Six KCOU Sports writers answer some burning questions regarding Super Bowl LVII
What have these two teams taught us about what it takes to get to a Super Bowl?
Quentin Corpuel: If you don’t have a transcendent unit or player that can cover up other roster holes, it feels like you have to sport a roster with very few or no holes at all in order to reach the Super Bowl. Even though the Chiefs have more identifiable weaknesses than the Eagles, Kansas City’s all-around roster is still one of the best in the league. Especially looking at past Super Bowl matchups, essentially every single participant fell into one of the two aforementioned categories. Even the rare Super Bowl champions that didn’t have a top-six offense or defense (both 21st century Giants teams and the 2012 Ravens) had elite units and players that could cover up roster weaknesses, including divine intervention (which mostly applied to the Giants).
Megan Dorr: It’s pretty clear from observing both teams, it takes an extremely talented roster to make it to the Super Bowl. You can not have a major position group that is a walking red flag. The two teams did have two different approaches in how the roster was made up. The Chiefs have taken the path of a superstart quarterback, star tight end and then average wide receivers. The Eagles on the other hand have a quarterback they took in the third round (who has turned into one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the league) but have surrounded him with talent in every single position. Both teams are very strong in the trenches, which is a big factor in getting to a Super Bowl.
Abigail Klapatauskas: Both teams’ paths to the Super Bowl start and end (in a weird circle I guess) at the line of scrimmage. Flashy highlight reels may favor wild mid-air interceptions forty yards downfield, or one-handed tip toe receptions from the corner of the end zone, but the Chiefs’ offensive and Eagles’ defensive linemen humbly and consistently led their teams to Phoenix. Using a fun metric called the “pass rush win rate,” the Eagles’ defensive linemen beat their blocks in 2.5 seconds or less 52% of the time, ranking them first in the league for their defensive speed off the snap. On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs’ offensive line sustains their blocks for 2.5 seconds or longer 75% of the time. Basically, these teams execute on the tackling fundamentals nearly every snap, and now they’ll be doing it at the Super Bowl.
Grant Salsman: These two teams showed how beneficial the No. 1 seed is. The Eagles took advantage of easy opponents in the playoffs and now are rightfully in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs had a much tougher playoff schedule, including playing the defending AFC champions, but they showed how far a team can go with home field advantage. The Eagles are a more complete thing, but the Chiefs have one player their opponent does not: Patrick Mahomes.
Jack Toal: Nothing about the two teams appears as something we haven’t seen before in the Super Bowl, excluding the fact that Patrick Mahomes won his conference championship on one leg. It’s cool that the Kelce brothers get to face off, and there are a lot of legacy opportunities on the line for some Chiefs players, but despite these storylines, there aren’t many discernible features that are different from previous Super Bowl matchups.
Owen Zimmerman: This matchup proves it is possible for No. 1 seeds to make it to the Super Bowl! The last time the two conference leaders met on football’s biggest stage was in Super Bowl LII, which was coincidentally when the Eagles won their first Super Bowl.
What surprised you most about either team in the Conference Championship Round?
Corpuel: I was surprised by how relatively unaffected Patrick Mahomes looked on a high ankle sprain. You know, the serious injury that’s supposed to keep a player out for at least multiple weeks. While Mahomes didn’t have a perfect game against the Bengals two Sundays ago, I still questioned whether he was a real human being or not a couple of times. He was still able to escape the pocket and beat defenders with his brilliant mind, beautiful brown eyes, robotic arm and funny-running legs. With an extra two weeks to rest, Mahomes will likely look a lot closer to the football God we all know and are slightly petrified of.
Dorr: I was surprised how much pressure the Chiefs defensive line got on Joe Burrow. The Bengals were coming off a game in which their offensive line looked phenomenal against the Bills, allowing them to do whatever they wanted with the run game. The Chiefs came out and sacked Burrow four times in the first quarter and forced the Bengals to abandon the run game early on. Getting pressure on Burrow forced quick throws that gave Mahomes much more time to work his magic. It was harder to be surprised by the Eagles when they blew away a team dismantled by injuries.
