TWO DIFFERENT TEAMS GET TO SUPER BOWL IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS

Can a great defense stop a great offense?

Or can a great offense handle a great defense?

We’ll find out in the Super Bowl in two weeks, because that’s what the matchup will be.

The best offense in the NFL, belonging to the Kansas City Chiefs, led by the best quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, he of the bdly-sprained ankle, moved the ball at the end and set up the game-winning field goal in the final seconds to get past the Cincinnati Bengals, the team with the second-best offense, and the second-best quarterback in Joe Burrow, 23-20 in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday night.

In the NFC title game earlier in the day, the best defense in the league, belonging to the Philadelphia Eagles, flexed their muscles for four quarters, especially with their pass rush, forcing two quarterbacks to the sideline with injuries, to rout the San Francisco 49ers, the team with the league’s second-best defense, 31-7.

That there are still NFL games decided by defense in this day and age is a story in itself. Points are scored at a frantic pace. Offenses go up and down the field on each other as if it were a video game. Teams don’t stop their opponents to win. They just outscore them, many times barely so as the trailing team roars down the field at the end trying to score to retake the lead and get the victory themselves.

The Super Bowl won’t be like that, though. The Philadelphia defense won’t allow it to be.

But the game won’t be totally defensive-oriented, either. The Kansas City offense won’t allow it to be.

Instead, the Super Bowl will be a mix of offense and defense. It will likely come down to which of the other units is better, the Chiefs defense or the Eagles offense. And that could be a toss-up.

So, it will be a close game, then? Yes, probably.