ClutchPoints
The Philadelphia Eagles made it to Super Bowl 59 after an electric 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game. Head coach Nick Sirianni’s team heads into the sport’s biggest game looking for revenge against the Kansas City Chiefs. Two years ago, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid escaped Philadelphia in an all-time classic Super Bowl 57.
Kansas City has not lost a playoff game since and is now looking to become the first franchise to win three straight Lombardi trophies. The Chiefs are coming off wins over the Houston Texans and yet another playoff victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Nevertheless, this 15-2 juggernaut is not invincible. And there’s one glaring weakness that the Eagles can target to help their offense stay on the field and eventually wear down the Chiefs’ elite defense. Here is our pick for the Kansas City Chiefs’ fatal flaw heading into Super Bowl 59.
It’s unfair to single out the entire Kansas City Chiefs offensive line. In fact, the interior of this group is one of the best in the NFL. Center Creed Humphrey and left guard Joe Thuney both had First-team All-Pro seasons, and right tackle Trey Smith was just named to his first Pro Bowl. The trio is largely responsible for why Kansas City’s ground game has stayed afloat despite injuries at the running back position for most of 2024.
However, the right and left tackle positions are entirely different stories in both the pass and run game. Those two areas of concern are the main reason Kansas City is in the lower half in sacks allowed per game, at 2.4.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor has surrendered the eighth-most sacks among all offensive tackles. Taylor has also been near the top of the league in penalties and poor in blocking for his running backs. Whether it is Jalen Carter or one of the Eagles’ edge rushers, Philadelphia has to consistently target Kansas City’s right tackle in single coverage and blitz packages.
The left tackle position for the two-time defending champs has been the team’s biggest flaw for much of the year. Kansas City started rookie Kinsley Suamataia on opening night at LT. Unfortunately, the second-round pick out of BYU struggled during his time on the field and was replaced soon after. Amid more chaos at the position, Kansas City eventually signed DJ Humphries to solve this issue before deciding to move Joe Thuney out to left tackle.
Backup guard Mike Caliendo has filled in for the left guard vacancy. While Thuney has performed admirably in his new position, it’s not his first choice, and this unit has shown some flaws over the past few weeks. The Houston Texans sacked Patrick Mahomes three times and held the Chiefs to 50 total rushing yards. That stat factored into Houston having possession for seven more minutes than Kansas City. If this trend emerges in Super Bowl 59, Philadelphia’s chances of winning will significantly increase.
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