PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Fly, Eagles fly.

That’s not a sentiment inspired by Chiefs fatigue, by any one of the conspiracy theories tying Kansas City to more favorable officiating than Mike Krzyzewski and Duke ever enjoyed or by a dislike of Taylor Swift.

I’m rooting for Philadelphia on Sunday for football’s sake.

For the sake of a game that needs to be one in which running the ball and defense still matter, as God initially intended.

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And for the sake of a sport that needs to have its champion crowned from among more than just the oh-so-select-few franchises fortunate enough to be in possession of a quote-unquote franchise quarterback in the franchise quarterback era.

The Eagles have a good one in Jalen Hurts, a better one than Hurts is given credit for being according to many.

But he’s not one of the elite.

And he’s certainly not Patrick Mahomes, who may yet out-goat Tom Brady before Kansas City’s version of the Terminator is done flopping for calls, sliding late to induce penalties and playing as clutch and as innovative a game as the game has ever seen.

Kansas City’s defense is underrated and its running game is underappreciated. And the Chiefs are personified, in part by their legendary head coach, Andy Reid.

But make no mistake, the Chiefs are Mahomes’ team.

Just as the NFL has become Mahomes’ league.

It’s time for change.

It’s time the NFL got back to basics.

It’s time the NFL got back to embracing offensive and defensive lines that dominate the trenches.

It’s time a running back the caliber of Saquon Barkley took his rightful place atop the food chain.

It’s time for a reminder that run and stop-the-run and physicality still matter.

It’s time to establish that defense still wins championships.

And that if you can build a team the way Philadelphia has manically constructed its roster, the result can be a Lombardi.

Even if you don’t happen to have a Joe Burrow, a Josh Allen or a Mahomes.

That’s understandably a tough sell to Steeler Nation, especially among those who populate Western Pennsylvania, where an inherent hatred of all things Philadelphia is part of the DNA.

But if you’re convinced embracing Brotherly Shove is a Benjamin Franklin Bridge too far, consider:

The Steelers, much more a pretender than a contender at present, have a much better chance of becoming the NFL’s next version of the Eagles than they do the Chiefs.

Unless they can somehow discover a Mahomes clone.

The same can be said for the rest of the NFL’s have-nots.

There’s also this:

If former Indiana University of Pennsylvania wide receivers coach Nick Sirianni winds up on the right side of the confetti this time, Reid annoyingly babbling about “Bundlerooskido” on TV might just become less of a thing (OK, I lied about the Chiefs fatigue).

If the Chiefs win, it’ll be because they have the best quarterback (again).

But if the Eagles win, it’ll be because they have the best team.

And the NFL ought to be about the best team more than it is about the best QB.

Fly, Eagles fly.

For all of us.

Mike Prisuta is the sports anchor/reporter for Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show. He’s also the host of the Steelers Radio Network Pregame Show and the color analyst for Robert Morris University men’s hockey broadcasts.