Daily News | Eagles-Chiefs: The three matchups the Eagles must win in Super Bowl LVII
The strongest argument for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII is a simple one. Too simple, probably. But worth a thought. The Eagles have the better roster top-to-bottom, but football games are often won by the best players on the field. The Chiefs can at least make the argument that they have the top three: tight end Travis Kelce, defensive tackle Chris Jones, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They can also argue that they have the best coach. Or, at least, the best play-caller.
Yet Kelce’s role in the Chiefs offense is so atypical that we can’t really draw any conclusions from a broad sample. Gardner-Johnson could find himself with some significant responsibilities on Sunday. He and Avonte Maddox will be focal points against a Kansas City offense that complements Kelce with the presence of slot receiver Juju Smith-Schuster. The fact that the Eagles have a safety who can defend one-on-one in space gives them some options that other teams can’t get away with.
But as well as Gannon understands his own side, there isn’t a coach in the league who better understands his opponent than Reid. Everything that we know about these two teams suggests that the Eagles are the appropriate favorites. But games are often decided by the things that we don’t know, and there is a lot about this Chiefs offense that makes it difficult to know.
Case in point: While Kelce and Smith-Schuster are the Chiefs’ most targeted receivers, they are responsible for only five of the Chiefs’ last 21 pass plays of 20-plus yards. Five of those plays have gone to McKinnon, who could find himself matched up against an Eagles linebacker who has had some struggles in coverage in Kyzir White. Gray, the Chiefs’ No. 2 tight end, has catches of 27 and 25 yards over the Chiefs’ last seven games.
The biggest wild card at Reid’s disposal is Toney. In more ways than one. After leaving the AFC championship game with an ankle injury, the shifty playmaker did not practice last week and is listed as questionable for the Super Bowl. Of Toney’s 28 touches since joining the Chiefs from the Giants, 15 have gone for first downs.
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