Klapatauskas: I’m surprised and impressed by the success of MVS! (Perhaps Aaron Rodgers is also surprised by his former teammate’s success when he’s fully trusted by his quarterback.) After recording just one reception for six yards against the Jaguars, Marquez Valdez-Scantling lit up the Chiefs’ offense in the AFC Championship and led his team with six receptions for 116 yards. As Travis Kelce fought against double, triple and sometimes even quadruple coverage, Patrick Mahomes entrusted the ball, and the offensive rhythm, into Valdez-Scantling’s hands, and he delivered. Valdez-Scantling already matched his season-total two touchdowns in the postseason, and Chiefs’ fans will hope to spot him in the end zone again Sunday.
Toal: For the Chiefs, the cornerback play remains strong, even despite losing L’Jarius Sneed. KC’s secondary halted Joe Burrow from pushing the ball down the field at a rapid pace. While its secondary is not composed of anything special on paper, KC often does well when it comes to rising to the occasion, despite a majority of its secondary being rookies or sophomores in the league. For the Eagles, the lack of competition is the most surprising element. Now the argument that the Eagles don’t deserve to be in the Super Bowl based on their strength of schedule is absurd, but it’s hard to see how they will show up against the Chiefs when they haven’t faced competition quite as difficult yet. They demolished teams that they should demolish so it will be interesting to see if they struggle out of the gates.
Zimmerman: The Eagles grinded out the clock with excellent efficiency in the Championship round, being in possession of the ball for a mind-boggling 37 minutes of game time. Obviously following Brock Purdy’s unfortunate injury it wasn’t hard to keep the Niners’ offense off the field, but holding the ball for nearly 40 minutes is very impressive in any scenario. It will be interesting to see if Philly can repeat their success chewing the clock, as keeping Patrick Mahomes on the sideline will be a necessity in winning this week.
What matchup are you most excited to see?
Corpuel: THE BATTLE IN THE TRENCHES! Both teams have actual metahumans on both sides of the line of scrimmage, and I’m curious to see how both teams minimize the opposing units’ impact. There are many old philosophies and sayings that don’t make a ton of sense when they’re analyzed deeper – for example, why is “go break a leg” a wish of good luck? That would be terrible if someone broke their leg! However, football people that always say you have to win at the line of scrimmage are correct; the past two Super Bowl losers saw their shaky offensive lines crumble against elite front sevens. Both teams invested heavily in the line of scrimmage, and it paid off so far. My excitement for this matchup is like 2012 Johnny Manziel: extremely difficult to contain!
Dorr: I know that the Chiefs’ Chris Jones and Eagles’ Hassan Reddick both play on the defensive side of the ball so they will not physically be going up against each other, but I am interested to see which one can have a bigger effect on the opposing quarterback. Both finished in the top four in the league in sacks. Jones was a huge reason why the Chiefs were able to beat the Bengals because he got so much pressure on Burrow. I want to see how quickly Jones can get to Hurts and get him down before he can make a play with his legs. Reddick finished the NFC Championship game with two sacks, a forced fumble and a recovered fumble.
Klapatauskas: The best matchup of the game won’t meet until the confetti flies: Chiefs’ coach Andy Reid versus Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni. A veteran leader with three rings (two as an assistant and one as head coach) facing a young creative with potential. Two offensive artists with incredible quarterbacks facing intimidating defenses. I can’t wait to watch these coaches execute their schemes and, more importantly, adjust their plans when the chaos of the Super Bowl creeps in.
Toal: I’m excited to watch the Chiefs’ offensive line versus the Eagles’ defensive line. The Eagles’ defensive line registered 70 sacks this season, good for third-most all time, and they are undeniable in the trenches. The Chiefs’ offensive line may be one of their most difficult matchups this year though, having Creed Humphrey in the highest echelon of centers, (ironically the other top center is on the other team). Trey Smith and Joe Thuney are some of the top guards in the league, but the Chiefs’ interior line is most likely to create issues for the Eagles’ D-line.
