Super Bowl week is here. Finally.

Last week felt like it took a hundred years.

Here are three reasons why you should be pulling for the Eagles and not the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59 if you are a football neutral or ambivalent fence sitter.

1) fatigue

Nobody wants to see the Chiefs three-peat. America is sick of the Chiefs. Including this year, they have appeared in five of the last six Super Bowls, going 3-1 thus far. The only reprieve we were afforded was 2022, when the Rams beat the Bengals. Otherwise, we’ve watched KC over and over and over again.

Because of that, the storylines are played out. There’s nothing interesting to talk about. Andy Reid finally got his ring. Good for him. We were happy to see him win his Super Bowl, but we don’t need Big Red to win a fourth. Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes got their rings. Taylor Swift got to go down on the field. There’s no legitimately interesting angle here for neutrals unless you like dynasties and want to do some sort of comparison to Tom Brady’s Patriots or the Steelers of the 1970s. The better storylines are on the Eagles’ side. Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley winning rings. A young defense having one of the best seasons ever. A misunderstood meathead coach going all the way to the top after calls for his firing. Much more interesting stuff on the Philly side.


2) lawbreakers

The Chiefs have more criminals and generally run a loose organization. Character issues are not much of a concern at all, which is the one negative thing that has followed Andy Reid throughout his career. A short list here:

Obviously there’s some nuance to apply. For instance, charges against Matt Araiza were dropped and he said he was unaware that Jane Doe in the gang rape case was under the age of 18. But it’s pretty universally accepted that Reid and the Chiefs are lenient with players who have run into legal trouble. Many columns have been written about this.

As for the Eagles, people like to point out Jalen Carter’s issues at Georgia. No doubt. There was the car crash and the ensuing arrest for reckless driving and street racing. Note that Carter has only been involved in one thing since turning pro, which was the shoplifting incident from 2023. He called it a “misunderstanding” and no charges were ever filed, so that became a dead end.

We did a column on this a few years ago and the list of Eagles problems going back almost 10 years was short, with a number of the incidents involving fringe guys who barely played or never made the team:

  • 2023 – Josh Sills indictment
  • 2020 – DeSean Jackson Louis Farrakhan-gate
  • 2018 – Daryl Worley released after arrest for DUI, firearm possession, etc
  • 2018 – Nigel Bradham suspended one game for punching a hotel worker (also the loaded gun in the airport incident)
  • 2016 – Josh Huff released following arrest on marijuana and gun possession
  • 2016 – Lane Johnson second PED suspension
  • 2014 – Lane Johnson first PED suspension
  • 2014 – Wendell Smallwood (not even an Eagle at the time), arrested for witness tampering

What’s somewhat ironic is that Eagles fans get this reputation for being terrible, and the post-NFCCG celebrations probably didn’t help defeat that narrative despite recent progress being made. Yet, at the same time, Jeffrey Lurie runs one of the cleanest programs in the league and has an incredibly-thin number of players on the roster that have ever had any kind of legal problems. They really do a lot of due diligence in this area and get Big Dom involved and because of their commitment you have a likeable roster that is filled with decent guys. This isn’t the Dallas Cowboys.

3) less annoying people

Philadelphia does not count Jackson Mahomes among celebrity fans or family members, so that’s a landscape-tilter right off the bat. Nationally, you get the sense that neutrals and casuals are sick of the Taylor Swift thing, which adds a layer of complication since she is allegedly an Eagles fan. We’ll find out whether that’s true or not this week, depending on what she decides to wear, and we’ll keep an eye on her possibly-traitorous father as well.

KC also has the generally-annoying Brittany Mahomes and the Wolfman guy who robbed the banks. They have Paul Rudd and Brad Pitt while the Eagles have Bradley Cooper and Tina Fey. Point goes to the Eagles because at least our actors and actresses did not partake in 12 Monkeys.