Jon Gruden Reveals His Super Bowl Pick Ahead of NFL Playoffs
The NFL playoffs kick off Saturday, and after more than four months slogging through the regular season, there’s surely some excitement for the weekend matchups.
Ahead of the postseason, former NFL head coach and Super Bowl champion Jon Gruden, now working for Barstool Sports, revealed his full playoff bracket on Friday and crowned his Super Bowl champion.
Gruden has the Detroit Lions (15-2) emerging from the NFC and the Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) representing the AFC, making it back to the big game for a third consecutive year.
While Gruden spoke highly of his confidence in the Lions, he ultimately believes the Chiefs, led by coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, will make history by becoming the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
“Lions, Chiefs, going to the Super Bowl.” Gruden said. “I think this is the year the Lions win it all. I’ve got to ride with Dan Campbell and his team all the way to the big game, but, you know what? I’m changing my mind. I’m going with Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Chiefs win again. They’re the most dominant team from start to finish.”
The Chiefs have slowly become a modern-day dynasty, thanks to the dynamic combination of Reid and Mahomes. This year was especially tough for them, as 11 of their wins were within one score, but they managed to find ways nonetheless.
Their consistency and ability to close out games is reminiscent of the New England Patriots‘ dynasty, where Tom Brady and Bill Belichick led the team to six Super Bowls over a 20-year span.
The only team this season to beat the Chiefs when Mahomes and the rest of the starters were playing was Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, who many consider the Chiefs’ biggest threat in the AFC.
Las Vegas Raiders manager Jon Gruden looks on before the game Seattle Seahawks at Allegiant Stadium.
Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images
However, Allen has never defeated the Chiefs in the postseason. The only active quarterback to have done so is Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow, but his team fell short of the postseason this year.
Before Burrow, the only other quarterback to beat the Chiefs in the playoffs was Tom Brady, who did so in both the AFC Championship Game with the Patriots and in the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers..
