Keys to Super Bowl LIX, Part 1: When the Chiefs are on offense
Examining the key matchups/issues that will help swing the Super Bowl for KC's offense
The Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl, and the familiar (sort of) Eagles await them.
This is basically an identical opening sentence to what I wrote last year when breaking down key Super Bowl matchups as the Chiefs faced the 49ers (MAN Kansas City is in a lot of Super Bowls). This time, the opponent is once again familiar with some key changes. Philadelphia has, similar to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, a very good defense with a front four that can at times be dominant and solid coverage on the back end (along with a lot of physicality). But they’ve seen some personnel changes and have different coordinators than when they last played in the big game.
Every week in the playoffs I’ve written about the main things I’m watching for (or keys to the game, whatever you want to call it). I’ve tried to go outside of obvious stuff like who wins the turnover battle, luck, injury, and the things that we all know will be important, instead looking a little deeper at specific matchups that I think will play a big role in the game’s outcome.
Because this game is IT, I’m going to break down a few more things than what I’ve done in previous weeks. So We’ll do this in two parts, looking at some key matchups/issues for both when the Chiefs are on offense and when they’re on defense. Today, we’ll start with when Kansas City has the ball. There’s a lot of analysis to do and not much time left to do it, so let’s just jump right in. I’ve got six areas I’m eyeing that I think will go a long ways towards deciding Sunday’s outcome.
Mike Caliendo, Joe Thuney, and the OL against Philly’s front four
This is the matchup that most people are talking about (besides Mahomes/Reid vs Vic Fangio, which we’ll get to shortly) when thinking about the Chiefs offense against the Eagles defense. And there’s a good reason for that.
Philadelphia is a team that doesn’t like to blitz much (which has long been a trademark of Fangio), instead relying on rushing four to get pressure while having solid coverage (often zone looks) on the back end. While there’s a chance that the Eagle switch things up to throw a curveball in the Super Bowl, that would run counter to what we’ve seen from Fangio in big games. He generally does his thing and tries to dictate to opposing offenses rather than the other way around.
Which means that Thuney at left tackle and Caliendo at left guard are going to need to hold up in pass protection against a good front four. Thuney has (deservedly) gotten a great deal of positive press for his close-to-unprecedented shift from LG to LT midseason. However, as I noted when writing a preview for Chiefs/Bills, it hasn’t been perfect or even “very good.” Thuney struggled against the Texans’ edge rushers, giving up some very quick pressures and a sack while having a hard time not getting pushed back into the pocket. That’s been a consistent issue for him since the switch to LT, where he’s shown terrific technique (of course) but has at times been betrayed by his lack of size and length, resulting in him getting bullied into the backfield.
The problem, at least on paper, is that Eagles’ DE Josh Sweat is the type of edge rusher who may give Thuney trouble on the edge. Sweat has long arms (over 34 and a half inches) and is primarily a power-driven pass rusher. Both of those things have been tougher for Thuney, who can compensate for a lot around the edge with his decent feet and perfect technique but can’t make his arms longer to help stop more powerful rushers from getting into his chest and pushing him back.
And then, of course, there’s Caliendo, who has been the weakest link along the OL (which isn’t meant to be an insult considering the quality of the other guys) since joining the starting group. While the Chiefs have largely been able to get by with quick throws, moving pockets, play action, and other games, there have been snaps where the downgrade in pass protection from Thuney (who is nearly perfect there at LG) to Caliendo has mattered when they try and drop back.
Between Thuney being OK but not great at LT (and somewhat vulnerable to power) and Caliendo having some struggles there, at times the regular dropback game has been vulnerable.
