There are more storylines than bulbs on the Christmas tree flashing in Monday night’s epic showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. The game pits the teams with the two best records in football up against each other while serving as a Super Bowl rematch (and possible preview). This is the definition of a marquee matchup.
These are two franchises with great familiarity, stemming from the “brotherly love” of Travis and Jason Kelce to the “times yours” antics of Andy Reid. The Eagles and Chiefs are forever connected. They keep making memories on every competitive snap and continue to show why it is the “next great NFL rivalry” as Liam Jenkins expertly pointed out.
So, with all those things in mind, let’s play a quick game of Eagles-Chiefs trivia. There are no rules. It’s a quiz meant more to inform fans than reward. And away we go …
Eagles vs Chiefs trivia
Question: How many head coaches do the Eagles and Chiefs share? Name them.
Answer: Two. Dick Vermeil (1976-82) and Andy Reid (1999-2012)
*Bonus fact: Nick Sirianni was an assistant coach under Todd Haley in Kansas City but Andy Reid chose not to keep him on staff when he took over in 2013.
Question: What city did the Kansas City Chiefs relocate from in 1963?
Answer: Dallas … maybe that’s why we are predisposed to hate them!
*Bonus fact: The Chiefs were originally born into the AFL as the Dallas Texans of the AFL; Lamar Hunt later moved them to Kansas City so as not to compete against a new NFL expansion team called the Dallas Cowboys.
Question: Which retired NFL executive served as general manager of the 1980 Eagles Super Bowl team before filling that same role for the Chiefs from 1989-2003?
Answer: Carl Peterson; the 80-year-old was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023.
*Bonus fact: Peterson hired Dick Vermeil twice (1980, head coach for the Eagles; 2001, head coach for the Chiefs); also, Dustin Colquitt — a third-round pick of Peterson in 2005 — earned a Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs in 2020.
Question: True or False? Andy Reid spoke to Jason Kelce before drafting his brother Travis in 2013.
Answer: True. Travis went 63rd overall in Round 3 of the 2013 draft. Travis recalled the moment: “My brother is on the phone with him [Reid] and I hear my brother saying OK coach I got you, and I guess he told him make sure this kid doesn’t screw this up for me blah, blah.”
Question: Which head athletic trainer who served stints with the Eagles and Chiefs was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame in 2023?
Answer: Rick Burkholder; the Chiefs’ Vice-President of Sports Medicine and Performance just began his 11th year in Kansas City.
*Bonus fact: Andy Reid first hired Burkholder to be the head athletic trainer for the Eagles in 1999. The two have been together ever since, with Reid often bringing Burkholder out at press conferences to discuss specific injuries.
Question: Which former Chiefs coach (and Eagles player) once proudly proclaimed: “I still bleed green. I made my hay in Philadelphia.”
Answer: Herm Edwards; the one-time cornerback spent nine seasons in Philly while recording 33 interceptions which is one short of the franchise record. He’ll be forever remembered for his fumble recovery for a touchdown against the Giants in 1978, a play otherwise known as the “Miracle at the Meadowlands.”
Question: True or False? There is a crazed dive bar in South Philly where Chiefs fans are welcome and Eagles fans are turned away.
Answer: True. Big Charlie’s Saloon on McKean Street has been catering to Chiefs fans since 1970. Also known as “Arrowhead East,” it all began when owner Charlie Staico placed a bet on the Chiefs in Super Bowl IV and won.
Question: How many Super Bowl rings does current Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo own?
Answer: Three; Spags won a title with the Giants in 2007, then another two with the Chiefs in 2019 and 2022. Why do we care? Because he was a top assistant for the Eagles under legendary defensive coordinator Jim Johnson from 1999-2006.
Question: Which current Chiefs player grew up a diehard Eagles fan?
Answer: Isiah Pacheco; the dynamic running back calls Vineland, New Jersey home.
Question: Which current Chiefs player who was originally drafted by Philly owns a Chiefs Super Bowl ring?
Answer: Prince Tega Wanogho (currently on IR); the versatile offensive tackle went in the sixth round (210th overall) of the 2020 draft. He earned a ring in 2022 after the Chiefs beat the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
Question: True or False? Jason Kelce has beaten the Chiefs in his career.
Answer: False. The Chiefs and Seahawks are the only two franchises that Kelce has never defeated.
*Bonus Fact: Kelce was originally drafted by Andy Reid in 2011 in the sixth round (191st overall). He is one of only three players remaining on the Eagles’ roster from Big Red’s tenure.
Question: Can you name the three players left over from Big Red’s tenure?
Answer: Three: Jason Kelce (2011; sixth round, 191st overall), Fletcher Cox (2012; first round, 12th overall), Brandon Graham (2010; first round, 13th overall).
Question: How many combined Super Bowl appearances do the Chiefs and Eagles have under their belts?
Answer: Nine. (technically, eight). The Eagles and Chiefs squared off against each other in 2022. The Eagles are 1-3 all-time; the Chiefs are 3-2.
Question: True or False? Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts knew each other in high school?
Answer: False. While the two quarterbacks knew “of each other” they were neither friends nor rivals despite growing up in Texas. They never hung out or duked it out on the field.
*Bonus fact: Hurts has mentioned that he was keenly aware of Mahomes and watched his highlights on local TV: “I turn on the TV, he’s a little older than me, too, but turn on the TV and see you had the Texas High School Football Late Night Show, and it runs throughout the whole state and you see what he’s doing in East Texas,” Hurts said last year. For the record: Mahomes went to Whitehouse High School in East Texas; Hurts went to Channelview High School in Houston.
