For the second time in three years, the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, where the spotlight will again fall on the two quarterbacks.
Just like they did in Arizona in 2023, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes will battle it out for the sport’s ultimate prize, with the former hoping to exact revenge for the Eagles’ 38-35 Super Bowl LVII defeat, while the latter is looking to lead the Chiefs to an unprecedented three-peat.
Quarterbacking in the NFL is one of the most challenging tasks in all of sport and the February 9 clash in New Orleans will see two of their generation’s most dynamic talents duke it out again.
But who has the edge? DAZN News takes a closer look at each player’s form this season and what they will bring to the table in The Big Easy.
Passing
At the age of 29, Mahomes already has three Super Bowl rings and will no doubt be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he hangs up his cleats. He will be playing in a fifth Super Bowl in six years in New Orleans, but it has come at the end of what was perhaps his worst statistical season as a passer since he assumed the Chiefs starting QB job in 2018. His 3,928 yards was the lowest of his career, as was his mark of 6.8 yards per pass attempt. His 26 passing touchdowns matched his 2019 low and his 93.5 passing rating was the second-lowest of his career.
However, these stats don’t tell the whole story. Mahomes is 17-1 as a starter this season and what these numbers don’t tell you is how he is constantly able to find a way to win, whether that is by being clutch on third downs and other key plays or being able to make mid-game adjustments to keep even the best opponents at arms’ length.
Hurts’ 2024 passing performance tells the story of a very different offensive game plan to that of Mahomes and the Chiefs. The Eagles QB threw more than 200 fewer passes than his rivals, putting his yardage and touchdown totals well behind Mahomes. But Hurts was very efficient in what he did with the ball, throwing just five interceptions and clocking up a passer rating of 103.7, the best of his five-year career so far.
Mahomes vs Hurts 2024 regular season statistics
| Record | Completions | Attempts | Percentage | Yards | Yards per attempt | Touchdowns | Interceptions | Passer rating | |
| Mahomes | 15-1 | 392 | 581 | 67.5 | 3,928 | 6.8 | 26 | 11 | 93.5 |
| Hurts | 12-3 | 248 | 361 | 68.7 | 2,903 | 8.0 | 18 | 5 | 103.7 |
Hurts has been able to utilise the advantage of leaning on a brilliant running game, led by Saquon Barkley, who has enjoyed one of the best seasons by a running back in NFL history. By establishing the run early, Hurts and the Eagles have not had to lean on their passing attack in the same way that the Chiefs have done, which is why the stats look like they do.
And despite Hurts’ superior passer rating this year, Mahomes still has the edge when it comes to passing ability, as he has the arm to deliver huge plays and coolness under pressure to deliver when it really matters.
Edge: Mahomes
WATCH: Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX for 0.99p (check price in your country here).
Rushing
Hurts and Mahomes combined for five rushing touchdowns in their respective Conference Championship wins, which serves as a timely reminder of just how dangerous they both are with their feet.
Hurts’ final of his three scores against the Commanders saw him break Steve Young’s 26-year-old record for the most playoff rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, just five years into his career.
The Chiefs know about this threat only too well, as Hurts ran for 70 yards, another three scores plus a two-point conversion in their Super Bowl LVII encounter, as he tied the Super Bowl record for most points scored by a player in a single game.
While Mahomes’ improvisational skills on the ground can be game-changing, he is not the consistent dual-threat that Hurt is, especially now that he has Barkley to complement their rushing attack.
Edge: Hurts
Intangibles
Quarterbacks don’t reach multiple Super Bowls if they don’t have something about them, with both players the undisputed leaders of their team.
Hurts is still awaiting that first Super Bowl ring after his Herculean efforts in the big game two years ago and has displayed his leadership ability and willingness to gut it out in recent weeks, dealing with a Week 16 concussion and a knee injury that he sustained in the Wild Card win over the Packers.
Despite this, Hurts doesn’t yet have the CV to match up to what Mahomes has done over the past seven years. Mahomes has that aura that few players are able to achieve in any sport, with his Chiefs side having a sense of inevitability about them in recent years, thanks to his almost supernatural ability to deliver in the big moments.
Edge: Mahomes
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Read next | Saquon Barkley eyes NFL history after Philadelphia Eagles teammate Jalen Hurts breaks 26-year record
Head-to-head record
Super Bowl LIX will be just the fourth meeting between the two quarterbacks.
The Eagles beat the Chiefs 21-17 in November 2023 in a game where defenses were on top and neither quarterback was able to get much going, while their other regular season match-up saw Mahomes throw for five touchdown passes in a 42-30 win for the Chiefs in 2021.
Sandwiched between those games was Super Bowl LVII, where Mahomes' three touchdown passes saw him named the game’s MVP in their 38-35 win, despite the best efforts of Hurts and his hat-trick of rushing touchdowns.
Edge: Mahomes
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