ClutchPoints
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will meet once again in the Super Bowl, in a clash of dominant teams with the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the line. The Chiefs made it this far largely thanks to the dominance of Patrick Mahomes and the emergence of rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy helping to offset the subtle decline of Travis Kelce, as well as a strong running game and overall depth.
Meanwhile, the Eagles reloaded by adding former New York Giants star Saquon Barkley during free agency, and Barkley has reenergized a team that prides itself on physicality. The Chiefs have won two consecutive Super Bowl titles, and this year’s result shouldn’t be any different.
Let’s take a closer look at this matchup and why the Chiefs are rightly favored on the betting markets.
Patrick Mahomes is without a doubt the best quarterback in the league, and it isn’t particularly close. He’s head and shoulders above the competition when it comes to counterparts. Hurts has a slight edge as a quarterback in the running game, but Mahomes is on an entirely another level.
Mahomes isn’t just the best quarterback. He’s the best player in the league. As long as he’s under center for the Chiefs, Andy Reid’s squad will always have a chance.
Mahomes has a Steph Curry-like impact on the defense, with his other-worldly accuracy, downfield range, and his ability to contort his arm allowing him to to put the ball anywhere on the field. His ability to throw accurate passes down the field from unorthodox arm angles combined with his creativity and ability to go off script forces defenders to cover the entire field and maintain defensive integrity coverage for three, five, seven, and sometimes even 10 seconds on any given play.
Most defenders are taught that if they can lock down their assignment for four seconds, they have done their job. Players often also follow the quarterback. This means that if the quarterback rolls out to one side of the field, the coverage shifts to that half of the field, essentially eliminating an entire half and giving the quarterback less room to operate. Mahomes changes the formula because he can throw the ball anywhere regardless of where he is.
This makes him a unique weapon and allows him to put immense pressure on opposing defenses. As long as he’s taking snaps the Chiefs will have a strong chance to win the Super Bowl.
Jason Kelce was critical to the Eagles’ game plan in recent seasons. One thing that made the Eagles so difficult to beat was that they had the ability to convert on fourth and short due to their patented “tush push” quarterback sneak play. This critical option gave Nick Sirianni’s squad the ability to extend drives and keep the chains moving, chewing up the clock and putting points on the board.
Hurts is certainly important to...
