I Dig Sports
Emery hails Rashford's Villa move: 'Big potential'
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has insisted that new loan signing Marcus Rashford has trained "fantastically" and has "big potential" despite Manchester United's willingness to part ways with the forward.
Following weeks of speculation after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim, Rashford joined Villa on loan at the end of January, signing with the Midlands club until the end of the season.
Amorim had exiled Rashford from his squad and said on Thursday that he didn't "play football and train the way I see it" -- the latest in a long line of hints that the United manager didn't appreciate the England international's aptitude.
But Emery said on Friday that Rashford has trained well at Villa and that he is excited to watch the 27-year-old in action, which could happen as early as Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round clash against Tottenham.
"I'm very happy with him, he has trained fantastically today [Friday]," the Spanish coach said. "The conversation we had was very normal, speaking about football and what I want of him.
"I think his potential is still big. I don't want to know the reason he is leaving Manchester United.
"But I am very happy to have him here, to try to help him to recover his performances.
"My challenge with him is a huge challenge. His challenge as well with us is a very exciting challenge. I am very happy."
Sources told ESPN the deal to sign Rashford includes an option to make the transfer permanent.
Villa have agreed to cover a substantial part of Rashford's wage, and other performance-related bonuses have also been built into the deal.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has said he hopes to continue working with captain Virgil van Dijk "for a long time" amid continued uncertainty over the defender's long-term future.
Van Dijk, alongside teammates Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, is out of contract at the end of the season and is now free to speak to clubs overseas about penning a pre-contract agreement to join on a free transfer in the summer.
However, there remains an expectation at Anfield that the 33-year-old will commit his future to the Premier League leaders, with his impressive form showing no signs of waning.
"Virgil deserves every compliment he gets," Slot told a news conference on Friday. "He's been outstanding for this club for so many years and, since I've been here, he's been outstanding for me as well.
"Yesterday [in the 4-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur] was an example of that. He was, in a good way, aggressive, led the team with and without the ball, he was sharp and ready. It was no coincidence it took 80 mins for Tottenham's first shot on target. Virgil, just like many others, has had a good season but he wants to make it a great season.
Asked what he hopes the future holds for his captain, Slot added: "Good health is the first thing I wish him, and I hope to continue working with him for a long time, although I don't think that will surprise you."
Having seen off Tottenham on Thursday night to reach the Carabao Cup final, Liverpool will now turn their attention to the FA Cup, and will take on Championship side Plymouth Argyle in this weekend's fourth round.
However, Slot's side will be without the injured Alexander-Arnold for the trip to Home Park, with the defender facing a race against time to be fit for next week's Merseyside derby.
"[Plymouth] is going to be too early for him," Slot said. "Difficult to say for Everton. It won't take months or even weeks, but it is only three days after Plymouth so let's wait and see if he's available. We also look long term, and we don't want to take any risks, but if he is fit then of course we will use him."
Manchester City have included injured midfielder Rodri in their updated Champions League squad for the knockout phase while there are also places for new signings Omar Marmoush, Nico González and Abdukodir Khusanov.
Vitor Reis, who also arrived in January in a 35 million ($36.2m) deal from Palmeiras, has been omitted.
Marmoush, González and Khusanov will all be eligible for the playoff tie against Real Madrid, which begins next week.
City, who finished 22nd in the league phase table, face the LaLiga giants in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. The second leg will take place at the Bernabéu on Feb. 19.
Rodri will miss both games as he continues his recovery from a knee injury suffered in September. However, his inclusion in the Champions League squad raises the possibility that he could play again before the season is over.
The Ballon d'Or winner has said he hopes to be back in time to take part in the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins in the U.S. in June.
City boss Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, has urged caution with Rodri's comeback and warned the 28-year-old not to rush back.
Under UEFA rules, City were able to make three changes to their squad ahead of the Champions League knockout rounds.
Having made four new signings in January, the club decided to omit Reis from their list. The 19-year-old defender is yet to make his debut following his move from Brazil but was named on the bench for both the 3-1 win over Chelsea and the 5-1 defeat to Arsenal.
