5 Numbers That Tell The Story of How the Eagles Can Beat the Chiefs
Just a few more days until the Super Bowl. Eagles vs Chiefs. The Chiefs are easily the best team the Eagles have faced all year, But you can also say the same for the Chiefs. It is 1-seed vs 1-seed. The two leading candidates for MVP square off. And it is a game full of storylines such as Andy Reid facing his former team, and the Kelce brothers being the first siblings to play each other in a Super Bowl. But what are the Eagles’ chances to actually win this one? Here are 5 numbers that will have you liking the Eagles’ chances in the Super Bowl.
14.8%
A big reason why the Chief’s defense was so effective against the Bengals is that their D Line was able to beat up the Bengals’ already beat-up O-Line. Chris Jones in particular ate the Bengals’ lunch money all game long. But they will not be facing the Bengals’ O-Line again. Now they have to square off with the Eagles. Who in case you haven’t been paying attention, has the best Offensive Line in the league. The Eagles faced off with another formidable pass rush in the 49ers and shut them down. They have up just 4 pressures on 27 pass-blocking snaps. That is a pressure rate of 14.8%. Frank Clark and Chris Jones will have a much harder job taking over the game this time.
42%
The Eagles have the O Line to stifle the Chiefs’ pass rush, but do the Chiefs? The Eagles defensive front feasts on opposing QBs, leading the league in sacks by a large margin. They got after the 49ers Qbs on 61.9% of passing snaps. And this Chiefs’ O-Line can be beaten. The Bengals pressured Patrick Mahomes on 42% of dropbacks. If that is what the Bengals are doing, imagine what Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and Javon Hargrave can do. Patrick Mahomes is already dealing with a bad ankle. If they can make him run for his life, it could be a recipe for success for the Eagles.
9
And to really harp on that point, Haason Reddick is going to be lining up against RT Andrew Wylie for the most part. Wylie has given up the 3rd most sacks in the NFL this season with 9 sacks allowed. Reddick meanwhile has racked up the most sacks in the league (including playoffs) with 19.5. Either Reddick will be beating Wylie all game long, or the Chiefs will have to give him help. Either way, the Eagles win. Because if they have to give Wylie help, that either means they have one less guy running routes, or another one of the Eagles’ prolific pass rushers is going to now have an easier matchup.
148
There is one other thing the Eagles do, that no one can stop. Run the ball. The Eagles faced off with the so-called best run defense in the league against the 49ers. They put up 148 yards, and TDs on the ground against them. The Chiefs have a decent run defense too. But if the 49ers and their elite front 7 couldn’t stop the Eagles, what chance do the Chiefs stand? The Eagles are undefeated when they eclipse 100 rushing yards. And if the Chiefs decide to stack the box to take away the run, well then you are leaving Devonta Smith, AJ Brown, and Dallas Goedert in one on one matchups vs young inexperienced defensive backs, so the Eagles will take that too. And even with a stacked box, they can still probably run the ball.
9-1
There is this narrative that the Eagles have had an easy road here. And that narrative is absolute BS. The truth is the Eagles are 9-1 vs winning teams this season. The Eagles played in the hardest division in the NFL and still had the best record in the League. They beat the Cowboys, the 49ers, the Jaguars, the Vikings, the Steelers, and the Giants 3 times. They also beat the Commanders and Packers who just missed having a winning record.
The Eagles did not have an easy schedule. The Eagles arguably have a had one of the toughest schedules. Only two teams have had more than 9 wins in a single season vs winning teams. The 2003 and 2004 Patriots teams. If the Eagles win on Sunday, they will be 10-1 vs winning teams across their 20 games. And the one loss came without Jalen Hurts. Dont let anyone tell you the Eagles had an easy road.
