After two weeks of buildup, the showdown is now upon us as the Eagles (14-3) and Chiefs (14-3) are set for a titanic matchup on Super Bowl Sunday.
It will be a matchup of the top two MVP finalists, along with two siblings’ All-Pros meeting in Jason Kelce for the Eagles and Travis Kelce for the Chiefs.
The matchup will pit the best against the best as the Eagles’ defense ranks first in pass defense DVOA, and the Chiefs’ offense rank first in pass offense DVOA.
Philadelphia will look to insert a defensive game plan that slows Patrick Mahomes down while unleashing quarterback Jalen Hurts onto a Kansas City defense that allows big plays on the backend.
With kickoff fast approaching, here are five matchups to watch when the Eagles are on defense against the Chiefs.
Eagles DT Javon Hargrave vs. Chiefs OL Joe Thuney
Philadelphia logged 78 sacks this season, an average of more than four sacks per game. With five more sacks on Sunday, these Eagles will break the Super Bowl-era full-season mark set by the 1984 Chicago Bears.
The Chiefs can counter with a solid left side of the offensive line and Joe Thuney offers a contrasting matchup against Javon Hargrave.
Patrick Mahomes has been sacked just 29 times in 19 games, but if Hargrave can help reset the pocket around the MVP, the Eagles could harass the All-Pro quarterback into his worst postseason performance ever.
Haason Reddick vs. Chiefs RT Andrew Wylie
The biggest mismatch for Philadelphia up front appears to be Hasson Reddick going against Chiefs right tackle Andrew Wylie. In his past eight games including the playoffs, Reddick has 11.5 sacks, 18 QB hits, three forced fumbles, and two recoveries.
Wylie has struggled against speed rushers and was flagged five times for holding this season, including once in the AFC Championship Game.
If Reddick can match his postseason production, Philadelphia could be hoisting the Lombardi.
Eagles CB James Bradberry vs. Chiefs TE Travis Kelce
Kelce is having one of the best seasons ever by a tight end, achieving career highs in receptions (110) and touchdowns (12) while logging his second-most receiving yards (1,338). He’s had four or more catches in every game this season and eight or more in six games.
Philadelphia won’t put a linebacker or safety on Kelce but could counter Andy Reid by utilizing Darius Slay or James Bradberry on the All-Pro tight end.
In the Chiefs’ two playoff wins, Kelce has a combined 21 catches for 176 yards and three scores.
If he comes anywhere close to matching that production, the Eagles are cooked.
In the 2021 meeting between the Eagles and Chiefs, the Eagles held Kelce to four catches for 23 yards, but Tyreek Hill was still on the Kansas City roster and carried the slack with three touchdowns.
The Chiefs don’t have a Tyreek Hill and expect Philadelphia to throw the kitchen sink, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Reed Blankenship, and other every cover guy at Kelce.
Eagles Josh Sweat vs. Chiefs LT Orlando Brown.
The Eagles were second in the NFL in pressure rate (33.3%), despite blitzing just 26% of the time (15th in the NFL).
Sweat ability off the edge is a major reason why Jonathan Gannon doesn’t have to blitz and sacrifice an extra defender on defense.
His matchup against Orlando Brown could be key to Philadelphia running Kansas City out of the building with a rotation of pressure creators upfront.
Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon vs. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
Gannon will have a national television audience available as he looks to crack the code of one genius quarterback named Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes is too good for any confusion or games, but what can the Eagles’ defensive coordinator do to make the NFL MVP uncomfortable in the pocket?
Philadelphia played a season-high 42.9 percent of man coverage in the NFC Championship win over the 49ers, while Mahomes has thrown 21 more touchdown passes vs. zone coverage than any quarterback since 2018.
That means Gannon should scheme to stop the Kansas City running game while allowing cornerbacks Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Avonte Maddox to erase the Chiefs duo of receivers while allocating an All-Pro cornerback to Travis Kelce.
Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards vs. Chiefs RB Iasiah Pacheco
The Eagles’ defense finished 18th in run defense, while Pacheco has been a huge factor in Kansas City’s playoff run, racking up over 180 scrimmage yards in their two playoff games so far.
The hard runner from North Jersey could provide the Eagles problems, and they’ll turn to T.J. Edwards at middle linebacker to alleviate such confusion.
