The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to become the NFL’s first “threepeat” in the Super Bowl era. The 17-2 Chiefs are making their fifth Super Bowl in six seasons and will be looking to win a fourth title in that span. Patrick Mahomes moves into a tie with John Elway with the second-most Super Bowl appearances and would tie Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw at second-most wins with his fourth if the Chiefs are victorious. It would be the franchise’s fifth Super Bowl win.
On the other side, the Philadelphia Eagles will be looking for revenge. Just two seasons ago, the Chiefs took down the Eagles in Super Bowl 57. The team took a step back last year after losing both coordinators, rebounded in 2024, and made the playoffs as perhaps the hottest team in football. Super Bowl 59 marks the fifth time the Eagles get to play for it all and with a win, it would be the franchise’s second (Super Bowl 52).
This year, only three (four, if you want to count a transfer) former MAC players are on the active rosters of the two participants.
Super Bowl 59 Will Have Some MACtion Flair
Kansas City Chiefs
RB Kareem Hunt, Toledo
It’s been quite the journey for Toledo’s most prolific running back in program history. In 2017, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Kareem Hunt in the third round with the 86th overall pick. As a rookie, he burst onto the scene, led the NFL in rushing, and made the Pro Bowl. He started the 2018 season with the Chiefs as the team’s primary running back but was cut loose after Week 11 after a video of him shoving a woman and kicking her while she was down surfaced. While no charges were officially filed, his time in Kansas City was through.
He was snatched up by the Cleveland Browns and was suspended for the first eight weeks of the season off the league’s investigation. That year, he did not do much. In 2020, he finished second in rushing on the team with 841 yards and six touchdowns. Over the next three seasons, Hunt was part of the Browns’ rotation but was never the lead back.
This year, Hunt signed with the Chiefs after a Week 2 injury to Isiah Pacheco and finished the year with 200 carries for just the second time in his career. Through the playoffs, Hunt has scored twice for the Chiefs and has run for 108 yards.
Hunt is going to be leaned upon by the Chiefs offense in order to get that threepeat. He and Pacheco will work to keep the Eagles’ defense honest while Mahomes does Mahomes things.
RB Carson Steele, Ball State (via UCLA)
Carson Steele was a star for the Ball State Cardinals and actually led the MAC in rushing in 2022. He was one of the high-profile outgoing transfers and made the jump to the Big Ten for UCLA and led the Bruins in rushing with 847 yards and six touchdowns off 167 carries.
He was an undrafted free agent following the 2024 NFL Draft and the Chiefs scooped him up. In the regular season, Steele appeared in all 17 games and even logged a trio of starts. In total, he was on the field for 201 offensive snaps and carried the ball 56 times for 183 yards. By far, his best game of his young career came in Week 3 in the win over the Atlanta Falcons where he ran the ball 17 times for 72 yards.
Thus far in the playoffs, however, he has not carried the ball on his 10 offensive snaps.
OL Mike Caliendo, Western Michigan
Mike Caliendo has only known Super Bowls in his short time in the NFL. The former Western Michigan Bronco was an undrafted free agent picked up by the Chiefs ahead of the 2022 season and has not had much of an impact up until this season.
As a rookie, he did not get on the field for the Chiefs. Last year, he made his debut in Week 1 on special teams and finished the season with 64 snaps on offense and 36 snaps on special teams.
As for 2024, Caliendo has had more of an impact. He has appeared in every game for the Chiefs to this point. In the regular season, Caliendo was a starter on the Chiefs’ offensive line in Weeks 15, 16, and 17, and finished with 237 offensive snaps. Thus far in the playoffs, he has started both games.
He will have his hands full against the Eagles, however. He will primarily match up with Milton Williams who has been on a tear this year. Caliendo allowed six pressures and a sack in two games. If the Eagles break a tendency and attempt to match him up with Jalen Carter, he’s going to need to play the best game of his short career.
DT Mike Danna, Eastern Michigan (via Michigan)
When they go through the lineups, Mike Danna is going to be attributed to Michigan However, for three seasons, he was an Eastern Michigan Eagle.
Next to Chris Jones, Danna has been the leading tackler on the Chiefs’ defensive line. He heads into this game with 41 total tackles with five tackles for loss and three-and-a-half sacks in the regular season. In two playoff games, he’s logged six tackles and a sack for the Chiefs.
Danna has been a force for the Chiefs in his career and will be asked to get the better of an elite Eagles offensive line.
WR Skyy Moore, Western Michigan (Injured)
We are likely not going to get a Skyy Moore vs. Eagles round two, unfortunately. After missing time since his injury on October 20, he was officially tagged as Doubtful for Super 59.
Two short seasons ago, Moore was the hero and kicked off this potential threepeat. With 9:22 remaining in Super Bowl 57, Moore caught a four-yard touchdown pass to hand the Chiefs a 35-27 advantage over the Eagles.
This year, Moore was a non-factor. He appeared in the Chiefs’ first six games but recorded no receptions while garnering just three targets.
CB Nic Jones, Ball State (Practice Squad)
As a rookie, Nic Jones was part of the special teams rotation for the Chiefs and appeared in nine games via 111 special teams snaps and 67 defensive snaps. In 13 games (nine regular-season, four postseason), Jones logged six tackles and a tackle for loss.
This year, Jones has been hanging out on the practice squad for the overwhelming majority of the season. He appeared for nine snaps in the overtime Week 9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Philadelphia Eagles
CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
Last April, Quinyon Mitchell became Toledo’s second first-round pick in program history when the Eagles took the superstar with the 22nd pick. As a rookie, Mitchell has been everything and more of what the team wanted when it used that kind of draft capital.
Mitchell has been a lock-down corner all season and finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting while garnering nine first-place votes.
In 16 regular-season starts, Mitchell recorded 46 total tackles and broke up 12 passes. He waited until the Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers to haul in his first career interception. On the Packers’ final play of the game, Jordan Love’s underthrown deep ball in the endzone to seal the deal.
In the NFC Championship, he sealed the deal with another endzone interception. Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels threw it up in the endzone and Mitchell nearly Moss’d Terry McLaurin, tipped the ball up, and came down with it to officially send the Eagles to the Super Bowl.
On the year, Mitchell was third among corners with 16 forced interceptions and third in yards per allowed per coverage snap at 0.8. In this playoff run, quarterbacks are 5-of-17 passing for just 24 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions.
LB Dallas Gant, Toledo (Practice Squad)
Finally, Dallas Gant was an uber-productive linebacker for the Toledo Rockets for two seasons after transferring from Ohio State. After going undrafted, Gant landed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent.
He has yet to participate in the postseason after being part of the Eagles’ special teams rotation in two games in the regular season. Gant logged a total of 26 special team snaps and recorded his only tackle in the Week 18 win over the New York Giants.
Main Image: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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