Fortune Barishal chase 195 to defend their BPL crown
Fortune Barishal 195 for 7 (Tamim 54, Mayers 46, Shoriful 4-34) beat Chittagong Kings 194 for 3 (Emon 78*, Nafay 66, Clark 44) by three wickets
Rishad slammed Binura Fernando and Hussain Talat for a six each in the last two overs before a wide finished things. The Chittagong players were left heart-broken but Barishal had been the most consistent team through the competition, winning 11 of their 14 games overall. This was a franchise that had spent big over the past two seasons, and it showed in their depth here, holding their nerve as the game swung both ways.
Chittagong's record start
Barishal keep Chittagong below 200
Tamim goes big
In the first over of Barishal's chase, Tamim caressed Binura for three fours through the off side. He repeated the exact dose for Shoriful Islam in the next over, though this time he had one boundary down the ground. Tamim reached his second fifty in a BPL final in the seventh over, having faced just 24 balls. He slammed Arafat Sunny for a four and a six, as Chittagong raced to 70 runs in the first seven overs.
Shoriful triggers mini slide
Shoriful turned things around with two wickets in the ninth over. He first removed Tamim whose slam down the ground only found Khaled Ahmed at the long-off boundary. Then Shoriful rapped Dawid Malan's pads; it looked at first that it might be sliding down the leg and the umpire agreed, but Shoriful was confident Chittagong should review. His captain Mohammad Mithun seemingly reluctantly agreed, but the bowler was proven right. Malan fell for one, giving Chittagong a lifeline. Shortly afterwards, Towhid Hridoy struck Naeem Islam down midwicket's throat to make it 96 for 3 in the 11th over.
Mayers boosts Barishal
Chittagong take it to the final over
Then, there was a slowdown. Mahmudullah and Mayers couldn't find boundaries in the 17th and 18th overs, as Khaled and Shoriful bowled excellent overs. Shorfiul took the wickets of Mayers and Mahmudullah in his last over. Mayers swung one down deep square leg's throat for 46 off 28, before Shoriful had Mahmudullah caught behind for 7 off 11 balls. Nabi fell an over later, and at that point it seemed that Chittagong might have done enough. Rishad didn't think so.
Lockie Ferguson in doubt for Champions Trophy and Pakistan tri-series
With Capitals needing one off the final ball, Sikandar Raza whipped Amir away for four to seal DC's spot in the final. At the post-match presentation, Ferguson said, "just a little hamstring issue, unfortunate. Tough night; wish I could've bowled the last ball."
Ferguson underwent a scan the next day, according to New Zealand head coach Gary Stead, to determine the severity of the injury. New Zealand are still awaiting more details.
"Lockie had a scan yesterday [Thursday] in the UAE," Stead said on the eve of the tri-series opener." We've got the images here and [we are] waiting for our radiologist to give us a report on the extent of it. Small hamstring injury, by the look of it, so we're just waiting on a timeline of advice around that before we make a decision on whether Lockie travels here [Pakistan] or whether we do have to replace him for the Champions Trophy."
Ferguson is the most experienced quick in New Zealand's squad for the Champions Trophy and his potential absence might disrupt their prep for the competition. Ben Sears, the Wellington tearaway, is working his way back from knee surgery, which had sidelined him for the Test tour of India and then the home series against Sri Lanka and England. Sears has played 17 T20Is and one Test so far but is uncapped in ODI cricket.
In his first stint at the ILT20, Ferguson featured in only eight of Vipers' 12 matches so far, with his workload being monitored.
"We have tried to manage the players with rotation of quicks as much as we possibly can," Tom Moody, Vipers' director of cricket, said in the Vipers Voices podcast in January. "Lockie Ferguson, Mohammad Amir and Luke Wood, today, have all had a chance to rest and freshen up. But yes, it is a pretty tough schedule and there is an element of physical fatigue but probably, more importantly, mental fatigue.
"And there has not been that chance to really disengage and freshen up mentally. But that is the reality of tournament cricket. Everyone is trying to fit in a tournament within a certain window. And what comes of that is a pretty heavy schedule. And we came in expecting that, knowing that."
"I think it [selection] will depend on how people shape up, especially the bowlers after this first game and what their loads are like and then what the conditions are like as well," Stead said. "It's not quite as hot as you think it would be in Asia. It still gets pretty cold here in the evenings, so but if you bowl in the heat of the day, it might take more out of the bowlers. So, we will just manage that and be smart around it, understanding that the big tournament is the Champions Trophy. We want to make sure everyone is fit and firing for that."
