Super Bowl LVII Predictions: Final score and MVP | You Pod to Win the Game
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson, Jori Epstein and Frank Schwab give their picks for Chiefs vs Eagles. Hear the full conversation on the You Pod to Win the Game podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
[AUDIO LOGO]
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
CHARLES ROBINSON: Are we gonna make picks on this one?
FRANK SCHWAB: By the way, have you heard I'm 11 and 1 against the spread in the playoffs?
CHARLES ROBINSON: Oh, god--
FRANK SCHWAB: Have you heard that?
CHARLES ROBINSON: --Frank.
FRANK SCHWAB: I like the Eagles. I've really gone back and forth on this game because Patrick Mahomes, nine times only, really, in his career, has been an underdog, which is kind of crazy to me. Like, five seasons nine times as an underdog? That's it?
Against the spread, he is 7, 1, and 1 in those games against the spread. That is-- basically, if you're giving Patrick Mahomes points, he's going to beat you if you bet against him. But I just think the Eagles are better. From top to bottom, this roster is so good. I love them pre-season. We talked about that.
Like, they've exceeded my expectations, and I was very, very optimistic about them. They're just dominant on both lines.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: They have the-- the way they've built their defense is basically-- Howie Roseman is smart enough to know, hey, if you want to run on us and beat us, fine. But we're not gonna let elite quarterbacks just get over on us. We're gonna have a great pass defense. He plays perfectly in this game. They got the pass rush. They got the cornerbacks. They have the playmakers on the back end. I just think the Eagles, top to bottom, are just better.
And I worry a little bit about Jalen Hurts. I don't know if he can-- I don't know where his shoulder is. I really don't. That's one concern I have, other than betting against Patrick Mahomes. But yes, I'm gonna take the Eagles, 24-20, low-scoring game.
I think it's gonna be a-- most Super Bowls, to me, start slow. We're gonna get a little scoring in the first quarter. They'll pick up after that. But I think I put 24 to 20, and I'm picking Haason Reddick as MVP, 30 to 1.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Wow. That's a really good--
JORI EPSTEIN: Frank already wrote his gamer. I will say, Chiefs 27-24. I think the Eagles will get out to a lead, start playing really well, kind of be like, oh, yeah. This is a team we thought. And then the Chiefs will slowly, slowly start coming back. And when it gets down to crunch time and it's even against a great team, Mahomes just has that clutch magic.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah.
JORI EPSTEIN: And you know what else I'll say? Because I was reading this about Brady the other day. I love this idea that it's not just the clutch gene that's kind of like, oh, you can do it. It's also that idea of these guys who are so good and played for so long-- and maybe even one of you wrote this-- that-- it was Wetz, I think, who wrote it.
But the defense starts to wear down over time, and you start to just understand what they're doing because you've been there, and that's one of, like, the factors in clutch. So I love that description. So I will say Chiefs, 27-24. Patrick Mahomes, MVP, because of his late game performance.
FRANK SCHWAB: I will say that picking the Eagles does feel like I'm picking the 1992 Portland Trail Blazers to win the NBA Finals. Like, what am I doing? What am I-- I'm picking against Patrick Mahomes? Like, what? This dude is Jordan. He's Gretzky.
JORI EPSTEIN: Yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: He's Barry Bonds, whoever you want.
JORI EPSTEIN: It matters here.
FRANK SCHWAB: Patrick Mahomes is that dude, so it does scare me--
JORI EPSTEIN: And he's coming off--
FRANK SCHWAB: --a little bit.
JORI EPSTEIN: --a Super Bowl loss--
FRANK SCHWAB: I know.
JORI EPSTEIN: --last time he was--
FRANK SCHWAB: I know.
JORI EPSTEIN: --in this game.
FRANK SCHWAB: I have a few regrets. But who do you got, C. Rob?
JORI EPSTEIN: He's picking a tie.
FRANK SCHWAB: No. I mean, I really do think it's OK to hedge in this game, because I do-- I think it's as close as it could possibly be, for various reasons. I think it's a head/heart, like, pick for me. Like, if it was just my head, I'm picking the Eagles. Because I do think the Eagles, when you go top to bottom, their depth chart, it's a better overall team.
FRANK SCHWAB: Yes.
CHARLES ROBINSON: They have more talent. They are.
FRANK SCHWAB: Here's a question. How many of the Chiefs players would start on the Eagles? It's probably not more than six.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Well, well, and not only that, it's the reliance on rookie starters.
FRANK SCHWAB: Yes.
JORI EPSTEIN: Yeah.
CHARLES ROBINSON: I mean, the Chiefs have multiple rookie starters.
JORI EPSTEIN: Mm-hmm.
CHARLES ROBINSON: The Eagles are like, yeah, we haven't needed to--
JORI EPSTEIN: See? Now, I'm getting nervous again.
FRANK SCHWAB: [LAUGHS]
CHARLES ROBINSON: I mean, look. That I like I said, I think top to bottom, I do think the Eagles have the better team, the better depth. They're well-coached, like all these different things. But--
JORI EPSTEIN: But?
CHARLES ROBINSON: --that's the head pick. I'm going with the heart pick because to me, I just-- Mahomes-- the fact that they've been on the stage, a lot of the team's been on the stage-- now, granted, they do have rookie--
JORI EPSTEIN: Kelce.
CHARLES ROBINSON: --starters. I bring that up. But there's, like, leaders. This isn't a big experience for them. They've been through this a couple of times. I think that matters in a game like this. I think it's gonna be close, and that's why I think that matters. Because to me, that experience comes out when it's close at the end.
And so I'm thinking 24-21. I think it's a field goal. Maybe Butker kicks a field goal to win the game.
FRANK SCHWAB: Who's your MVP? Did you say Mahomes?
CHARLES ROBINSON: Oh, yeah. I think Mahomes.
FRANK SCHWAB: Yeah, it's almost--
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: If you're picking the Chiefs, it's almost impossible not to pick Mahomes. Like, he's going to win MVP if it's gonna be--
CHARLES ROBINSON: I will say this, though. I think the Reddick pick is--
JORI EPSTEIN: Chris Jones is a maybe.
FRANK SCHWAB: Chris Jones is great.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Chris Jones.
FRANK SCHWAB: Yeah, yeah.
CHARLES ROBINSON: Yeah. Reddick-- I mean, if the Eagles win, I think the Red-- I--
FRANK SCHWAB: I think the Eagles have a much better chance for my betting people out there. Eagles-- if you're on the Eagles, the Eagles have a much better chance of having a non-quarterback win MVP. Because you can see--
CHARLES ROBINSON: True.
JORI EPSTEIN: Yeah.
FRANK SCHWAB: --Hurts having a 130-yard passing day because they run it a lot. But Miles Sanders--
JORI EPSTEIN: But if he gets--
FRANK SCHWAB: --60 and Goedert gets 50, like, you could just see nobody on offense--
JORI EPSTEIN: But if Hurts--
FRANK SCHWAB: --really being blown up.
JORI EPSTEIN: --takes off, then--
FRANK SCHWAB: Yes.
JORI EPSTEIN: --that would be-- right. If he wins MVP, I think his legs will be a heavy factor.
FRANK SCHWAB: I agree with that, too.