Morning Coffee: Barkley one win away from storybook ending to first year with Eagles

A Super Bowl win is the ultimate coaching milestone.

The list of Super Bowl winners is also a very exclusive club, with only 34 head coaches that have ever earned the opportunity to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Bill Belichick owns an NFL record six Super Bowl rings.

Chuck Noll is second on that all-time list with four rings.

Meanwhile, only six Super Bowl-winning head coaches are still in the NFL right now, and one of them will get a chance to climb the ladder when the Kansas City Chiefs clash with the Philadelphia Eagles at Super Bowl 59.

Andy Reid can join Joe Gibbs and Bill Walsh as the only coaches in NFL history with three Super Bowl rings.

To get there, Reid will need to figure out an offensive plan of attack that can beat the league’s No. 1 defence.

Despite sustained success as the Eagles head coach, Reid was never able to win a ring until he went to Kansas City.

Now he has an opportunity to lead the Chiefs to the first three-peat in NFL history, and the fact that he needs to beat his former team for a second time on the biggest stage makes the match-up that much more compelling.

Meanwhile, Reid will also need his defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to design and execute a game plan that can slow down the most complete offence that the Chiefs have had to face this postseason.

The veteran coaching staff in Kansas City has done an excellent job putting their players in position to succeed once again this postseason.

Now comes their toughest challenge on the game’s biggest stage.

This is the Morning Coffee for Thursday January 30th, 2025.

Barkley One Win Away From Storybook Ending To First Year With Eagles

The Chiefs and Eagles are set to meet in the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.

It’s only the fifth time that the same teams will meet in the Super Bowl twice within a span of four seasons.

In each of the previous four rematches, the team that won the first meeting also won the second.

While there will be many familiar faces playing key roles for both teams, it’s the newest Eagles superstar that has the potential to help Philadelphia avenge their loss at Super Bowl 57. 

Saquon Barkley is only the fifth different player in NFL history to lead the league in rushing yards and reach the Super Bowl.

He’s 30 rushing yards away from passing Terrell Davis for the most in a season including playoffs all-time.

Barkley will celebrate his 28th birthday at Super Bowl 59.

We know that he’s been wishing for a ring for a long time, and the fact that he is one win away from getting that ring in his first season with the Eagles is remarkable.

I’m not convinced Philly would have made it back to the biggest stage without him.

The Eagles have an elite defence, a solid offensive line, and some of the league’s most talented players at wide receiver and tight end.

Still, that was also the case last year when they failed to make it past the NFL Wild Card Round.

After some much needed coaching changes in the offseason, key personnel moves including the additions of defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the draft, and the biggest splash of them all in the addition of Barkley, Philly is back in the Super Bowl.

To win it all, the Eagles will need Barkley to deliver the type of performance we’ve become accustomed to seeing from him this postseason.

At Super Bowl 59, Barkley can become just the third player in NFL history to score multiple rushing touchdowns in three straight playoff games.

He’s averaged 143.0 rushing yards per game in these playoffs, including 118 on only 15 rush attempts in last week’s blowout win over the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game.

Philly has averaged 227.2 rushing yards per game so far this postseason.

The Eagles have overhauled their offensive identity to become a run-oriented team with Barkley as the focal point of their offence and Jalen Hurts as the ideal complement at quarterback with his dual-threat ability.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs defence has really struggled against the run dating back to the second half of the regular season.

If Kansas City can’t find a way to slow down Barkley and Hurts on the ground, it could be the end of a dynasty.

In terms of a FanDuel Best Bet, I’m going to lock in a Same Game Parlay with Barkley to rush for 100+ yards and Hurts to record 25+ rushing yards at even-money.

Barkley has hit 118 in all three postseason games and he should be back at full strength after a couple of weeks off.

The fact that the Kansas City defence allowed Joe Mixon and James Cook to average 4.9 and 6.5 yards per carry, respectively, in their playoff wins must be a concern.

Hurts finished with only 16 rushing yards in the NFC Championship Game as he dealt with a lingering knee injury, but he still scored three touchdowns and has at least 25 rushing yards in all but two games this season.

Hurts should also be much more willing to run in the most important game of the season and after a couple of weeks for the knee to heal. 

It’s early, but I think once it becomes clear that both players will be back at full strength at practice in the coming weeks, I won’t be able to find this SGP at +100.

Give me an SGP with Barkley 100+ rushing yards and Hurts 25+ rushing yards at +100 odds as a FanDuel Best Bet for Super Bowl 59.

Have a great day, everyone!