While all eight teams have already named their Champions Trophy squads, they still have until February 12 to make changes if needed.
Context is king as Pakistan and New Zealand open pre-Champions Trophy tri-series
Big picture: Opportunity for precious game time in Pakistan
Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa will play a truncated version of the classic tri-series, with just one round of matches followed by a final. The schedule was likely squeezed by the SA20 at one end and the Champions Trophy at the other, and it is that upcoming ICC event - the first hosted by Pakistan in nearly three decades - which gives the series context.
For each side, it offers the opportunity for precious match practice in conditions where the Champions Trophy will be held in the main (with India's matches in Dubai). Pakistan and New Zealand will also open the marquee tournament, though that game will take place in Karachi and not Lahore. Both have played exactly nine ODIs each since the end of the 2023 World Cup, and all in very different conditions to this. While Pakistan won each of their three recent ODI series, New Zealand fell short in the one they played in the subcontinent, a 2-0 reversal against Sri Lanka.
However, it's not as if they are short of match practice in this country. Since December 2022, they have played two Tests, eight ODIs and ten T20Is in Pakistan across four series. On most of those occasions, though, multiple factors meant New Zealand sent in weakened squads, with larger context to build up to. This time, however, there is a multi-team trophy on the line, all while preparing for the second-biggest title in ODI cricket.
Form guide
Pakistan WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand LWWLL
In the spotlight: Babar Azam and Lockie Ferguson
Team news: Saim Ayub is out of action
Ayub, recovering from an ankle injury, is out of the series and the Champions Trophy. Pakistan are expected to open with Fakhar and Babar, with three premier seam bowlers and Abrar Ahmed as lone frontline spinner. The middle order will see some rotation over the series.
Pakistan (likely) 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Kamran Ghulam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), 5 Tayyab Tahir/Saud Shakeel, 6 Salman Agha, 7 Khushdil Shah, 8 Shaheen Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed
New Zealand have two opportunities to work out their best side here before the deadline for the Champions Trophy squads shuts. The conditions would suggest three fast bowlers at a minimum. With all of New Zealand's spinners also handy batters, balance of the side is not much of an issue.
New Zealand (possible) 1 Devon Conway, 2 Will Young, 3 Rachin Ravindra, 4 Kane Williamson, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips/Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Will O'Rourke
Pitch and conditions
This is a bit of a mystery, with the entire ground rebuilt recently. Historically, though, the Gaddafi has produced flat batting surfaces and reward for extra pace in ODI cricket. Overhead conditions are likely to be more overcast than sunny, with temperatures dipping in the evening, but no rain is expected.
Stats and trivia
- Babar has only opened twice in ODI cricket, in a bilateral series against England in 2015. He scored 26 runs across his two innings
- Ferguson is one wicket away from becoming the 19th New Zealander to 100 ODI wickets
- Pakistan last hosted an ODI tri-series in 2004, featuring Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. It was called the Paktel Cup, after a telecommunications company that no longer exists. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the final then
Quotes
"You have to look at what the pitch, opposition and conditions are like before you finalise a team. This time around, even the Gaddafi Stadium is new to us."
Mohammad Rizwan feels Pakistan will also need to acclimatise to the new Gaddafi Stadium
"We've seen [Tim] Southee and [Trent] Boult do it for a long time for us and do an extremely good job. We've got some new guys coming through alongside the experience of Matt Henry, and some good fast bowling stocks."
Mitchell Santner believes New Zealand's pace bowling is in a good place
Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
Carey: I'm playing the sweep and reverse-sweep 'with a bit more intent'
"I think I stuck to a plan and a process and kept it pretty simple," Carey said of his innings. "I went to reverse sweeps at times. I played it on the straight plane as well, when I thought there was an opportunity to do so.
The sweeps and reverse-sweeps were especially notable aspects of this Carey innings, as Sri Lanka set aggressive fields to tempt Carey to play the reverse sweep in particular. Carey played them almost flawlessly all day however, 76 of his runs coming square of the wicket.
