January's Final Stretch and a Super Bowl Showdown
The Key for the week of January 27, 2025
Is it February yet?
When Ben put out his Poor Richard’s Almanack, he could have sworn it listed 31 days in January, although he, and we, are to be forgiven if it feels like week 17 of the month of January. Nevertheless, let’s slog through melting snow, mud and potholes and contemplate what February might bring.
Kansas City and Philly in a Super Bowl Redux
On February 12, 2023, the Chiefs beat the Eagles in the Super Bowl on a fourth quarter comeback that saw the Chiefs outscore the Eagles 17-8 to win, 38-35. On February 9 in the Superdome, these two teams meet again with Kansas City looking to become the first team to win three Lombardi trophies in a row. Early betting lines have the Chiefs as 1.5 point favorites—but expect that line to change, the closer we get to game time. While Philly advanced in a blowout against Washington, the Chiefs had to use a couple of defensive stands to shut down the Buffalo Bills (again) and advance to Super Bowl LIX. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen is now 0-4 against the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs.
What’s next for the Bearcats?
For a team that was Top 25 rated early in the season, the UC Bearcats are struggling to stay relevant in the Big 12. With only two wins (as of this writing) in the conference, the Bearcats join other two-win teams such as Arizona State, Oklahoma State and Kansas State, with Colorado keeping all of them out of the cellar with an 0-8 conference record. It’s not easy seeing former AAC teams such as Houston (8-0 in Big 12) and UCF (4-4 in conference) holding their own and more in one of the toughest basketball conferences in the country. What’s next for UC? Rumblings are starting, especially from former Bearcats, that head coach Wes Miller may be over his head. What started out as a season with hopes for an NCAA Tournament run may end with more questions about the program than answers.
Ben’s Best Bet…
In a matchup that few outside of Kansas City and Philadelphia wanted to see, this Super Bowl may draw more interest than usual, just because of the historical nature of the game. Will Mahomes make history with a third straight Super Bowl? Will Jalen Hurts silence the early-season critics who ripped him for four turnovers in the Eagles’ first four games? As mentioned earlier, Kansas City is a slight favorite. Ben says wait to see what the final line is, but right now, he’s liking his adoptive home town of Philadelphia to win the big game outright. Stay tuned!