It’s actually troublesome to beat the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes and firm are one victory away from winning a third consecutive Super Bowl, which has by no means been accomplished.
Since this run started with the primary recreation of the 2022 common season, the Chiefs have received 49 video games and misplaced 11 video games.
A type of losses, the latest one, was a 38-0 defeat at Denver within the regular-season finale 4 weeks in the past when Kansas Metropolis didn’t play a lot of its key gamers as a result of it was set because the No. 1 seed within the AFC.
However the Philadelphia Eagles, the workforce standing between the Chiefs and historical past in Tremendous Bowl LIX on Sunday within the Caesars Superdome, are constructed to beat the two-time champions.
Different groups have regarded the half, not simply going right into a recreation towards the Chiefs however even deep into the fourth quarter of the sport. However the champions have received an NFL-record 17 consecutive one-score video games, together with 12 this season.
The first lesson there is without doubt one of the keys to beating the Chiefs is to not give Mahomes the ball late within the recreation needing only one rating to beat you. He’s going for his personal private three-peat as Tremendous Bowl MVP and his fourth general after successful the award for the primary time 5 years in the past.
Mahomes introduced Kansas Metropolis again from a three-point deficit in each the fourth quarter and overtime against the 49ers in last year’s Super Bowl.
Two years in the past against the Eagles, Mahomes drove his workforce 62 yards in 14 performs to a successful discipline objective with 11 seconds left, giving Kansas Metropolis a 38-35 victory.
And Mahomes has an extended record of different examples of last-minute scoring drives to produce improbable victories.
However beating Mahomes and the Chiefs isn’t so simple as constructing a lead of greater than a landing late within the recreation. Mahomes received his first Tremendous Bowl MVP by directing drives that produced three touchdowns within the ultimate 6:13 of the sport, turning a 20-10 deficit right into a 31-20 victory over the 49ers 5 years in the past.
The one blueprint for beating Mahomes and the Chiefs—particularly in a Tremendous Bowl—has to cowl a full 60 minutes (or extra).
Philadelphia has sufficient historical past towards Kansas Metropolis to present it confidence, although San Francisco presumably had an analogous feeling going into final 12 months’s rematch.
The bottom line is not solely defending Mahomes but additionally constraining him—taking part in distinctive complementary soccer wherein the offense and particular groups scale back the period of time, and subsequently the variety of performs, in addition to the beginning discipline place that Mahomes has to work with.
In fact the Chiefs are much more than simply Mahomes and the offense. Philadelphia additionally has to compete with an excellent protection and particular groups.
The addition of Saquon Barkley has given the Eagles the most explosive running game in the NFL. Barkley averages greater than 5 yards per carry and provides the NFC champions the power to maneuver the ball constantly, run the clock and preserve Mahomes on the sideline.
However transferring methodically and utilizing up the clock isn’t sufficient to beat the Chiefs. Within the Tremendous Bowl two years in the past, Philadelphia outgained the Chiefs 417-340 and possessed the ball for greater than 36 minutes.
They usually misplaced.
The underside line is Mahomes routinely does extra with much less. He can have the ball for much less time and fewer performs, resulting in fewer yards, and nonetheless produce no less than another level.
Philadelphia can use Barkley and Hurts to run the ball, management the ball and play from forward. Then commit fewer penalties and win the turnover battle.
That may result in a win.
