Where the Super Bowl will be won and lost

The clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs could be the difference between the biggest stars in the NFL, where they make the most of the attention, but the outcome of Sunday’s Super Bowl game might be that two men aren’t even on the field.

Between success and failure, the strategies of opposing head coaches Nick Sirianni and Andy Reid could be.

You would have to agree that it is frequently called a violent chess match if you have ever seen each play drawn up in an Xs and Os way inside a playbook.

With just one tactical change or one missed assignment, the color confetti that will be falling inside the New Orleans Superdome on Sunday will be determined by hours and hours of positioning each and every player on each and every play.

With Patrick Mahomes and Reid Reid, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and Reid working with him to create a dominant dynasty, it helps.

Over the past few years, the Chiefs have undergone a transformation, moving from a powerful passing attack where Mahomes flung the ball all over the field to a defense-led offense.

Their greatest strength, however, is their winning mentality, which shows up when edging close games – a NFL record of 17 one-score games (decided by eight points or fewer) in a row have gone their way, including 12 this season.

And they have discovered all sorts of ways to win them, including blocking field goals and forcing late turnovers.

On Super Bowl Sunday, Reid will be able to benefit enormously from his winning machine, which never knows when the game is up. There is a huge advantage to knowing they have done it when the biggest game of all is in play.

The Eagles are a better team overall. They have the best defense in the NFL, are dominant on both the offensive and defensive lines, have elite receivers in their quarterbacks, and have Saquon Barkley as their biggest x-factor.

They may not need to have a perfect game, but they do need to have a nearly perfect execution because one mistake could cost them.

Jalen Hurts, the quarterback who had the game of his life in the final Super Bowl between the two, was well aware of this, but the Chiefs won in a close contest with their only turnover. Of course they did.

According to ‘ Next Gen ‘ stats, teams facing the Chiefs have dropped 11 passes, missed five kicks, lost four fumbles and twice failed with two-point conversions in the last three play-off campaigns.

The Chiefs have repeatedly used those points in close games to bring the situation into its own history.

Can the Chiefs stop Barkley?

Running back Barkley, who is the Eagles’ star running back, is only 30 yards short of the NFL record for a single season. He can score from any position and poses the same threat in the fourth quarter.

However, the Chiefs have allowed a 100-yard rusher in 18 games, and they could be in business if they can counteract his threat.

… but Hurts could steal the show

Of course, if the Chiefs put all effort into stopping Barkley, it might be possible for Hurts to replicate his Super Bowl run of 70 yards and three touchdowns and throw for 304 yards and an additional score.

Watch out for Mahomes the runner

Mahomes will be swarming all over the Eagles defense because he can’t escape because he’s a deadly scrambler in the playoffs, but they need to be careful not to get too aggressive and let him wiggle free.

Mahomes is nimble despite not being particularly quick, and because of Kelce’s excellent telepathy on broken plays, defenders are never told whether he will attempt an ambitious throw or tuck and run.

With two rushing touchdowns and seven first downs in the play-offs to keep drives alive, he proved the difference against the Buffalo Bills.

Although he scored three touchdowns against Philadelphia in their previous Super Bowl encounter, the Chiefs won thanks to his late 26-yard scramble, which involved a bad ankle.

The battle of the defensive monsters

The headlines are allotted to the big offense names, but the Super Bowl has two defensive big beasts on each side who could decide the outcome of this game.

Both Chris Jones of Kansas City and Jalen Carter can completely ruin a game from anywhere along the defensive line, and they frequently appear in dramatic situations and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Away from star names such as Mahomes, Barkley, Hurts and Kelce, who else could have a big game?

The Chiefs have struggled to defend tight end Dallas Goedert, who has the Eagles’ best tight end of the season, giving up the third-most catches per game and the most yards this year.

Tight ends are a match-up nightmare because they are too powerful and quick for defensive backs but too quick for linebackers. Goedert has already shown that in the play-offs and leads the Eagles in catches, targets, receiving yards and big plays.

And since he collected 123 yards after the catch during this play-off run, he is so difficult to stop once he gets the ball.

The rookie receiver’s speed has been deadly ever since Xavier Worthy scored with his first touch in the league this year, when he clocked the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine with the fastest 40-yard dash in history.

Worthy frequently gets quick, flat passes from Mahomes to launch him into outer space, where he can start causing real problems and burn off the afterburners.