"The sweeps and reverses have always been my game, but I think it's about staying patient for longer," Carey said. "I think I'm probably playing those shots at a time when the field allows for it. I'm just being a little bit smarter, and understanding risk versus reward, and the potential field changes sweeping might bring. I think I'm playing it with a bit more intent to do other things, and just get down the other end."
Carey has been on the field almost the entire Test so far. With Josh Inglis off the field for a substantial stretch of day one, and early on day two, Carey was promoted up to No. 5, which meant he was batting less than 25 overs into Australia's innings, after keeping wicket for more than a day. But he let only four byes slip through, and has now made an outstanding hundred to help set up a victory push. His keeping will likely be tested again in the second innings, when this surface is even drier.
"Backing up the bowlers who are creating opportunities - my job in the side is first and foremost to do it behind the stumps," he said. "I thought that first innings was pretty solid. And that last game, where the boys were creating chances, that was quite satisfying."
Ireland surge ahead despite Muzarabani's heroics
Ireland 260 and 83 for 1 (Balbirnie 32*, Moor 30, Ngarava 1-25) lead Zimbabwe 267 (Welch 90, Muzarabani 47, McCarthy 4-75, McBrine 3-59) by 76 runs
Peter Moor, who used to play for Zimbabwe, dispatched Muzarabani, who didn't bowl consistent lines, as Ireland raced to 42 for 0 in seven overs. Richard Ngarava got one to angle away to ensure Moor's good work ended on 33, but his partner, Andy Balbirnie, joined Curtis Campher to ensure Ireland went to stumps without further damage.
The signs were ominous for the bowlers on Friday as there was more brown than green on the Bulawayo pitch. And it took Welch just one over to reinforce that feeling as he smashed a full ball from Mark Adair over mid-off.
McCarthy adapted to the challenge in front of him and toyed with his lengths, lines and release points to reap useful reward. He found seam movement to trap Takudzwanashe Kaitano lbw in the third over of the day. Zimbabwe's batters used the crease to meddle with the bowlers' lines. That didn't matter to McCarthy who nipped one past Brian Bennett's inside edge and hit the stumps.
Welch, too, had a close call early on as he was cut in half by McCarthy. He marched through, otherwise, to a 78-ball fifty, much to the delight of his dad in the stands.
Wessly Madhevere, who got off to a quick start, hit one of the three sixes in the innings. It came off McBrine's bowling but the offspinner had the last laugh, with some help from Lorcan Tucker who took a rebound catch - off square leg - to restrict him to 26. Zimbabwe were 143 for 4. Each of the partnerships for the first four wickets crossed 20. None of them, batting the opening stand, got past fifty.
McBrine struck again to have Johnathan Campbell three balls later. It was a soft dismissal as the Zimbabwe captain, also on Test debut, punched a wide-ish ball to cover point.
Nyasha Mayavo, the other debutant, hit a confident pull shot for six and a slashy drive for four on either side of tea. But an attempt at another big hit - a sweep off McBrine - trapped him lbw. McCarthy sent back Newman Nyamhuri for a golden duck as Zimbabwe slipped to 172 for 7.
All the while, Welch was happy to play unhurriedly and that continued in the eighth-wicket stand with Ngarava. Welch faced 41 of the 59 balls as the duo put on 20. Chances were created when Ngarava looked for some quick runs. He got away with a chipped drive off an Adair slower ball in the 59th over, but holed out to mid-off, trying to do the same, in the 61st.
Welch pumped Humphreys down the ground to get to 90 and retained strike for the next over. He got decent connection on the pull against Adair but was dismissed by a spectacular running catch by Harry Tector across the outfield at deep midwicket. Zimbabwe were 200 for 9, 60 runs behind, with Nos. 10 and 11 at the crease.
Muzarabani hit two boundaries off McCarthy as the duo batted calmly against the old ball for nearly 20 overs. The spin of McBrine and Humphreys gave away 23 runs between overs 67 and 80, but the batters were now more comfortable.
Ireland took the new ball and Muzarabani hit Adair for two fours, one on either side of the wicket, in the 83rd over as Zimbabwe finished the second session just three runs in the deficit.
Muzarabani took his team into the lead by pulling Craig Young in the 86th over, but with a maiden Test fifty in sight, he was knocked over trying to slog Humphreys across the line, and Zimbabwe were bowled out for 267.
