The Eagles are a model for how to build an excellent team. A good QB and defense, but most important, a great offensive line. I believe the Eagles were gonna be in the SB even if they had to beat the Lions to get there. Goff is very accurate, but doesn’t move well, and vulnerable to the pressure that Philly can bring.
While Goff is kind of a statue, and Hurts led NFL QBs in rush attempts, Mahomes is somewhere in the middle. He can run when need be, but what sets him apart from others is his superior ability to read defenses and react to situations as they are unfolding. Fangio is a master of disguising his defenses, but Mahomes has a fast processor, the ability to quickly understand what the opponent is doing, and make the correct throw. Or run, if that’s the best option. His career averages are 20 yds on 3.9 rush attempts in the regular season, but that jumps up to 29.1 yds on 5.4 attempts in the postseason.
Philly often employs 2 high safeties to limit explosive plays, and force the opponent to sustain long drives for scoring opportunities. Chiefs are OK with that. They led the league in offensive time per possession, happy to gain 4 or 5 or 6 yards per play while grinding out long scoring drives. The Eagles 2 high shells allow for a variety of coverages from the same pre snap look, effectively forcing the QB to make post snap reads, and process info quickly. Mahomes is pretty good at doing that. Chiefs should have some success with their short and intermediate passing game, which means that Kelce will probably get his share of yards.
Including postseason games the Chiefs are 49-11 in the last 3 seasons. They were down 7+ pts in 17 of those 49 wins. That, plus the fact that they’ve won the last 2 SB, means they probably won’t be hurting for confidence, even if they get behind in this next game.
Another interesting stat is their cumulative turnover differential for the past 3 seasons is -3. Which means they can “lose the turnover battle” and still have a decent chance to win the game.
Not counting the last Broncos game, the Chiefs incredibly went 15-1 this season, and secured the #1 seed. An argument could be made that they did this, even though they played the toughest schedule in the league, since each of their opponents were highly motivated to knock off the 2x defending champs.
IMO the Chiefs have had great success in the last 3 seasons because they are a little smarter than their opponents, from coaching staff to QB and the rest of the players. I think the same is true for this next game, and the reason why I favor them to beat the Eagles in a close game.
GLTA
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