The Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up to face the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona for Super Bowl LVII. It’s the first time these two teams will have faced off since Week 4 of the 2021 NFL season.
To learn more about Kansas City’s opponent, we spoke with managing editor Glenn Erby over at Eagles Wire and asked him a few questions for a super-sized edition of Behind Enemy Lines.
Chiefs Wire: Is there any legitimate concern about Jalen Hurts’ shoulder injury impacting him during this game?
Eagles Wire: Hurts has been given a clean bill of health and outside of some lingering soreness, he’ll have no gameday limitations.
Chiefs Wire: Outside of the RPO game, what are some other mechanisms that the Eagles might use to help Jalen Hurts against the Chiefs' defense?
Eagles Wire: Look for Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to incorporate some designed runs for Hurts, quick screens, and designed rollouts that all the All-Pro quarterbacks to be comfortable and efficient in the pocket.
Chiefs Wire: As a young head coach, what would you say are some of Nick Sirianni’s weaknesses?
Eagles Wire: He’s still a young head coach, so youth can definitely be viewed as a slight weakness for a guy that’ll be participating in his fourth postseason game as the top guy. Sirianni’s also extremely confident, and we know that can hinder a team as well, but in terms of true overall weaknesses, the head coach doesn’t have many.
Chiefs Wire: It’s pretty remarkable all the roster turnover that both the Eagles and Chiefs have had since their recent Super Bowls. What do you think has been the key for Philly getting back to the big game with so many new faces?
Eagles Wire: Howie Roseman accepted the previous mistakes in personnel and made an urgent decision to target players that come from winning pedigrees, can pass the eye test, and have the intangibles that match the culture already put into place. He targeted A.J. Brown and Haason Reddick as a key pieces and then went the offensive in landing C.J. Gardner-Johnson and James Bradberry.
Chiefs Wire: Who are some of the unsung heroes for Philadelphia this season that Chiefs fans might not know about?
Eagles Wire: Second-year running back Kenneth Gainwell has been tremendous on offense as a change-of-pace running back, while middle linebacker T.J. Edwards has been among the best at his position. Veterans Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh have been critical against the opponent’s run game.
Chiefs Wire: Apparently, the Eagles had the most penalized offensive line in the league this season. Does that concern you at all going against a potent pass rush like Kansas City?
Eagles Wire: No concern at all. Several penalties involve guys being downfield on run-pass options, and talented offensive linemen tend to get called for holding and other aggressive penalties.
Chiefs Wire: For all the talk of the Eagles playing a weak schedule, is there anything about their schedule that you think particularly prepares them for this game?
Eagles Wire: No concerns at all. Philadelphia won the NFC East, which had three teams make the postseason and tied for the best record against teams with a winning record. They also spent the majority of the season with the NFL’s best record, meaning they constructed a culture of winning in a collaborative way that included a positive mesh of veterans and emerging young stars.
Chiefs Wire: What’s your prediction for the game? Is Philly or Kansas City bringing home a Lombardi trophy?
Eagles Wire: The Eagles have been the NFL’s top team all season long and they’ll enter the contest with the edge at talent and depth in some of the most critical positions. Kansas City has the regular season MVP, but Philadelphia has the better defense and more weapons on offense. Jalen Hurts wins the only MVP that matters, leading the Eagles to a 24-14 win.
