The great game is upon us.
After 284 games between the season and the playoffs, it all comes down to the Super Bowl.
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles meet for the first time in their history for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Multiple narratives have been generated around the encounter and countless stories will be yet to come. But one thing is for sure, When the best teams from each of the two conferences go head to head, the smallest mistakes will be magnified and explosive plays become gold mines.
The Super Bowl will be a rematch of a 2021 regular season game in which Patrick Mahomes threw five touchdown passes when the The Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 42-30.
That first face to face between Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts is a thing of the past.
Both teams finished the regular season as lthe most balanced in the league.
The game in Glendale, Arizona will be a perfect balance of points.
And it is that both organizations managed 546 units between the regular season and the playoffs. Such a situation had never happened.
| Season | Confrontation | Points of difference on offense |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Chiefs vs. Eagles | 0 |
| 1982 | Redskins vs. Miami | 1 |
| 1992 | Cowboys vs. Bills | 2 |
| 1980 | Raiders vs. Eagles | 4 |
| 2000 | Ravens vs. Giants | 5 |
Patrick Mahomes vs. Jonathan Gannon (Eagles defensive coordinator)
Patrick Mahomes will almost certainly be named the MVP of the 2022 season on Thursday night. That’s the caliber of challenge the Eagles defense will have, which has already left Daniel Jones, Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson on the road.
Mahomes earned another All-Pro nomination, pitching for over 5,200 yards with 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The best key to Philadelphia’s defense has been putting pressure on the defensive line and letting their talented cornerbacks compete behind Jonathan Gannon got solid defense. While Gannon won’t be on the field against Mahomes, he will be the man to strategize in trying to limit the next league MVP.
Both the Philadelphia front 7 and their backs work hand in hand and it has been the main reason why the defense of the Eagles finished the season as the number 2 ranked unit in the NFL.
Jalen Huts vs. backs defensivos de Chiefs
Hurts led the Eagles to a 14-1 record (.933 winning percentage) as a starter, completing 306 of 460 (66.5%) attempts for 3,701 yards, 22 touchdowns, six interceptions while also rushing for 760 yards and 13 TDs. In all, Hurts combined for 4,461 yards and 35 TDs.
Hurts is a challenging quarterback for the Chiefs and a guy they haven’t faced often this season. In fact, only two have faced two quarterbacks this season with those characteristics. Like Mahomes, Hurts does a good job of using his legs to extend his game and keep his eyes down the field for targets. It’s when he takes off and runs that he can be particularly deadly.
What can be a big help for Philly is catching the Kansas City defense off guard with read option plays.
Travis Kelce vs. Eagles parte media
Travis Kelce made his fourth All-Pro team this year, catching 110 passes for 1,338 yards with 12 touchdowns. Pretty incredible production, especially for a 33-year-old tight end in his 10th NFL season.
The last time these two teams played, the Eagles were able to minimize Kelce’s damage. He only had four receptions for 23 yardswhich seems even more remarkable when you remember the way the Chiefs moved the ball at will against the Eagles in that game.
With two of the best cornerbacks guarding the corners, the Eagles will try to use their star tight end in the middle of the field. The Eagles allowed 81 receptions and 801 tight end yards during the season with just three touchdowns.. Only four teams have allowed fewer touchdowns this season from players at this position. In the NFC Championship Game, 49ers star George Kittle had just 3 receptions for 32 yards against the Eagles.
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Andrew Wylie vs. Haason Reddick
One of the most important things the Eagles have in this game, really in any game, is the advantage in the trenches. That’s no different with the Eagles’ defensive line versus the Chiefs’ offensive line. However, Kansas City has a pretty solid unit. Orlando Brown at left tackle is fine. Both guards Joe Thuney and Trey Smith are good. And Creed Humphrey is a really good center. So if we’re looking for the weakest point on that offensive line, it’s probably right tackle Andrew Wylie. And it will turn out that he will line up against the best Eagles player going into the Super Bowl.
Reddick posted 16.5 sacks during the regular season and had three more since the divisional round.
Eagles Wide Receivers vs. Chiefs Cornerbacks
The Eagles are primarily a run-first team, but they have a handful of dynamic receivers at their disposal. AJ Brown was his prized offseason acquisition, joining former Heisman winner DeVonta Smith in one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL.. The Chiefs’ pass defense will be very busy with those two, and they’ll rely on a group of young corners with some rookie starters.