Following a dominant victory in the NFC Championship Game, the Philadelphia Eagles are ready to get their revenge against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. After falling short in frustrating fashion against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, Philadelphia has battled their way back from a 2-2 start to the regular season and are eager for round two against Kansas City on the NFL’s biggest stage.
The Chiefs opened as 1.5-point favorites over the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX and they remain the betting favorite ahead of kickoff. We have all seen how Philadelphia has embraced the underdog role in the past and the City of Brotherly Love will surely like to do so once again. Now let’s dive into three storylines to watch for when the Eagles take the field against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Can Jalen Hurts handle Steve Spagnuolo’s defense?
Jalen Hurts had arguably the best performance of his NFL career against the Chiefs and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in Super Bowl LVII. Therefore, why in the world am I asking if Hurts can handle Spagnuolo’s defense this time around? Well Hurts struggled mightily against Kansas City’s defense when they played in Week 11 of the regular season in 2023.
While the Eagles were able to escape with a 21-17 victory over the Chiefs, Hurts completed just 14-of-22 passes for 150 yards and an interception. Kansas City’s defense sacked Hurts five times as well. He also had 12 rushing attempts for just 29 yards, although he did score two rushing touchdowns.
After sacking Hurts just twice in Super Bowl LVII, it felt like Spagnuolo found a recipe for success against Philadelphia’s offense during their last matchup. Spagnuolo loves to send off-ball blitzers and Hurts has struggled against those looks this season.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Hurts faced an off-ball blitzer on 25.5% of his dropbacks this season (third-highest in the NFL), including 61 dropbacks with an off-ball blitzer from the right side of the line. Across those 61 dropbacks, Hurts was pressured on 44.3% of those plays, while being sacked on 14.8% of dropbacks.
Surely enough, Spagnuolo’s defense blitzed an off-ball defender at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL this season (26.7%), primarily doing so from the offense’s left side (15.5%). However in three matchups against Hurts, Spagnuolo has sent an off the ball defender from the offense’s right side at a 18.3% rate.
Therefore, it’s clear that Hurts and Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore need to have a plan in place for Kansas City‘s unique defensive looks. Spagnuolo has clearly identified a perceived weakness in Hurts’ game and he’s going to do everything he can to exploit it in Super Bowl LIX.
How will the Chiefs block Jalen Carter and Milton Williams?
In Week 15 of the regular season, Kansas City made a bold decision and moved starting left guard Joe Thuney outside to start at left tackle. While Thuney has improve the team’s play at left tackle, the interior of Kansas City’s offensive line has struggled mightily.
Prior to moving Thuney to left tackle, Kansas City’s interior offensive line allowed a pressure rate of just 5.1%, which was the fourth-lowest mark in the NFL from Week 1 to Week 14. Since making the change, Kansas City’s interior offensive line has allowed a pressure rate of 9.0%, which is the fourth-highest mark in the NFL since Week 15, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
Looking back at Kansas City’s schedule since Week 15, they haven’t exactly been tasked with stopping an elite interior defensive lineman. Yet now they’ll have to deal with arguably the best defensive tackle duo in the NFL on the game’s biggest stage against the Eagles.
Jalen Carter has generated 12 pressures and Milton Williams has generated nine pressures across three postseason games. Philadelphia’s dynamic duo has combined to generate 21 pressures in three postseason games, the second-most by any defensive tackle duo in a postseason run since 2018. Aaron Donald and Greg Gaines generated 31 combined pressures for the Rams in 2021.
Ironically, Carter drew a comparison to Donald from the man himself. Former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy revealed a conversation with Donald where the former Rams defensive tackle called Carter his “replacement.”
When Carter was informed of the praise from Donald, he was thankful and at a loss for words. But now the man nicknamed “Baby Rhino” will have a chance to show the world how much he has grown against Mahomes and the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
Which trends will continue in Super Bowl LIX?
There are plenty of trends and streaks in play heading into Sunday’s matchup between the Eagles and Chiefs, yet which one will continue in the biggest game of the season? Here’s a closer look at each of the trends and streaks that are worth monitoring ahead of Super Bowl LIX (credit to Pro Football Focus and NFL Next Gen Stats for the stats and information).
- Eagles are 12-0 in games that Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have started in and completed this season.
- Eagles are 7-0 in games that A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert have started in this season.
- Eagles are 5-0 when playing on turf this season. Philadelphia’s defense has also allowed just 11.6 points per game in those five games played on turf.
- Jalen Hurts is 5-0 in home playoff games in his NFL career. Hurts is 0-3 on the road or at neutral site playoff games in his NFL career.
- Jalen Hurts hasn’t thrown an interception in nine consecutive starts.
- DeVonta Smith can become the fifth Heisman Trophy winner ever to win a Super Bowl and a National Championship. Barkley would join Reggie Bush, Charles Woodson, Marcus Allen and Tony Dorsett as the only players to do so if the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX.
- Saquon Barkley is one of three players all-time to have at least 400 rushing yards in the playoffs prior to playing in the Super Bowl. He joins Hall of Fame running backs John Riggins and Terrell Davis, who both went on to rush for more than 150 yards in the Super Bowl, win the Super Bowl and win Super Bowl MVP.
- Nolan Smith has recorded at least one sack in each of Philadelphia’s three playoff games in 2024. Smith can become the first player since individual sacks were first tracked in 1982 to record a sack in four games in a single postseason.
- The Eagles had the NFL’s best pass defense in the 2024 regular season, allowing just 174.2 passing yards per game. Patrick Mahomes is 3-0 in his playoff career against teams with the top-ranked pass defense in the regular season, including wins in Super Bowl LIV against the 49ers and Super Bowl LVII against the Eagles.
- Patrick Mahomes is 15-0 in games that have been played in a either a dome or in a retractable roof stadium where the roof was closed.
- Patrick Mahomes is 8-0 against Vic Fangio in his NFL career. It’s worth noting that the offenses on Fangio’s teams averaged just 11.9 points per game in those eight games.
The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX at 6:30pm on Sunday, February 9th, 2025
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