Zimbabwe's strike bowler batting for long may have been a blessing in disguise, pardon the pun, for Ireland as he batted for 97 minutes late in the afternoon before taking the new ball.
Moor's intent was clear from the very first ball, which he spanked through cover for four. He had a close call with a length ball, which kept low and was at the stumps but managed to stab it into the ground.
The absence of swing led Zimbabwe to shorter lengths but that suited Moor and Balbirnie, who unfurled some excellent back-foot shots. The placid nature of the pitch was on show even after Moor's dismissal as an outside edge induced by Ngarava, off Balbirnie in the 12th over, landed well in front of second slip.
Gwandu, who was taken down earlier in the Test match, was more threatening here. In the 15th over, he had Balbirnie edge one in the cordon but the wicketkeeper Mayavo couldn't collect. Other than that, Ireland cruised through to stumps with a healthy 76-run lead.
Ekanth is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
Sanders if passed at 1: 'Why would I be mad?'
While former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is expected to be one of the early picks in this year's NFL draft, he says he isn't worried whether he will be selected first overall.
"Why would I be mad?" Sanders told ESPN's Kevin Clark on Thursday. "These are good problems to have. You could be in a way worse situation. Being No. 1 doesn't really matter to me. It's all about fit."
Sanders went on to explain how whatever situation he goes into won't be the best, since it's a team with a high draft pick, but that he wants to land in a good scheme fit.
The Tennessee Titans have the No. 1 pick and met with Sanders at the East-West Shrine Bowl. They were impressed with his maturity and poise during the interview.
The Cleveland Browns and New York Giants have the second and third picks, respectively, and also met with Sanders at the Shrine game.
Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward are the top two quarterbacks in the draft, and they train together with quarterbacks coach Darrell Colbert in the Dallas area. The two have been seen on various videos talking trash to each other during workouts, but they say it's meant good-naturedly.
"It's cool that we're close because, if we wasn't, they would try to pin us against each other," Sanders said. "A lot of stuff we say, we just be playing. But people try to take things and put it out of context."
Sanders said he spent a lot of time with former NFL quarterback Michael Vick during Shrine week. The Atlanta Falcons made Vick the top pick in the 2001 draft, the first time a Black quarterback was selected first overall.
"Every conversation we have is very impactful to me," Sanders said. "I love being around him, talking to him and getting his insight."
Chris Berman picks the winner of Super Bowl LIX
Chris Berman is back to make his pick for Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
Berman has picked the winner in five of the past six years, and in each of the past three Super Bowls, he has correctly picked the winner AND the exact margin of victory.
Odds courtesy of ESPN BET.
Kansas City Chiefs (-1, 48.5) vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, Feb. 9, 6:30 p.m. ET, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
Fifty-nine Super Bowls! Plenty of history. This game, however, might have a richer history going into it than most.
As most of you know, the Kansas City Chiefs are trying to be the first team to win three straight Lombardi Trophies in the Super Bowl era. What you might not know is that since they started playing NFL championship games in 1933, only one team -- Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers -- has won three straight championships (1965 to 1967).
When it came time for the Pack to win three straight Super Bowls, however, they fell short. As did the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers (twice), San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. Give the Chiefs plenty of credit already. They are the only ones trying to three-peat that made it back to the Super Bowl.
Here's the Philadelphia Eagles' side of history. Saquon Barkley is the ninth player to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. Of the other eight players to do so, only Terrell Davis of the Broncos in 1998 reached the Super Bowl in that season.
This truly is a "Super" Super Bowl. The Chiefs have lost only one real game since Christmas Day in 2023. After all, they sat most of their starters in the Week 18 loss to the Broncos.
Some question how they won this season. They pulled out victories by a toenail against Baltimore, a blocked field goal at the end of the game against Denver, a Raiders fumble in the final seconds and a doink on a game-winning field goal attempt facing the Chargers, just to name some. However, when you've won 17 straight one-score games, most recently the AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills, those questions should have stopped long ago. It's not an accident.
