National Football League

How Chiefs can beat Eagles in Super Bowl despite a limited Patrick Mahomes

Updated Feb. 7, 2023 6:56 p.m. ET

Patrick Mahomes' greatness and the Chiefs' pass-rush dominance catapulted Kansas City past the Bengals in the AFC title game two weekends ago. But the NFC-champion Eagles, K.C.'s foe in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App), represent a much bigger challenge.

Philadelphia was the NFL's most complete team this season, with an MVP-caliber quarterback surrounded by perimeter weapons and an elite defense with few flaws.

With Mahomes still nursing a high-ankle sprain, what will it take for the Chiefs to secure their second Lombardi Trophy since 2019?

Here are three keys to victory for Kansas City:

Chiefs must run the ball effectively

The Eagles this season have been the NFL's best team defending the pass. They racked up 70 sacks, third-most in NFL history, with four players recording at least 11: Haason Reddick (16), Javon Hargrave (11), Josh Sweat (11) and Brandon Graham (11). They boasted the league's best secondary, allowing just 179.8 passing yards per game. And they had the No. 1 pass DVOA in the regular season. So as an opponent, finding consistency against Philadelphia through the air is a tough ask.

On the ground, though? There are cracks, ones the Chiefs can exploit.

The Eagles are middling defending the run. They allowed 121.6 rushing yards per game during the regular season, 16th in the league. They've allowed at least 115 rushing yards in six of their past seven games, including the playoffs.

Why Chiefs have edge over Eagles in Super Bowl

Nick Wright joins Colin Cowherd to discuss why the Chiefs have the edge over the Eagles despite Philly's stout defensive line and run game.

That provides an opportunity for seventh-round rookie Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City's featured running back for much of the season, to carry a big load in the Super Bowl. He had 170 carries for 830 yards during the regular season, fourth-best among rookies. His biggest performance to date came in the divisional-round win against the Jaguars, when he had 12 carries for 95 yards.

While the Chiefs may not have a mobile Mahomes to boost their run game, they will have running-back depth to give the Eagles different looks on Sunday.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a 2020 first-round pick, was activated from injured reserve Monday, paving the way for him to play in the Super Bowl. Kansas City's starting tailback for the first six weeks of the season, Edwards-Helaire finished third on the team in rushing yards behind Pacheco and Mahomes.

The Chiefs were 20th in rushing yards per game during the regular season, but ranked ninth in rushing DVOA, speaking to their efficiency in the ground attack. It's something coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy must lean into.

Chiefs OL must neutralize Eagles pass rush

The last time we saw Mahomes in the Super Bowl, he was under siege in the pocket, thanks to a relentless Bucs pass rush and an offensive line that couldn't protect him. He was pressured 44 times in Kansas City's loss to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV.

With Mahomes playing on a bum right ankle this time around, it will be all the more important for the Chiefs to keep him upright. Fortunately for Kansas City, its offensive line appears to be equipped for the task, even in facing one of most dominant pass-rushing fronts in NFL history.

According to ESPN analytics, the Chiefs O-line had the league's top pass-block win rate in the regular season (74.7%). The unit includes three of the seven top individual players in the metric: center Creed Humphrey (first), left guard Joe Thuney (second) and right guard Trey Smith (seventh).

Chris Jones, Chiefs pass rush must disrupt Jalen Hurts

The Chiefs' best chance at success against a potent Eagles offense is to limit opportunities for star receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to make plays downfield. With a growing but still very young secondary, Kansas City needs Chris Jones & Co. to produce an encore of their dominant AFC title game showing against Cincinnati. The Chiefs sacked Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow five times and pressured him 29 times overall.

Chris Jones on the AFC championship

Chiefs DT Chris Jones talks about playing in the AFC Championship Game against the Bengals and how it felt to win after losing three years in a row.

Philadelphia's offensive line has done a decent job protecting Hurts, with the 12th-best pass-block win rate in the NFL in 2022 (62%). Right tackle Lane Johnson hasn't given up a sack since November 2020, according to Pro Football Focus. But it's not like the Eagles have kept Hurts spotless. The first-time Pro Bowler was sacked 38 times this season, tied for seventh-most in the NFL. And Philadelphia's O-line was tied for 18th in the league in adjusted sack rate (7.7%), which takes into account down, distance and opponent, per Football Outsiders.

As recently as last week, Hurts said the shoulder injury that kept him out two games in the regular season is still something he's working through. Look for that to be an added incentive for the Chiefs to pressure Hurts.

Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.

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