Super Bowl LVII: The Touchdown Wire guide to… everything
Super Bowl LVII pits the Philadelphia Eagles against the Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams are looking for their second Lombardi Trophies in the post-merger era. The Chiefs, who sent the American Football League out of business in the best way possible with a 23-7 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV at the end of the 1969 season, also won Super Bowl LIV, at the end of the 2020 season, by a 31-20 score over the San Francisco 49ers.
The Eagles finally got the franchise’s first Super Bowl win in LII at the end of the 2018 season, beating the New England Patriots, 41.33.
The storylines are compelling. Andy Reid was the Eagles’ head coach from 1999-2012, compiling a 130-91-1 regular-season record and a 10-9 postseason mark that included an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX — a 24-21 loss to the Patriots at the end of the 2004 season. Reid, hired by the Chiefs before the 2013 season, has a 117-45 regular-season mark, and an 11-7 postseason record, including that Super Bowl LIV win.
Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are making history as the first starting Black quarterbacks to face each other in a Super Bowl, and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles center Jason Kelce are the first brothers to face each other in a Super Bowl.
The matchups in this game are even more interesting. And here’s where we at Touchdown Wire have endeavored to give you as much quality analysis as possible to get you ready for the big game. Here are all of our tape-heavy, stat-loaded previews, to (hopefully) give you all the insight you need to watch the game with a very full brain!
The 57 most important players in Super Bowl LVII.
(Cheryl Evans-USA TODAY Sports)
This isn’t really a guide to the “best” players on both teams; it’s more about the players who are most important to their teams when it comes to victory. From Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts to the backup quarterbacks, here’s the 57 most potentially important players in the game.
How the Chiefs can beat the Eagles.
(Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)
If the Chiefs are to emerge victorious, they’ll probably have to invest in these four concepts as much as possible:
Run the damn ball.
Use as much 12 and 13 personnel as possible.
Test the Eagles’ inside run game with as much beef as you can, and
Trust your young cornerbacks on their inevitable islands.
How the Eagles can beat the Chiefs.
(Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
Conversely, if the Eagles are to beat the Chiefs, they will have to…
Swarm the quarterback without blitzing (because you do NOT want to blitz Patrick Mahomes, ever, at all).
Limit Travis Kelce with bumps and brackets.
Create chaos out of order on offense, and
Beware of Kansas City’s motion-heavy run game.
The Secret Superstars of Super Bowl LVII.
(Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)
Every Super Bowl has at least one player you didn’t expect, whose name you may not even know, who comes up swinging in the biggest game of his life. From Chiefs linebackers Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr. to Eagles defensive backs Avonte Maddox and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, here’s our list of the most likely unlikely guys to carve their name in NFL history today.
How the Eagles can limit the Chiefs' explosive passing game.
(Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
The Eagles’ secondary will be tested by Patrick Mahomes and his estimable cadre of targets; here are the best ways for that secondary to at least limit the damage Mahomes can easily create.
Philly's offensive line: The best unit on the field.
(Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
For Kansas City’s defense, it’ll be all about countering the Eagles’ NFL-best offensive line, and all the concepts they throw at you with daunting effectiveness and efficiency in every way. Here’s how to do it… if they can.
Chris Jones is ready to put on another master class.
(Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)
Of course, the biggest challenge for that great Eagles offensive line is one Chris Jones, the Chiefs’ thermonuclear defensive lineman, who put on an absolute clinic against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship game. Jones can get to the quarterback with every technique from every gap, and wherever he comes from, he’s going to be a big problem for Jalen Hurts.
4-Down Territory: Biggest matchups, and who will win the game?
(Syndication: USA TODAY)
In this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory,” Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling get into which matchup is the most important, and give their game predictions!
