Super Bowl-bound Eagles and Chiefs connected at QB, coach

By the minimum requirement, Nick Foles of the Philadelphia Eagles will become the fourth Super Bowl starting quarterback who started a game for the Chiefs in the regular season at some point in his career.

And that’s just one of several connections between the Chiefs and Eagles, who whipped the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 for the NFC championship on Sunday and will face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 4 in Minneapolis.

Foles started one game for the Chiefs in 2016, his only season in Kansas City. The Chiefs defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars and quarterback Blake Bortles 19-14 at Arrowhead Stadium. Foles started because Alex Smith suffered concussion-like symptoms in Indianapolis the previous week and didn’t play against the Jaguars.

Other Super Bowl starting quarterbacks who played for the Chiefs: Len Dawson of course, Joe Montana and Rich Gannon.

Of the group, Foles is easily the most unlikely, taking over the Eagles in a Week 14 game against the Rams, when starter Carson Wentz tore an ACL.

Foles was drafted by Andy Reid in 2012, Reid’s last year with the Eagles. Foles started six games as a rookie and 10 in 2013, a Pro Bowl season under Chip Kelly in which he threw 27 touchdowns and two interceptions.

That was Foles’ high-water mark as a pro. After a year with the Rams, he was reunited with Reid during training camp in 2016, and signed a two-year with the Eagles after last season.

The Reid connection in Philly lives through Foles, head coach Doug Peterson, who was an assistant with Reid with the Eagles and Chiefs, and a handful of players including center Jason Kelce — brother of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.

Does that provide a rooting interest for Chiefs’ fans? Or does a Super Bowl involving the Patriots and Eagles — teams the Chiefs defeated in first two weeks of the season, rub salt in the early playoff exit wound?

This story was originally published January 21, 2018 at 10:13 PM with the headline "Super Bowl-bound Eagles and Chiefs connected at QB, coach."