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Zach Berman Previews Super Bowl LVII

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Author Andrew Salciunas
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 6: General view of Super Bowl LVII signage on February 6, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. Super Bowl LVII will be played between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs on February 12, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Super Bowl LVII is just a couple of days away. And to preview the game, Zach Berman from The Athletic joined Anthony Gargano. What are his final thoughts on the game? Are there matchups he thinks the Eagles will take advantage of? How does he see this game playing out? Zach Berman discussed that and more about Super Bowl LVII. See what he had to say below.

On the Eagles’ Offense vs the Chiefs’ Defense

“I start with the line of scrimmage. The Eagles have the overall advantage, their offensive line vs the Chiefs’ defensive front. That said… Chris Jones, it is like watching Aaron Donald out there. That’s high praise, but he is that type of player. He can wreck a game plan. That is what you need to worry about. Where is Chris Jones? If he lines up over Isaac Seumalo for instance, that could be a challenge for the Eagles. But I think the Eagles have an advantage on the edge too. Their WRs match up well vs these corners. And they have the advantage at the line of scrimmage running the ball. But, between Chris Jones and Frank Clark, the Chiefs can get to you. That should be a concern… These guys can play. The line of scrimmage is where the Eagles need to win this game.”

On the Eagles’ Defense vs the Chiefs’ Offense

“(Kelce) is going to be such a challenge. But what worries me from the Eagles’ perspective is Jerick McKinnon out of the backfield… If McKinnon can stretch the field there, sideline to sideline, that is really going to put strain… Andy loves throwing to those backs. McKinnon has been a big-play receiver out of the backfield. And I really think Andy is going to have some things up his sleeve outside of Kelce. You know going into the game you have to worry about Kelce. But when you look at these Chiefs’ weapons, there are a handful of players they can use around the formation, that would worry me because Mahomes can get the ball to all of them.”

And you can listen to the full interview about Super Bowl LVII with Zach Berman below…

 

Who Has The Better Roster- Offense Edition

We are getting closer and closer to kickoff for the Eagles- Chiefs Super Bowl. But what team has the matchup advantage? Over the next few days, we will be going roster spot by roster spot, to see which team is better. Do the Eagles have the better roster heading into this Super Bowl? Let’s find out, starting today with the offense.

  • QB- Jalen Hurts vs Patrick Mahomes

    You would have to be a pretty big homer to give this to Jalen hurts over Patrick Mahomes. And that is nothing negative about Jalen Hurts. The guy has been an MVP-caliber QB all season long. Not only is he a dynamic threat to run the ball, but he can sling it too. Hurts is here for a reason, and deserves to be considered among the best NFL QBs.

    But Patrick Mahomes is better. Mahomes is the best QB in the league. He has been here before and won it. The resume, the experience, and the arm talent all lean toward Patrick Mahomes. Is the gap as big as many people around the nation think? No. But there is a gap. The thing Hurts does have going for him is that he very rarely makes mistakes. He makes smart choices with the football.

    But of course, when the Eagles played the Patriots in 2018 the patriots had the QB advantage. And that advantage was far wider than this one. This is two top 5 QBs facing each other. It just so happens one of them is the best QB in the league, and the other one, at least this season, has been the 2nd best.

    Edge: Chiefs

  • WR- AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, Quez Watkins vs Juju Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kadarius Toney

    Not even a competition. The Eagles have arguably the best WR group in the league, with only the Dolphins being able to argue otherwise. AJ Brown and Devonta Smith are both true number 1 WRs. The production proves that. The Chiefs don’t have any number 1 WRs after Tyreek Hill left. The Eagles have two WRs with over 1000 yards, the Chiefs have none. Brown, Smith, Watkins, and Pascal have a combined 22 TDs. The Chiefs WRs have a combined 13. 4 of those come from Mecole Hardman who won’t be playing. Toney and Smith-Schuster are both banged up too, but they will probably play.

    Is the Chiefs’ Wr group bad? No. But it is middle of the road. It can’t even come close to matching what the Eagles have at WR.

    Edge: Eagles

  • Tight End- Dallas Goedert vs Travis Kelce

    Dallas Goedert is great. He has established himself as one of the best Tight Ends in the league this year. But we are comparing him to a guy who is not only the best Tight End in the league but could go down as perhaps the best of All-Time.

