A year after missing out on the Super Bowl by a defensive offside and a coin flip, the Kansas City Chiefs are back in the NFL’s championship game for the first time in half a century.
The Chiefs will enter Super Bowl LIV as slight favourites over the San Francisco 49ers — and with good reason, as the team is led by last year’s Most Valuable Player at the helm of one of the most dynamic offences in the NFL.
On Thursday, Donnovan Bennett laid out the reasons why he believes the 49ers will win on Sunday. Now, I’m making the case for why the Chiefs will emerge victorious in what should be a classic.
PATRICK MAHOMES
The biggest challenge Mahomes will face in Super Bowl LIV (and it’s a big one) is the 49ers’ deep and dangerous defensive line, which along with a top-notch secondary makes San Francisco’s defence one of the league’s best. Evading sacks and dealing with pressure could be a common theme for Mahomes on Sunday.
But here’s the thing: Mahomes thrives in those situations.
The Chiefs’ offensive line has been great in pass blocking all season long and Mahomes is excellent at staying on his feet. The 2018 MVP was sacked just 17 times all season, the third-fewest among quarterbacks who attempted at least 200 passes this season.
When under pressure, the Chiefs star isn’t just good — he’s great.
Let’s say Mahomes evades a sack, is feeling pressure and is forced to run out of pocket. Advantage defence, right? Not even close. When Mahomes is on the run, he’s the most deadly QB in the NFL, and he’s been just as dangerous in the post-season, throwing four touchdowns on the run so far in 2020.
And should Mahomes feel he doesn’t have a passing option down field while on the run, he’s shown in the last two playoff games he has no issue tucking the ball and becoming a runner. That led to the most electric play of this post-season so far:
Mahomes is playing at an MVP level right now, and it’s going to take a gargantuan effort from Robert Saleh’s 49ers defence to slow him down.
ALL-PRO TALENT & SPEED AT OFFENSIVE SKILL POSITIONS
As if the 49ers defence won’t already have their hands full trying to deal with peak Mahomes, the weapons the 24-year-old quarterback is surrounded with are equivalent to an all-American track team.
In Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson, the Chiefs boast one of the league’s fastest receiving corps. It’s what makes Andy Reid’s offence so explosive and allows Mahomes to find so much success when under pressure and on the run, and it’s also what gives Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy the option to get creative with their play-calling.
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Then there’s Travis Kelce. He may not have the speed of the other K.C. pass-catchers, but he’s one of the best – if not the best — tight ends in the game. Kelce had the most receiving yards of all tight ends this past season, and those 1,229 receiving yards ranks fourth among all offensive players. The 30-year-old already has 16 targets for 13 catches, 164 yards and three TDs in these playoffs.
Running back Damien Williams, while not mentioned among the NFL’s top players at the position, has given the Chiefs a good option out of the backfield with his strong running, catching and blocking. He’s played 97 per cent and 85 per cent of the offensive snaps in the last two games, respectively, so he’s clearly earned the trust of his coaches.
With weapons like these at the disposal of Reid and Mahomes to create mismatches all over the field, plus two weeks to prepare, how can you not love the Chiefs’ chances in Miami?
COACHING AND STAR POWER ON DEFENCE
It’s undeniable which Super Bowl LIV team has the better defence: San Francisco is better at all three levels of defence, boasting one of the deepest defensive units in the NFL.
And yes, the Chiefs defence is likely the reason the team wasn’t able to get past the Patriots last year and into the Super Bowl.
But the idea that this edition of the Chiefs defence puts K.C. at a disadvantage in Miami just isn’t accurate. And that’s because they’re well-coached and the defence’s stars are making a difference.
Let’s start with coaching. After being eliminated in the AFC title game last season, the Chiefs replaced Bob Sutton with Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator. Spagnuolo has plenty of experience as defensive coordinator in the league – with mixed results – but it’s the 60-year-old’s Super Bowl experience that sets him apart: Spagnuolo was at the helm of the Giants defence that took down the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
Additionally, this defence boasts a trio of stars who have proven to be game-changers all season long. Defensive tackle Chris Jones is a wrecking ball in the middle of the Chiefs’ defensive line, defensive end Frank Clark has four sacks, five QB hits and four tackles for loss in two K.C. playoff games, and safety Tyrann Mathieu has been on an absolute tear this post-season.
It may be the Niners’ defence that’s getting all the love in the lead-up to Sunday’s game, but don’t be surprised if someone on that Chiefs defence makes a big play — and don’t be surprised if it’s one of Jones, Clark or Mathieu.
