The biggest American sports game of the year is once again upon us. In less than two weeks, the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles will go head to head with the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs to determine the next kings of the National Football League in the 57th iteration of the Super Bowl.

This year’s Super Bowl is different from past Bowls for many reasons. For one, SB LVII stands as the first time that two Black quarterbacks will face off for the NFL championship: Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. This is a great step forward for a league that has historically dealt with issues of race and leadership.

This Super Bowl is also the first time two brothers will meet on the biggest stage in football. Philadelphia center Jason Kelce will compete against his younger brother, Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, in what is sure to be a nail-biter of a game. Both brothers already have a Super Bowl ring under their belts, and as Travis Kelce told reporters after his AFC Championship win, “Mom can’t lose.”

In addition to these unique elements, the Eagles-Chiefs matchup itself is full of possibility. Philadelphia’s air raid offense may prove problematic for the Kansas City defense, with deep threats like Dallas Goedert and A.J. Brown. The Eagles also have one of the strongest defenses in the entire League, with a stellar defensive line that amassed a franchise record 70 sacks throughout the 2022 season.

Second-year Oberlin tight-end and diehard Eagles fan Josh Woznicki agrees that Philadelphia’s D-Line will be the most important part of the showdown.

“We’ve already seen what happens when guys like Haason Reddick and Brandon Graham over games,” he said. “When they stop the run early and force teams into drop-back scenarios, it almost always works out in their favor. The problem with the Chiefs is that they are usually able to get around this by Mahomes athletic ability. We’ll see if his injury limits him in this area at all, but I think either way, the game will come down to if the pass rush can put enough pressure on him to force mistakes and limit big plays.”

However, third-year Oberlin offensive tackle and fellow Eagles fan Danny Ben-Tal doesn’t agree with his teammate on what the key point of the game will be.

“The pivotal thing that the Eagles need to do to win the game is win the possession battle,” he said. “Most of their struggles this year have stemmed from their opponents beating them in time of possession.”

Maintaining control of the ball will definitely need to be a major part of the game if Philadelphia wants to stand a chance Feb. 12. However, the Eagles are only half of the equation. Kansas City will bring a veteran offense into Glendale, helmed by head coach Andy Reid and a roster full of experienced players. Though playing through a high ankle sprain, having a quarterback like Mahomes, who already has a Lombardi Trophy under his belt, will undoubtedly prove extremely beneficial to the Chiefs’ offense. Kansas City’s linebacking core and defensive backfield are also bright spots on the roster, with studs like Willie Gay and Justin Reid locking up opponents on a frequent basis.

Former Oberlin quarterback and lifelong Chiefs fan Chris Allen Jr. shared a similar opinion about the Super Bowl matchup.

“I think the two most important parts to the game will be how the Chiefs’ DBs and LBs play against the Eagles’ WRs and the battle between both O-Lines and D-Lines,” he said. “I think that’s where the biggest disparities are between the two teams, and it will be interesting to see how each team sets up their game-plan.”

Whatever your prediction and regardless of who you want to win, Super Bowl LVII is set up to be another thrilling finale to the NFL season.