We’re just about a week removed from Super Bowl Sunday so I want to share some important takeaways as we go into the off-season. The Big Game is a familiar venue to both franchises that participated last weekend. The Philadelphia Eagles have made 2nd appearance in the last 3 years, while the Kansas City Chiefs went into their 5th Super Bowl showing in the last 6-years.
The largest viewership in Super Bowl history tuned in to see if the Chiefs would capture the first ever Super Bowl 3-peat in NFL history. That said, I’m sure quite a few were excited to watch for the Eagles get revenge over their loss from Super Bowl 57, which came at the hands of the Chiefs in 2022. Ultimately… everyone was looking for some good football.
But It Turned Out to be a Lopsided Affair
When it was all said and done, the big game was either a draining disappointment or a satisfying blowout, depending on who you were rooting for. When these teams met in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago it was a blockbuster. There were eight go-ahead or game-tying scores throughout the game, with the deciding field goal coming with just 8-seconds remaining in regulation time. It was an offensive battle ending with a final score of 38-35 in favor of the Chiefs.
This time it was a defensive drubbing with a well-balanced offensive scheme delivered by… one of the teams. If you watched, you’d know who the dominant force in Super Bowl 59 was. It wasn’t the team who was in the running for the greatest dynasty of all time, with a quarterback and tight end each in the Greatest of All-time conversation for their respective positions. No… it was the team with the number 1 defense in the league, the number 1 running back, a pair of elite wide receivers, a top 5 offensive line, and a top 10 quarterback. That of course is the Philadelphia Eagles, boasting the most complete roster in the NFL.
Defense Wins Championships
The Eagles pulled in their defensive backs to take away short slant and curl routes. Patrick Mahomes thrived off of short pass patterns this season rating 41st among quarterbacks for Intended Air Yards per Attempt and 40th in Completed Air Yards per Attempt, at just 2.8. So, the tight man coverage by the Eagles allowed their defense to occupy the short passing lanes, while using a 4-man rush enabled a layered, 7-man coverage scheme. Linebackers were protecting up close while two safeties were set to pick up anyone going deep. These extra bodies in the secondary forced Mahomes to sit in the pocket looking for a target. His prolonged pocket time allowed pass rushers to penetrate the backfield.
The key to making this effective was for the defensive tackles to use an outside-in approach, protecting the edge… while the defensive guards stayed in their rushing lanes, sliding the pocket back around Mahomes. He’s as good as anyone at extending plays with his legs, but this containment approach channeled the KC QB back into the pocket where the defense could keep up the pressure, securing 6 sacks on the night.
Offense Can Lose Super Bowls
While the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl defense was doing its job, the Chiefs completely floundered in their game plan. They opened their first offensive possession with one of those quick dump passes. After that, Philadelphia tightened things up committing their linebackers to pass coverage. Whereas the Chiefs had to allocate resources and attention to the run game because Saquon Barkley carried the ball 25 times, the Eagles could get away with giving very little attention to run containment. Kansas City handed the ball off only seven times the entire game, which means that Philly’s 7-man coverage could stay laser-focused on the passing game.
Inexplicably, Kansas City head coach Andy Ried stayed with their pass-heavy approach no matter how poorly their results were. Their seven 1st half possessions ended in 5 punts and 2 interceptions… one resulting in a Pick6, while the other gave the ball to the Eagles a mere 14 yards from another score (which happened just 2-plays later). In all, across the 1st half, the Chiefs netted a mere 13 yards and a single 1st down, only 3 rushing plays out of 20, and 0 points. There hasn’t been a Super Bowl team that went scoreless in the 1st half since Super Bowl 53 in 2018 when the Los Angeles Rams lost to the previous NFL dynasty… the New England Patriots.
For some reason, the Chiefs stuck with this game plan going into the 2nd half. There they ran the ball only 4 more times, suffered 3 more sacks (one was a strip-sack turnover), were forced to punt, and had a turnover on downs. Finally, with 43-seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter Mahomes landed a 24-yard touchdown pass to rookie phenom Xavier Worthy.
Too Little Too Later
Despite the late 3rd quarter score and a 4th quarter rally with 2 more touchdowns… in garbage time… the Chiefs’ poor offensive showing and the Eagles’ dominance, particularly in the 1st half, caused a huge imbalance that left the defending Super Bowl Champions no chance to make a comeback. The imbalance turned out to be:
- 13:56 difference in time of possession (almost an entire quarter)
- 74 offensive plays for the Eagles v. 56 by the Chiefs (nearly a third more plays by Philadelphia)
- 21 first downs for the Eagles v. 12 by the Chiefs (75% more for the Eagles)
- 40 points for the Eagles v. 22 by the Chiefs (nearly double for the Eagles)
As exciting as the Kansas City Chiefs prospects were for a 3-peat, I’m pleased how this turned out. Not as an anti-Chiefs position, but rather… I enjoy watching well-balanced, team-oriented football. A full roster of talent, a superior offensive scheme, great defense, and a dominant performance is what we got in this Super Bowl. That is the winning formula, and that is the way the game ought to be played… says me…😉