This year’s Super Bowl will see a rare match-up between the top two teams in the NFL at the end of the regular season.

Philadelphia Eagles And Kansas City Chiefs were the only winners in 14 league games, marking only the sixth time since the 1970 merger that the teams holding sole possession of the top two regular season records faced off for the championship.

The last time this happened was after the 2013 season, when Seattle Beat Denver 43–8 in a 13-win tag team game.

This breakthrough was relatively typical of these meetings, with an average margin of 21 points in the previous five matches.

The next game was Washington’s 37–24 win over Buffalo after the 1991 season. In three other games, San Francisco beat Miami 38–16 after the 1984 season, Dallas beat Denver 27–10 to end the 1977 season, and Oakland beat Minnesota 32–14 the previous year.

Since seeding began in 1975, this is the 15th time the top team in each conference has made it to the Super Bowl. The last time this happened was after the 2017 season, when the Eagles won their first Super Bowl championship by beating New England 41-33.

It’s also the third time both Super Bowl teams have won at least 14 games in the regular season, although both Kansas City and Philadelphia needed wins in the added 17th game to get there. Atlanta and Denver did it in 16-game seasons in 1998, and Miami and San Francisco did it in 1984.

The Chiefs and Eagles were also in control throughout the postseason, with neither team trailing behind in the playoffs. The only other times both Super Bowl teams did so were in 2004 (Patriots vs. Eagles), 1991 (Bills vs. Washington), and 1966 (Packers vs. Chiefs).

AIR THIS

Patrick Mahomes will try to do something that has never been done before in the NFL by continuing the regular season when he led the league in passing by winning the Super Bowl title.

Mahomes threw for 5,250 yards during the regular season—511 more than second-place Justin Herbert, the biggest gap between first and second since Kurt Warner beat Peyton Manning for 699 yards in 2001 .

The only player to reach the Super Bowl after throwing more regular season yards than Mahomes was Manning with a 5,477 record in 2013. His Broncos lost to Seattle 43-8 in the Super Bowl.

It was one of only six times before Mahomes that the league’s top passing player made it to the Super Bowl and they all lost. The others were Tom Brady (2017 season), Brady (2007), Rich Gannon (2002), Warner (2001) and Dan Marino (1984).

TRAINING REUNION

Chiefs coach Andy Reed joins Dan Reeves as the only coach to face the franchise in the Super Bowl they previously hosted in the big game.

Reid coached the Eagles for their second Super Bowl after the 2004 season before being fired after the 2012 season. He quickly turned Kansas City into a powerhouse and is now ready for his fourth Super Bowl appearance as a head coach – the ninth coach to reach that mark.

Reid is hoping for more rematch luck than Reeves had after the 1998 season against the Denver organization, which he led to the Super Bowl in 1986, 87 and 89 before losing all three. The Broncos defeated Reeves and the Atlanta Falcons 34–19 in the Super Bowl.

Two other coaches faced their former teams in the Super Bowl and ended up on the winning side: John Gruden led Tampa Bay past the Raiders after the 2002 season, and Weeb Eubank coached the Jets and got very upset with the Colts after the 1968 season. of the year.

The Eagles will become the sixth franchise to reach the Super Bowl under four coaches, with Nick Sirianni joining Doug Pederson, Reid and Dick Vermeil.

The Raiders, 49ers, Colts and Rams made it there with four coaches, while the Broncos did it with a record five.

AMAZING HEAVY END

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelsey built a playoff career arguably only led by top wide receiver Jerry Rice.

Kelche has 127 shots in 17 career playoff games for 1,467 yards and 15 touchdowns. The only player to beat those numbers was Rice with 151 catches for 2,245 yards and 22 touchdowns in 29 playoff games.

The Mahomes-Kelsey connection is also one of the best, with their 13 playoff TD assists trailed only by Tom Brady’s 15 to Rob Gronkowski.

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