Super Bowl Power Rankings: Chiefs vs Eagles

These aren't the top-2 teams by my numbers, but close to the top, with the Chiefs rated only slightly better

For more info you can find the archive of previous Power Rankings posts, including the initial offseason rankings that detail much of the methodology of coming up with the Week 1 rankings, which only carry roughly 2% weight at this point in the season.

TEAM OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE STRENGTH

*Downloadable power ratings/rankings available in the paid subscriber Google sheet.

I revamped this plot below to only factor in 2024 numbers. It’s a clearer delineation of how teams have performed so far this year, knowing that I also add in some light 2023 priors and injury adjustments, primarily at quarterback.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles meet in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons. Two years ago, my power rankings headed into the Super Bowl showed these same teams as the best and second-best in the NFL. That’s not the case this year.

While the Eagles and Chiefs are in the top-tier of NFL teams by my numbers, they haven’t separated from a handful of other teams in overall strength. Specifically, the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills all are equally, or more deserving of being in the final NFL contest of the season. But results matter and have consequences, and the Ravens went down to an equally strong Bills team, the Bills then lost on the road by the thinnest of margins, and the Lions piled up enough turnovers to lose in a very favorable matchup against the Commanders.

The Eagles certainly had the easier path to the Super Bowl, never having to face a team in the top-5 of my power rankings, and never leaving home. In the regular season, the Eagles had a bottom-10 strength of schedule, helping elevate them to the No. 2 seed.

All that said, the way these teams have performed this year put them neck-and-neck in a combination of offensive and defensive strength. The Eagles finish in a virtually tie of the NFL’s best defense, with a top-10 offense added in. The Chiefs have struggled relative to previous seasons offensively, but still rank in the top-4, with one of their best performances last week against the Bills.

UNEXPECTED POINTS POWER RANKINGS