Not to be outdone, the Eagles have only one loss since the start of October. Head coach Nick Sirianni has said several times, "We don't care how we win." Again, wins aren't always associated with style points. The bottom line is the two teams with the fewest question marks on their roster made it to the Super Bowl and, looking back, that's no surprise. One other interesting note: These teams won the first two games of the season -- the Chiefs in the Thursday night opener and the Eagles on Friday night in Brazil -- and now they're playing in the last one.
Two years ago, they played in a fabulous Super Bowl LVII in Arizona, a game I called "The Roaster in the Toaster" (I call the Cardinals' home stadium "The Big Toaster"). Kansas City won 38-35 in the final seconds, naturally by one score. I don't think this game will be quite as high-scoring. However, I expect both teams to score in the neighborhood of the upper 20s.
What can we take from that game two years later? For the Eagles, obviously Barkley is now the running back. The offensive line has undergone a couple of changes -- Jason Kelce now works for ESPN -- but they are still outstanding. The tush push is alive and well. Interestingly, the Eagles have changed both coordinators twice since then, with Kellen Moore calling the offense and Vic Fangio calling the defense. A quick look back at that Super Bowl shows that QB Jalen Hurts, who played brilliantly that day, hit DeVonta Smith seven times and connected with A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert six times each. They're all still there. General manager Howie Roseman deserves huge kudos for making a strong defense even stronger, and younger. His first-round picks from 2023, Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith Jr., have excelled up front, and the top two picks last year, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, have stood out in the defensive backfield. He also traded for Zack Baun, adding him to an already top-notch unit. The result: The Eagles are plus-10 in turnover differential in their three playoff wins alone.
On the other sideline, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have already written their names into NFL lore as one of the great coach/QB duos of all time. So, too, has TE Travis Kelce, who had six receptions and a touchdown in Super Bowl LVII. Kelce caught 97 passes during the 2024 regular season, an "off" year for him. In the receiving department, aside from Kelce, the Chiefs have taken an "everybody eats" approach, mainly because of injuries as far back as the summer, forcing Reid and Mahomes to ad-lib quite a bit. The Chiefs now are as healthy as they have been all season, which means Hollywood Brown is back at wide receiver and Isiah Pacheco is back at running back (even though Kareem Hunt might get more carries in this game). The biggest change has been on the O-line, where Pro Bowl guard Joe Thuney has been playing left tackle down the stretch out of necessity. Clearly, that has gone just fine.
Last season, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl on the strength of Steve Spagnuolo's defense. This season has followed a similar formula, as Chris Jones, Nick Bolton and Trent McDuffie give K.C. a stalwart at every level. True shutdown corner L'Jarius Sneed went to Tennessee in the offseason, but Spagnuolo's timely blitzes have once again worked wonders. That was apparent in the final minutes of the AFC Championship Game against the Bills when McDuffie's blitz altered Josh Allen's fourth-down throw, just as a similar McDuffie blitz in the final minutes of regulation in last year's Super Bowl affected Brock Purdy's third-down pass.
So ... who wins on Sunday? The biggest matchup I'll be watching is what the Chiefs' defense will do to keep Barkley from another standout performance. Remember, he ran for 205 yards against the Rams and over 100 in the Eagles' other two playoff wins. This is so intriguing because we haven't seen a season for running backs like we saw with Barkley and Derrick Henry in about a decade, when Adrian Peterson was running this strong for the Minnesota Vikings. I'm sure Spags didn't forget how to defend great running backs, it's just that we haven't seen this for a while, especially in the Super Bowl. For the Eagles, if Barkley runs for, let's just say 115 yards, will that be enough to spring everything else?
Then there's the ball carrier whom very few people talk about, but one who continues to confound opposing defensive coordinators. His name is Patrick Mahomes. I call him the "electric eel," because he will slither for a key third-down run in the biggest moments of the game. His arm and his ability to find Kelce, or the right receiver at the right time, remains something to behold. I've wondered all season whether the Chiefs could carry their quest for three straight Super Bowl titles from start to finish. If so, understand that we might never see this again. I'm a sucker for history -- I majored in it at Brown -- and I certainly don't mind seeing it every now and then.
Kansas City 27, Philadelphia 24
P.S. Maybe I'm also a softie for a three-peat, which somehow I've done in this column. If the Swami can do it, I figured the Chiefs can, too.
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