Chris Long: Eagles would've preferred Bengals instead of Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII

Former NFL defensive end and Super Bowl champion Chris Long said the Philadelphia Eagles would have rather faced the Cincinnati Bengals than the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, previewing the matchup on The Rich Eisen Show ahead of the game. Asked by host Rich Eisen for his "first blush" read on Chiefs-Eagles, Long said: "I think if you were the Eagles, and you know somebody gave you a choice of the two teams to play, I'd probably rather played the Bengals."

Long explained his reasoning came down to the trenches: "If you look at it from a match-up standpoint, that d-line would eat up front against... Bengals offensive line, right? And I think that would really affect the way the game goes." He contrasted that with facing the Chiefs, saying Philadelphia would have to "deal with Travis Kelsey in the middle of the field," calling it "a tough situation for them," and noting cornerback Avonte Maddox's return from injury was "a big deal" but that the Eagles would still "need help there."

Long also argued the Bengals lacked a singular disruptive force compared to Kansas City's Chris Jones. "There's a whole -- when you line up to play the Cincinnati Bengals, who are you deathly afraid of up front? I mean, what makes them good is they're good across the board, but they don't have one guy that keeps you up at night all week," Long said, adding that he had discussed the point with his brother Kyle that morning: "Chris Jones is going to affect the way these guys sleep, and you know, you don't have anybody like that for Cincinnati."

Mahomes's health as the swing factor

Long pointed to quarterback Patrick Mahomes's ankle injury -- suffered in the AFC playoffs -- as the biggest wild card for Kansas City. Referencing Mahomes's performance against Cincinnati in the AFC Championship, Long said: "He going out there on that bum ankle... we thought he was going to be immobile, we thought certain things would be off the table for him. They rolled him out like the first play of the game." He predicted further improvement by the Super Bowl: "Two more weeks, he's going to be healthy. You'll see Mahomes that you recognize, and that's a scary thought."

What Long expected from the game itself

Long predicted a high-scoring, competitive game regardless of matchup, saying "I think there's going to be a lot of scoring, I think it's going to be a fun game." He also cited Mahomes's track record in big moments -- "burrow scares you, but my homes proved yesterday" -- as an intangible edge for Kansas City heading into the matchup. Eisen said he would have Long back the following Monday for a full prediction ahead of kickoff.

US In News compiled this archived account from contemporaneous coverage by The Rich Eisen Show. It restores a story originally published on this site in February 2023; figures are as reported at the time.