Zimmerman: I’m very excited to see how the Chiefs’ defensive line fares against the seemingly impenetrable Eagles’ offensive line. The Chiefs are coming off a dominant performance in the trenches against the Bengals, racking up five sacks on Joe Burrow and holding Cincinnati running backs to a measly 3.1 yards per carry. The Eagles’ linemen are obviously nothing like the dumpster fire of a unit they have out in Ohio, only allowing one sack against the formidable Niners’ front line in the NFC Championship. However, I believe the Chiefs can cause issues for the Eagles running back tandem. The Eagles’ running backs have been absolutely vital to Philly’s playoff success, the group has racked up 345 yards on the ground in just two postseason games and is averaging 5.2 yards per carry. If the Chiefs can silence this lethal ground attack, they can force Jalen Hurts to rely on his arm, which is appealing considering he has failed to throw for over 160 yards in a playoff game this year.
Whose legacy will be more impacted by a title victory: Mahomes or Hurts?
Corpuel: An Eagles victory would be the cherry on top of the revenge cake for Jalen Hurts, who has been doubted and counted out so many times dating back to his days at Alabama. With all due respect to Hurts, however, we’re going to have to have a serious conversation about where Mahomes ranks amongst all-time great athletes (not just football players) if the Chiefs win. He’d have two Super Bowl victories to his name to go along with (likely) two Super Bowl MVPs, two regular season MVPs, five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro selections. That’s a resume most other quarterbacks have never put together over their entire careers, let alone before their age-28 season. The list of athletes that accomplished this much this early in their careers only contains all-timers — Mahomes will have to be considered one of them with a win Sunday.
Dorr: Considering that Mahomes already has been a Super Bowl champion and is this season’s MVP, Jalen Hurts’ legacy will be more impacted by a title victory than Mahomes. Hurts has the potential to go from an overlooked third round pick to Super Bowl champion in just three seasons.
I believe Mahomes has already helped his legacy this season by leading his team to a Super Bowl on a high ankle sprain and in his first season without Tyreek Hill.
Klapatauskas: “Jalen Hurts: Super Bowl MVP…” It kind of has a nice ring to it, right? Super Bowl appearances are rare; Super Bowl rings even more so. In fact, only 10 active NFL quarterbacks played in the big game, and only six won at least once. If Jalen Hurts wants to cement his “make it or break it” third season in gold, he needs a ring. Whether Mahomes secures another trophy, he already proved himself by hoisting it in 2020. A title victory for Mahomes is an extension, for Hurts it’s an initiation for his legacy. Hurts need this victory, and its iconic prize jewelry, more.
Toal: Mahomes’ legacy will be on the path to greatest of all time with a Super Bowl win. That is hardly arguable. On the other hand, Jalen Hurts would obviously benefit as one of the youngest quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl, yet outside of that his ‘legacy’ would likely be determined by years following or if he could repeat/improve on any of his performances this year. I would also like to mention that Travis Kelce getting another ring could bolster his case for the best tight end ever, so long as he performs well.
Zimmerman: I’m a generational talent when it comes to seeing into the future of the sports world, a prophet many have said. So for me it’s easy to see whose legacy this game is more important to- Jalen Hurts. I say that for one simple reason, Mahomes will be back on the big stage whether he wins this year or not, I can’t say the same for Hurts. If Philly fails to close out the job in Glendale this Sunday, I think it’s very unlikely they’ll make it back in the Hurts era, with teams like San Francisco coming back full-strength and the NFC East becoming more competitive. Mahomes will be back, we know that. But Hurts? This may be his one and only chance to etch his name into the record books.
How many Burger King commercials will air, and what are your general feelings regarding the viral ad campaign?
