Three Keys to a Chiefs Super Bowl LVII Victory

The Chiefs once again find themselves in the biggest game of the year. To finish the job, they need to play their A-game and focus on a few key factors.

The Kansas City Chiefs have one final hurdle to clear in order to accomplish the goal they set out to achieve back in July at the start of training camp. They will play in Super Bowl 57 to try to lift their third Lombardi trophy in franchise history and their second in four years. Their opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, has been one of the best teams in the league all year and is even favored over Kansas City in this game as of the publishing of this article. 

If the Chiefs want to finish their mission on a high note, they will need to execute a few key components of this matchup. Let's dive into them.

Stopping the run

Pounding the rock is how the Eagles want to play this game, and it's how they have had success all year. In the regular season, Philadelphia ran for the fifth-most rushing yards per game with 148. In the playoffs, they have somehow taken it up another notch. They have rushed for over 208 yards per game on their run to the Super Bowl. This slows the game down and forces their opponent to play at their pace.

Jan 29, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) celebrates after a sack against the Cincinnati Bengals during the first quarter of the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Allowing the Eagles to drain the clock by keeping the ball on the ground makes it more difficult for the Chiefs to win. It's not about the time of possession, but rather about the limited number of possessions Patrick Mahomes and the offense could get. Opponents usually try to play "keep-away" from Mahomes for that reason. The Chiefs can't let that happen on Sunday.

The Eagles will throw a variety of different run looks at the defense, including quarterback runs with Jalen Hurts. The Chiefs' front seven must be extremely disciplined and gap-sound, especially on early downs. The defensive ends must hold the edge to not let Hurts escape if he pulls it on a read option, the linebackers have to attack downhill to stop the chunk runs, and the rest have to be involved in the group effort to stop Philadelphia's rushing attack.

Confusing Jalen Hurts

Staying on the defensive side of the ball, the Chiefs can help the run defense and affect the passing game by disguising looks and blitzing. With the young defense, the Chiefs have yet to implement as many different looks on defense as they have in years past. This would be the week for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to pull those defensive calls out.

Nov 7, 2021; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (38) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass against the Green Bay Packers during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

This season, Hurts ranked 29th in EPA/play and 28th in success rate out of 39 qualifying quarterbacks against the blitz. The Chiefs have had success as out late just rushing four, and it'll be important this game, but heating up the Eagles' quarterback with the blitz is a key to success this week.

Bringing a defensive back off the edge or a linebacker up the middle could lead to free rushers and subsequently force Hurts into negative plays. Spagnuolo should bring the blitz and show it as late in the play clock as possible. The Chiefs shouldn't allow Jason Kelce to call out the protection and get the offensive line on the same page. Instead, Kansas City should force the issue and try to confuse an offense that has struggled against the blitz all year.

The Chiefs' offensive line has to come to play

Everyone knows how injuries to the offensive line led to the Chiefs' Super Bowl loss two years ago to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are facing a similar task up front this year but this time, their offensive line is fully healthy. For the Chiefs' offense to succeed on Sunday, the offensive line must play very well, especially early in the game.

Oct 3, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Orlando Brown (57) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Eagles had four pass-rushers record double-digit sacks this season and registered 70-plus as a team, the most in the league. The Chiefs' offensive line must give Mahomes time to find his receivers open downfield. If the front five can provide Mahomes that time early, it can frustrate a defense that is used to having its way. The tackles will have their hands full with the opposing defensive ends but can neutralize them with that early success.

The focus for Kansas City's offense is on pass protection, and rightfully so, but run blocking is also critical in this matchup. The Chiefs' run blocking was downright awful in the AFC Championship Game. Non-Mahomes ballcarriers mustered just 34 yards on 17 carries in that game. Having success running the ball will force Phildelphia's pass rush to slow down instead of immediately getting into a pass-rush plan. Getting some push up front and forcing the defense to worry about the run game will only open things up more for Mahomes and the passing attack. If the Chiefs' line comes to play and the rest of the objectives are met, Mahomes and company could soon win their second ring since he became the starter in 2018.