Keys to the Super Bowl, Part 2: When the Chiefs are on offense
Looking at some of the matchups I believe will swing the Big Game one way or another when Mahomes and company are on the field.
If I told you on December 26th that the Chiefs would be in the Super Bowl and I would be at least reasonably confident in the offense, there’s a strong possibility you would have laughed at me. Or hit me. Or said mean things to me online. One of the three, at least. Perhaps all.
Kansas City’s offense has been the subject of scrutiny all year, and for good reason. I’ve written about multiple facets of the offense that have been problematic at times, from serious issues with the deep ball, to problems with the WR group, and even Mahomes himself losing trust in the system and showing cracks in his normally impervious game. The primary issue, as has been talked about ad nauseum, was the lack of consistent performance from weapons not named Kelce or Pacheco (and even Kelce has played like a man who got injured RIGHT before the season began, which… well, happened).
Throughout these issues, Andy Reid and the players have continued to insist that they are close, and that fixing a few execution issues would allow them to get back on track. And in the playoffs, that’s largely been the case. They ran over the Dolphins in the cold, had an absurdly efficient performance against the Bills, then put up 17 first-half points against the vaunted Ravens defense before going into “squeeze out the game” mode.
That’s comforting, but it’s only a three game sample size. And now they face 49ers defense with a great deal of talent, particularly up front and at the linebacker position (similar to the Ravens, whose LB’s had a rather large impact n the AFC Championship).
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). In Part 1 of our Super Bowl preview, we looked at some of the keys when the Chiefs are on defense. Today, let’s look at some of the things I think will be determinative when the Chiefs are on offense.
And funnily enough, for all the hoopla surrounding the Super Bowl, the things that have been the things for Kansas City all season will likely remain… well, the things. And as good as the Niners are, their defense may have some holes to exploit. Let’s talk about some keys to the Super Bowl.