Corpuel: I’m not sure exactly how many will air; the range feels like it’s between three and somewhere in the double-digits, at which point every commercial will be a Burger King commercial to keep pushing the bit. Nevertheless, I have to hand it to Ben Pfutzenreuder and Michael Craighead, the creators of this terrifyingly memorable jingle. Anyone that can make people sing about hamburgers at, like, three o’clock on a Tuesday has done a good job. There have been many viral ad campaigns that have swept the sports television world, but I believe Burger King has established themselves in a class of their own with this one. This ad is inevitable, an inescapable entity that consumed millions of innocent sports-watchers. Hold on, I’m getting word that we need to go to a quick commercial break. During an article? Wait a seco-
Dorr: Due to the outrageous price of Super Bowl ads and the fact that these deals have to be done much in advance, I think there will only be two Burger King commercials. Usually campaigns like this might really annoy me, but the whole whopper whopper song makes me laugh when I hear it. It’s impossible to stay serious while these commercials are on. I do think that if they stay around for a while I will grow sick of it, but for now it is entertaining.
Klapatauskas: If this song plays even once during the Super Bowl, I will listen to the Whopper earworm one time too many. I’m here for the cute puppies, Clydesdales and car commercials with tear-jerking country songs.
Salsman: If I had to set an over/under for this, I think I would set it at 2.5, and the over is going to hit. I love this song and this commercial, but I can confirm that it will never top “Scoop there it is.”
Toal: It was cute once, but then it became too much. Even if the commercial aired more than once that may be one time too many.
Zimmerman: It’s hard for me to believe there will be more than two Burger King commercials this Sunday. That being said, Burger King has created an absolute masterpiece. I walk down the street and see lines down the block, children only months old waiting to buy a whopper. The influence of this commercial cannot be measured, and it puts Beatlemania to shame. (If only they could make the food taste good now.)
Who shall lift the Vince Lombardi trophy?
Corpuel: A rash might sprout on my Giants-supporting skin, but I think the Eagles are going to win. Whoever I pick against, I’m going to feel very unintelligent in hindsight if they win. The Chiefs have three of the best players in this game (Patrick “God-of-whatever-religion-you-believe-in” Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones), but the Eagles have the next, like, eight. I’m picking the team who has more reasons to be favored than the other. The Eagles can bulldoze defenses in numerous different ways on offense, and their defense is void of any easily exploitable players. Two of their three losses came without Jalen Hurts, and they’re 7-1 with a +115 point differential against playoff teams (and that doesn’t include a +57 PD against the Lions, Steelers, Packers and Titans, all of whom barely missed the playoffs). Should Philly win, I just hope the Empire State Building doesn’t do the thing again.
Dorr: On paper the Eagles seem like the smartest pick to lift the Lombardi trophy since they have a more complete roster, but after seeing Patrick Mahomes break my heart against the Bengals on one ankle, I can’t pick against him. I see this game ending with Mahomes completing his 15th overall game-winning drive to give the Chiefs their third overall Super Bowl victory.
Klapatauskas: This game is a coin toss for me, and I personally hope Donna Kelce, mother of Travis and Jason Kelce, earns the honor of flipping the coin before she watches the showdown between her sons. In the end, I feel I’m surrounded by a bit too much Kansas City energy as a Broncos fan so…fly Eagles fly!!
Salsman: This game is so close on paper. On one side you have a stout Eagles defense attempting to stop a generational talent in Patrick Mahomes, and a Chiefs defense trying to stop one of the best run games that we have seen in recent years. The Eagles can win if they stay on schedule and KEEP the Chiefs off of the field. However, I think the Chiefs make the Eagles uncomfortable and disrupt Hurts just enough to make the difference. The Eagles’ margin of error is much smaller than the Chiefs. Mahomes and company are always in the game, Mahomes has a winning record when trailing by ten or more. Because of the Chiefs’ ability to go off schedule and still move the ball, I am going to go with them in this one in a 31-20 victory further cementing Patrick Mahomes as one of the games greats.
Toal: Chiefs all the way. (I’m biased)
Zimmerman: FLY EAGLES FLYYYYYY. The Eagles defense absolutely stonewalled the previously on fire G-Men offense in the divisional round, and held the Niners to one of the most pathetic offensive showings I’ve ever seen (given their starting quarterback was injured on the opening drive). So it’s hard for me to bet against Philly. Also, Jalen Hurts has had enough personal heartbreak in championship games- it’s his year.