Super Bowl LIX: Ben Graham reveals key for Philadelphia Eagles to stop Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes

The Philadelphia Eagles have a pretty simple job on Monday – stop Patrick Mahomes.

Though this is a little easier said than done as the superstar quarterback looks to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a three-peat of titles and their fourth Super Bowl title in six years.

The Eagles have been here before, losing 38-35 in the 2023 decider after the Chiefs rallied from a 10-point deficit to clinch the title with a last second field goal.

Jordan Mailata was part of the Eagles team that suffered that heartbreak but he is back to avenge the loss and become the first Australian to win a Super Bowl.

One man who knows exactly what it is like to play in the biggest match in US sport and endure a Super Bowl loss by a single score is Ben Graham.

The former punter, who played in Arizona’s losing 2009 side to Pittsburgh, said Philadelphia had done their homework and were armed by a new strike weapon.

“They’ve learned a lot since then (2023) and they’ve tweaked their roster. Their defence is now is the best in the NFL and they’ve added the best running back in the NFL in Saquon Barclay. He sits behind one of the best offensive lines in football, and that’s headed up by Jordan Mailata,” the Channel 7 NFL expert told The Nightly.

“The key to the Eagles winning this game is their run game. When it comes to stopping the Chiefs, their way to victory is stopping Patrick Mahomes.

“They can stop the run, but it is Mahomes that they need to stop. So they need to disrupt him. They need to get their hands on him. They need to sack him. They’ve got to be careful of him using his legs, because he has been dangerous in key moments, particularly in playoffs, running the football.

“But Mahomes is the key to this game. This is a champion team versus a team of champions, but I like the chances on the underdog.”

The host of the Armchair Experts, which will be part of Seven’s coverage from 9am AEDT on Monday, said Mailata succeeding would be monumental for the sport in Australia, especially after a regular season at the MCG in 2026 was announced on Thursday.

“This would be huge. The chance to grow the game with an Australian winning a Super Bowl would be a momentous occasion,” Graham said.

Graham said there was nothing like being part of the Super Bowl for an athlete.

“It was still like a dream that year, in 2008 I played for three NFL teams. It was a crazy year, so to end up playing in a Super Bowl, the first Australian to play, I soaked up every moment from the two weeks leading into the Super Bowl,” he said.

“Understanding the magnitude of the media taught me a lesson about how big the actual game was, even on a global scale back then,” he said.

“And you know that these opportunities don’t come around every year, maybe for the Kansas City Chiefs in the last few years it has, but it’s such a true statement when it’s not about the result.

“It was about the journey that me and my family went on in that year and in the four years leading up to playing in that Super Bowl.”

Graham will be joined by Seven’s Cam Luke in the media booth at the Superdome in New Orleans.

“New Orleans is a historic city, the culture, the food, the jazz. It is one hell of a week with the parties, and we’re all here for a game,” he said.

“So we’ll bring you all the sounds, the special guests and the announcements.”

Part of the USA coverage team for Seven will include legendary NFL star, seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady.

“You’re not going to get anybody better with their insight into the game,” Graham said.

“Tom is in his first year as a broadcaster and he is going to bring a new dimension for viewers.”

With an estimated 6.6 million fans in Australia, the NFL decider attracted record viewership last year on the Seven Network’s various platforms, reaching 2.7 million people, up 43 per cent from the previous year.

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