Super Bowl LIX roster breakdown: Do Chiefs or Eagles have the edge?

Super Bowl LIX roster breakdown: Do Chiefs or Eagles have the edge? - chof 360 news

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Who has the better roster in Super LIX?

Sunday’s Chiefs-Eagles showdown, a rematch of Super Bowl LVII two years ago, will be just as much about talent vs. talent as coaching and execution throughout the game.

[Prepare for the epic Eagles-Chiefs matchup on FOX Sports' Super Bowl LIX hub]

Here’s a breakdown of how each roster, by position group, compares to the other — and which team has the edge in each:

Quarterback

Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes
Eagles: Jalen Hurts

Mahomes may have had his worst statistical season as a starter in 2024, but he’s still the best quarterback of this era and remains on track to challenge Tom Brady for GOAT status when it’s all said and done. He’s borderline unbeatable in critical moments on the biggest stages.

Mahomes will be playing in his fifth Super Bowl in seven years as a starter, aiming for his third straight Lombardi Trophy.

Edge: Chiefs

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Running Back

Chiefs: Kareem Hunt
Eagles: Saquon Barkley

Barkley will go down as one of the best free-agent acquisitions in league history. He became just the ninth player ever to rush for 2,000 yards in a season, and could’ve broken the NFL’s single-season record for rushing yards had he played in Week 18, when Philadelphia rested its starters.

Barkley has been carrying the Eagles in the playoffs just as he did in the regular season, averaging 147.3 rushing yards per game on 6.7 yards per carry since the wild-card round.

Edge: Eagles

Wide Receiver

Chiefs: Xavier Worthy, DeAndre Hopkins, Hollywood Brown
Eagles: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson

The Eagles’ passing attack had a down season — that’s at least partially because of Barkley, who has been the focal point of the offense — but Brown and Smith are still one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league.

Edge: Eagles

Tight End

Chiefs: Travis Kelce
Eagles: Dallas Goedert

Goedert may have younger legs, but Kelce is still the more productive player, even at age 35 (Kelce averaged 51.4 receiving yards per game in 2024; Goedert was at 49.6). The past couple of years, Kelce has reminded the NFL world that the clutch gene is still there in the playoffs, even if his regular-season numbers aren’t what they once were.

Edge: Chiefs

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Offensive Line

Chiefs: LT Joe Thuney, LG Mike Caliendo, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Jawaan Taylor
Eagles: LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Cam Jurgens, RG Mekhi Becton, RT Lane Johnson

A fully-healthy Eagles offensive line is the superior group, after helping Barkley have just the ninth 2,000-yard rushing season in NFL history. But a banged-up Dickerson (knee) and Jurgens (back) bring uncertainty to the unit ahead of the Super Bowl.

Among qualified quarterbacks in the regular season, Mahomes faced just a 29.9% pressure rate per dropback, the 10th-lowest mark in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats.

Edge: Chiefs

Defensive Line/Outside Linebackers

Chiefs: George Karlaftis, Tershawn Wharton, Chris Jones, Mike Danna
Eagles: Milton Williams, Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Josh Sweat

Philadelphia has the edge in sacks and sack rate, while Kansas City has the better numbers in pressures and pressure rate. But the differentiator is in stopping the run (partially a linebacker stat). The Eagles’ run stuff rate was at 17.3% in the regular season (14th), compared to the Chiefs’ 14.8% (24th), per NGS.

Edge: Eagles

Inside Linebackers

Chiefs: Drue Tranquill, Nick Bolton, Leo Chenal
Eagles: Zack Baun, Oren Burks, Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Philadelphia's linebacker corps took a hit with Nakobe Dean’s season-ending knee injury in the wild-card round, but Baun has been spectacular in his first season in Philly. Named a first-team All-Pro, Baun had 151 tackles, five forced fumbles, four pass breakups and 3.5 sacks in the regular season.

The Eagles have allowed just 105.6 rushing yards per game in three playoff contests, compared to the Chiefs’ 148.0 in one fewer postseason game.

Edge: Eagles

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Cornerbacks

Chiefs: Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Chamarri Conner (nickel)
Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, Darius Slay Jr., Cooper DeJean (nickel)

McDuffie is one of the best cornerbacks in football, but the totality of the Eagles’ talent at the position is impossible to ignore. Mitchell, Slay and DeJean gave up just five touchdowns combined as the nearest defender in coverage during the regular season, according to Next Gen Stats.

Edge: Eagles

Safeties

Chiefs: Justin Reid, Bryan Cook
Eagles: C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Reed Blankenship

Gardner-Johnson and Blankenship roundout what was arguably the best pass defense in the NFL in 2024. Neither of them allowed a passer rating more than 78 in the regular season, per NGS. Cook and Reid were both above that, with the latter at 103.9.

Edge: Eagles

Specialists

Chiefs: K Harrison Butker, P Matt Araiza, PR/KR Nikko Remigio, LS James Winchester
Eagles: K Jake Elliott, P Braden Mann, PR Cooper DeJean, KR Isaiah Rodgers, LS Rick Lovato

Of the kickers, Butker has been much more efficient. He drilled 84.0% of his field goals this season, compared to Elliott’s 77.8%.

Kansas City also averages more yards per return on punts and kickoffs than Philadelphia.

Edge: Chiefs

Overall Roster

The Eagles entered this season with one of the NFL’s most talented rosters, and that comes across in this comparison. On paper, Philadelphia edges Kansas City in more position groups, including every level of the defense.

But the Chiefs have the edge in the position that matters most (quarterback), and health concerns with the Eagles’ elite offensive line could open up opportunities for Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to get creative with his pressure packages.

That, plus Mahomes’ greatness, makes the Chiefs hard to bet against.

Overall edge: Chiefs

Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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