers picks are in for Super Bowl LVII!

So-called experts seem to be relatively split on the winner of this game.

Of course, it should no surprise that everyone here at BGN is taking the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the Kansas City Chiefs. Nobody here came this far to bet against the Birds. Especially when they’re favored to win (by 1.5 points), according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

When it comes to the BGN pick standings, there isn’t much to be gained or lost. I officially clinched a repeat as the champion after the Divisional Round. The BGN Community will clinch sole possession of third place by predicting an Eagles win, which I imagine will be the case. But it will also allow me to clinch the best playoff record. Predicting an Eagles loss leaves you susceptible to being in a tie for third but allows you to potentially tie me for the best playoff record.

Let’s get to the picks!

OVERALL STANDINGS

BLG: 181-100-2
Natan: 177-104-2
BGN community: 174-107-2
Tyler: 173-108-2
Stolnis: 171-110-2
Dave: 168-113-2
Alexis: 164-117-2

PLAYOFF STANDINGS

BLG: 10-2
Natan: 9-3
BGN community: 9-3
Stolnis: 9-3
Alexis: 9-3
Tyler: 8-4
Dave: 8-4

EXPLANATIONS

BRANDON LEE GOWTON

By comparison, I feel less confident about the Eagles winning this Super Bowl than I did about them beating the New England Patriots in February 2018.

However, that’s not to say I think the Birds are going to lose. I just feel like it’s going to be a very, very close game.

The thing that I keep coming back to is Jalen Hurts’ will to win, which is the quality that prompted the Michael Jordan comparison from Nick Sirianni. I don’t feel comfortable betting against that.

It’s not lost on me that every player in this matchup wants to win. But it’s one thing to believe that and another thing to be entirely about it. I just think Hurts wants it more than anyone else.

It’s not about desperation. Hurts will not be pressing. It’s about drive. Hurts should be trusted to be composed.

There’s a reason this dude is 16-1 this season.

And he knows the job is not done.

Hurts leads a game-winning drive as time expires to become Super Bowl MVP and give Philly their second Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Eagles win, 30 to 28.

BEN NATAN

I am going to pick the Eagles. All this feels eerily familiar to the lead up to the Seahawks/Denver Super Bowl. A young offense that can run the hell out of the ball and the best defense in the league against an All-World Quarterback playing at an unreal level. I think that the Eagles defense will be ready for Mahomes and a group of skill players that lacks a true star outside of Travis Kelce. The Chiefs have a great offensive line, but the Eagles defensive line is just better. The Eagles will start this game quickly and will control the trenches for 60 minutes. Haason Reddick wins Super Bowl MVP and Philly wins 31-17.

TYLER JACKSON

I’ll take the Eagles. I feel like the talent discrepancy is too stark for Kansas City to overcome. Sure, the Chiefs probably have the two best players in this game, but you’d have a hard time convincing me the next 10 don’t play for the Eagles. Aside from whoever guards Travis Kelce, and who lines up across from Chris Jones, there isn’t a matchup that doesn’t favor the Eagles. They’re fully capable of moving the ball on the ground at will and have a pair of talented receivers that understand the nuances of attacking Kansas City’s young secondary. The only way I can see the Eagles losing this game is if Jalen Hurts’ shoulder becomes a problem and he’s not able to connect with his receivers downfield. In addition to the player matchups, the Eagles have the better coach. What holds Andy Reid back and always has is his inability to strategize and handle the nuances of in-game decision making. The Chiefs rank in the bottom five of the league of going for it when they should, meaning he’ll punt as opposed to giving Patrick Mahomes an opportunity to make a play. Reid displayed his mismanagement of challenges and timeouts as recently as two weeks ago when he burned his second challenge and timeout to challenge a spot ruling - one of the worst uses of a challenge - in the third quarter of the AFC Championship Game. Give me the Eagles 34-24.

JOHN STOLNIS

Like their first two playoff games, I think the Eagles win, and I don’t think it’s particularly close. Look, Patrick Mahomes is no doubt a scary QB and he can do amazing things. While I do think his ankle sprain will limit him somewhat, I think he’ll be pretty close to 100%. That said, the Philadelphia Eagles may have the most dominant offensive and defensive lines the NFL has seen in quite some time. They’ve been historically good this year, going up against some premier defenses and pass rushers, and they’ve owned them all. They should dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, mitigating much of what Mahomes wants to do. I think they’ll be able to double Travis Kelce and then rely on their dominant cornerback trio of Slay, Bradberry and Maddox to limit Mahomes’ other options. My biggest concern is stopping their running backs in the passing game, but if you’re forcing Mahomes to throw exclusively to running backs, you’re probably doing just fine. The script here seems pretty obvious. Hurts will throw the ball a lot early to get ahead and run it late to put the game away. The defense will get to Mahomes. The Eagles are the more complete team, and I also believe Andy Reid will do what he has historically done on the biggest stage... screw something up. I think we’re looking at a fairly stress-free Eagles Super Bowl victory, and we’re talking about the 2022 Birds as one of the best teams in NFL history when all is said and done. Eagles 35, Chiefs 20.

DAVE MANGELS

The Chiefs are really, really good, you don’t win the 1 seed in the AFC and then beat the Bengals to get to the Super Bowl by accident. But the pick is the Eagles. How could it not be. Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are unreal, but there are 20 other players on the field with them, and half the game is played without them. The Eagles have the better team, they have unit vs unit matchup advantages across the field on both sides of the ball, and they have more individual vs individual matchup advantages on both sides of the ball. And if this game comes down to whose coach is the better game manager, the Eagles have the advantage there as well. If there’s an X factor, it could be that the Eagles veteran core knows this is it. Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox, and Brandon Graham could all conceivably end their careers with another Super Bowl win, and let’s not overlook that though he’s not on that level of leader, Ndamukong Suh could too. The mental edge should be theirs as well. Eagles 31, Chiefs 27

ALEXIS CHASSEN

It’s hard not to pick the Eagles to win it all, despite going up against one of their toughest opponents this season. Sure, Patrick Mahomes less than 100 percent healthy is still incredibly productive, and Travis Kelce is going to require every ounce of attention from the secondary, but still... have you seen this Eagles defense? Not just the pass rush, which has been phenomenal, but the secondary as well. Jonathan Gannon will say that the pass rush is a product of all 11 players on the field doing their job at a high level, and he’s right. But the fact that the defense has been so consistently dominant bodes well for them on Sunday. Still, you have to expect Mahomes and Co. will dial up plenty of plays to move the sticks, and several drives that end in a score, but the Eagles have an offense that should be able to keep things close. I certainly don’t expect things to be as one-sided for the Eagles as they were against the Giants or 49ers, but I still expect Philly to come out on top! Eagles win 35-31.

MAKE YOUR PICK

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