Super Bowl LIX Forecast: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs
UPDATE: My formal prediction could not have been more wrong, but it’s very interesting that the “Oh-by-the-way” comment I made at the end of the essay was almost completely on-target: it proposed an unimaginable 48-to-28 score in favor of the Eagles, when the actual score was 40–22 with the Eagles handily defeating the Chiefs. As the old saying goes “Who woulda thunk!” Maybe I had better recalibrate my scoring model yet again.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is the most intriguing NFL prediction I’ve done to date. There is no sign of major weakness in either team’s series of cards, only some minor “leaning” in that direction. Although the game is played at a neutral field (this year in New Orleans), the Eagles are considered the “home team” and the Chief are the “visitors” (meaning Kansas City calls the coin toss and decides whether to take first possession if they get it right). For this reason, I gave the Eagles to top row of the spread as I usually do for the “host”team, with the Chiefs in the bottom row. Once again, I’m using the Chariot (triumph in practical matters) as the “Opportunity” card showing the winner’s “prize.” (All images are from the Thoth Tarot, copyright of US Games Systems Inc, Stamford, CT.)
In the “Strength” category, the Eagles show poise and commanding field presence, while the Chiefs rely largely on Patrick Mahomes’ pinpoint passing as suggested by the Thoth Ace of Swords.
In the area of “Weakness,” the Eagles’ precision may cost them by sacrificing spontaneity in the face of the Chief’s defensive penetration. The Chief’s weakness could be a “soft” offensive ground game.
Regarding the “Edge” that each team exhibits, the Eagles should excel at ball-control and passing accuracy, while the Chiefs demonstrate superior execution in their overall play-making.
The “Allies’ Strength” is intended to show the potency of each team’s offensive line as a function of rushing yardage and quarterback protection. It looks like neither team will give an inch in this department, although the Eagles appear to be just slightly more powerful.
In the calculated “Chance to Win” comparison, the Universe (aka the World) for the Eagles shows resounding success, while the Sun for the Chiefs shows . . . resounding success. The main difference is that the Eagles will have to work a little harder for it. This could portend a razor-thin victory for whichever team wins
The calculated “Decision” card is Art (aka Temperance), a card that I consider to exhibit unerring finesse in the application of measured force, as well as exquisite timing and composure in its delivery. The idea here is to determine which series of cards exemplifies these qualities, making a firm hand, a sharp eye and steady nerves that team’s ticket to victory.
The first thing I notice is that Art depicts the “consummation” of the union shown in the Lovers, which is the Chief’s “Edge” card, implying that their mastery of execution will carry them to the win. As a Fire card, Art is also strongly aligned with the Sun, reinforcing the Chief’s chances.
For their part, the Eagles have three Knights in their series, all of which can benefit from the acumen inherent in Art; however, the Knight of Wands is missing, leaving the Knight of Swords as the best candidate for making use of that energy, bringing ball-control and passing accuracy to the forefront of their game. Art is not unfriendly to the Universe, the Eagles “chance to win” card, but it is on a slightly different wavelength, one of perpetual adjustment to circumstances rather than “premature celebration.” The danger is that they may not settle into a productive groove in time if the Chiefs “keep them guessing.”
My normal scoring model suggests that the team that is in the lead at the end of the 1st Quarter will be ahead by 13 or 14 points; by a touchdown at halftime; by another field goal when the 3rd Quarter ends; and by a single field goal at the final whistle. But I’ve found this approach to be too parsimonious with the points, so I brought out the “multiplier” scheme I came up with a couple of years ago.
In this method I remove all of the cards numbered “1” and “2” from the deck, shuffle them, and deal four cards beneath the quarterly columns. Then I multiply the raw “delta” (differential) score for the end of each period by the number on the card, which can create a more rational point separation between the two teams. The result (as shown below) is that the 1st Quarter “delta” is still 13 points; by halftime it sits at 10 points; it jumps to 16 points by the time the 3rd Quarter is over, and could them shrink to a single field goal by the end of the game. Knowing these teams, I would be inclined to distrust that last one and stay with a two-touchdown margin as the final score. But stranger things have happened as shown by the slim lead the Chiefs took to the bank against the Buffalo Bills.
In summary, it seems that Mahomes’ passing skill (Ace of Swords) and the Chief’s potent execution (Lovers) place them in a better position than the Eagles to take home the trophy. The Sun shines on them benevolently and Art also gives a nod of encouragement, while the Eagles, with that restrained Universe, have to battle for every inch even if they still have a decent chance to win. I’m thinking that the three Knights reflect the three “teams” that the Eagles will put on the field: offense (Knight of Swords); defense (Knight of Disks) and “special teams” (Knight of Cups). Of the three, defense is the most favored by the “Chance to Win” card, but you can’t win if you don’t put points on the scoreboard, and I don’t see a lot of scoring coming out of the other two. The Universe is elementally hostile to the Knight of Swords and Art is elementally unfriendly to the Knight of Cups, leaving the 6 of Swords to scratch out a meager handful of points. The absent Knight of Wands is sorely missed.
Since these freewheeling slug-fests often reach 30-point territory, I’ll go out on a limb and predict a Chiefs win, 35 to 21 (with a “low-ball” 4-point span of 28 to 24 to hedge my bet). As an amusing aside, if I just add up the numerical values of the four quarterly cards for each team, the Eagles with all those Knights would win, 48 to 28. But the Chiefs aren’t the Washington Commanders, so I don’t see that happening.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.org on February 3, 2025.