    It is nothing against Goedert, Kelce is just better. Kelce has 1338 yards this season, along with 12 TDs. Goedert had 702 yards and 3 TDS. To be fair to Dallas, he did miss some time. But I don’t think those couple extra games would have closed that gap. Goedert also is not the primary target for his team like Kelce is. So I don’t know if the talent gap is as large as the production gap suggests. But Kelce is still the better Tight End.

    Edge: Chiefs

     

  • RB- Miles Sanders, Kenny Gainwell, and Boston Scott vs Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire

    This one is all Eagles. Pacheco has done a nice job this year. But you look at his production, vs Miles Sanders, and there is no comparison. Sanders racked up 1296 yards on his own, more than both Pacheco and Edwards-Helaire combined. And we have seen Kenny Gainwell really break out in the playoffs.

    The one advantage Chiefs may have, is that their RBs get a bit more involved in the passing game. Especially McKinnon who has 9 receiving TDs. But in terms of running the ball, there is no comparison. The Eagles are the best running team in the league. And if you add Jalen Hurts in as an honorary Running Back, the Eagles run away with this by a mile. The production on the ground from them, is far greater than the Chiefs.

    Edge: Eagles

  • LT- Jordan Mailata vs Orlando Brown

    This one is probably closer than Eagles fans like to admit. Jordan is the better run blocker, but Brown may be the better pass blocker. Jordan Mailata gave up a couple more sacks this season than Brown did. But the gap between them as run blockers is larger than the block between them as pass blockers. Because Mailata as a run blocker is elite. He came in 2nd in the whole league with a  run block win rate of 83%. It is close, but Mailata gets the slight edge.

    Edge: Eagles

     

  • LG- Landon Dickerson and Joe Thuney

    Another one that is really hard to call. These are two of the elite Left Guards in the league. Joe and Landon are 1 and 2 respectively in pass block win rate. And Landon comes in at the top of the league in run block win rate, while Joe is 5th. They gave up 2 combined sacks this season. The thing that may give the edge to Joe over Landon, is penalties. Joe committed just 2 penalties all season. While Landon led all LGs with 14. Both excel at their position, but Landon’s penalty issue gives this one to Joe Thuney.

    Edge- Chiefs

  • Center- Jason Kelce vs Creed Humphrey

    Creed Humphrey is a great center. Probably the 2nd best center in the league. But come on. We are talking about Jason Kelce. The guy you can lock in to be the First-Team All-Pro every single season at center. Kelce hasn’t given up a sack in years. Just like it is no slight to Jalen Hurts to say Patrick Mahomes is better than him, it is no slight to Humphrey to say Jason Kelce is better. Kelce will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame one day.

    Edge: Eagles

  • Right Guard: Isaac Seumalo vs Trey Smith

    Seumalo is a bit of an unsung hero on the O-Line. Everyone talks about how great the other 4 guys are. But Seumalo rarely gets that love. But he is pretty great in his own right. Seumalo gave up just 1 sack all season. Is he the 5th best player on the line? Yes. But that is like saying Ringo is the 4th best member of The Beatles.

    As for Trey Smith, he is pretty good as well. There is not a huge amount of difference here. Both guys are solid dependable Linemen. Smith gave up 2 sacks to Seumalo’s 1, so I suppose the edge goes to Isaac, but it is close.

    Edge:Eagles

     

     

  • Right Tackle: Lane Johnson vs Andrew Wylie

    It is Lane. Not even close. Lane Johnson is by far the best RT in the league. He hasn’t given up a sack in forever. Even playing with an injury that will require surgery, he still shut down Nick Bosa. There is no debate to be had here. Lane Johnson gets the edge by a mile. Wylie has allowed 9 sacks this season. Of the 10 starting linemen between these two teams, he is the weakest of the group. And Lane Johnson may be the best of the group right now, with only Jason Kelce being his competition.

    Edge: Eagles

  • Conclusion

    QB-Chiefs

    WR- Eagles

    RB-Eagles

    TE- Chiefs

    LT- Eagles

    LG- Chiefs

    C-Eagles

    RG-Eagles

    RT-Eagles

Andrew Salciunas, “The Choonis,” has done it all at the station - screening calls, working events as a member of the street team, producing 7 days a week, doing updates, and now hosting his own show. Now with a wife and kid, his life experiences are far different than when he first started, but this “regular guy” knows how to relate to anyone. He writes about the Flyers, Phillies, Sixers, and Eagles.

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