Fast starts by the Chiefs and Eagles raise the possibility of a rare Super Bowl rematch
By Josh Dubow
Inside the Numbers dives into NFL statistics, streaks and trends each week. For more Inside the Numbers, head here.
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Kansas City and Philadelphia are setting the stage for the possibility of a rare Super Bowl rematch.
The Chiefs and Eagles both have won six of their first seven games and are tied for the best record in the NFL.
This is just the sixth time that the two teams that played in the Super Bowl the previous season are tied for the league’s best record entering Week 8 or later.
The last time it happened was going into Week 12 of the 2000 season when the Titans and Rams were both 8-2. Neither team ended up making the Super Bowl, with Tennessee losing in the divisional round and St. Louis in the wild-card round.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (1) throws during game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
It also happened in 1993 when Buffalo and Dallas finished the season tied for the best record at 12-4 a year after playing in the Super Bowl. They met again in the Super Bowl that season, with the Cowboys repeating as champions in the only time the same two teams met in the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons.
The win over the Chargers gave the Chiefs a three-game lead in the AFC West — just the fourth time in the past 10 seasons that has happened after seven weeks.
Kansas City already has won division games against Denver and the Chargers to improve to 29-3 against division opponents with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. Mahomes’ .906 winning percentage in the division is the best of any QB since the merger with at least 20 starts, far outdistancing Dak Prescott’s .800 mark for Dallas against the NFC East.
The 28-year-old Mahomes had his sixth career game in the regular season or playoffs with at least 400 yards passing and four TDs. The only players with more in NFL history are Peyton Manning (nine) and Dan Marino (eight).
The Eagles got to 6-1 by beating Miami 31-17. Receiver A.J. Brown had his fifth straight game with at least 125 yards receiving, tying Calvin Johnson (2012) and Pat Studstill (1966) for the longest streaks ever.
Read the full Associated Press article.
