Super Bowl LIX preview: What to watch when Chiefs, Eagles are on offense

It’s almost game time.

Super Bowl LIX is this Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox) at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

The Chiefs (15-2) can make history by becoming the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, while the Eagles (14-3) are seeking their second Super Bowl in seven years, last winning in February 2018.

Before the big game, we preview four keys when the Chiefs and Eagles are on offense.

When Chiefs are on offenseDoes Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes have enough magic? | In a tale of the tape, the Eagles have the advantage at most position groups. Quarterback isn’t one of them.

Philadelphia has looked like the better team this season, but Kansas City has the ultimate ace with Mahomes. The three-time Super Bowl MVP has won nine consecutive playoff games, and only retired quarterback Tom Brady, who will call Sunday’s game for Fox, and Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow have beaten him in the postseason.

For the Eagles to prevent him from performing another magic act, their front must keep him from getting outside of the pocket. The Chiefs’ offense hasn’t been as potent when Mahomes improvises as in previous years, but it would still be unwise for the Eagles to allow Mahomes to turn the Superdome into his personal playground.

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce aims for Super Bowl history | Entering Sunday’s game, Kelce (31 receptions) trails Jerry Rice (33) for the most receptions in Super Bowl history. It will likely only be a matter of time before Kelce jumps to No. 1, but Philadelphia won’t make it easy.

According to Pro Football Reference, the Eagles’ defense was the league’s best against tight ends during the regular season, allowing 68 receptions, 591 yards and five touchdowns. 

However, Kelce is the best tight end they’ve played this season. He must win his one-on-one matchups with linebackers when he gets them. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, he has an NFL-high 3,927 receiving yards since 2016 when guarded by a linebacker since 2016.

Eagles linebackers Zack Baun, Oren Burks and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. are all adept at coverage, making that arguably the Super Bowl’s most significant matchup.

Travis Kelce has recorded a league-high 3,927 receiving yards against opposing linebackers throughout the Mahomes era, including playoffs, over 1,000 more than the next closest player. His +185.7 receiving EPA on such targets also leads the league since 2018.

Matchup To Watch… pic.twitter.com/VgdZc3uh9Q

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 4, 2025

Eagles secondary vs. Chiefs wide receivers | Led by veteran Darius Slay and rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, the Eagles have the league’s best secondary. Philadelphia ranks first against the pass in the regular season, averaging 187.9 yards allowed per game.

Kansas City improved its wide receiver unit from last season, adding rookie Xavier Worthy and acquiring veterans Hollywood Brown and DeAndre Hopkins. Worthy leads the Chiefs in receptions (11) this postseason, while Brown and Hopkins have yet to make a mark, combining for four receptions and 46 yards.

As strong as the Mahomes-Kelce connection is, Kansas City’s wide receiver must make plays against a stout secondary for the Chiefs to win.

Jalen Carter’s advantage over Chiefs offensive line | Per Pro Football Reference, of the 201 total pressures against Mahomes, left tackles bore some responsibility 33.8 percent of the time, the league’s highest right among quarterbacks pressured at least 50 times.

Kansas City rectified that problem by shifting lineman Joe Thuney one spot over from left guard, but that opened a hole at his previous position. Guard Mike Caliendo has struggled in his place, allowing 13 total pressures in his past four starts. (h/t PFF)

Enter Carter, the excellent second-year Eagles defensive tackle who could be a game-wrecker. Including the playoffs, Carter leads Philly in total pressures (73), per Pro Football Focus data. He’s been outstanding in the playoffs, averaging 6.7 pressures per game and forcing a fumble in the divisional round.

When Eagles are on offenseWill Eagles running back Saquon Barkley remain unstoppable? | No one has stopped Barkley yet this postseason. Will the Chiefs be the first?

Barkley has rushed for 2,447 yards this season, including the playoffs. He has three touchdowns of at least 60 yards since the divisional round, including a 60-yarder on his first touch against the Commanders in the NFC championship game.

Kansas City’s rush defense is the team’s strength. The Chiefs allowed an average of 101.8 rush yards per game, eighth in the league, and 4.1 yards per carry, which ranked seventh. Linebacker Leo Chenal had the league’s second-lowest missed tackle rate (2.5 percent) among linebackers with at least 200 run-play snaps, while fellow linebackers Drue Tranquil and Nick Bolton combined for 53 stops, which PFF defines as “tackles that constitute a ‘failure’ for the offense.”

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Barkley has been most dangerous in the second half. Therefore, Philadelphia must avoid an early double-digit deficit. This would require the Eagles to abandon their run-heavy attack for a pass-heavy second-half script.

Saquon Barkley generated +496 rushing yards over expected in the second half of games this season, the most by any player in a season in the NGS era.

Barkley averaged 6.7 yards per carry in the second half of games, up from 4.8 in the first half.#KCvsPHI | #SuperBowlLIX pic.twitter.com/c6RDRa3who

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 3, 2025

Philadelphia’s offense operates cleanest when it runs through Barkley, but the scoreboard could force the Eagles to abandon their bread and butter.

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones | One of the best defensive players in football, Jones will be instrumental in slowing down Barkley. Per PFF data, his average depth of tackle on run plays was 2.1 yards from the line of scrimmage. Of the 45 interior defensive linemen with at least 250 run defense snaps this season, including the playoffs, Jones is the only one without a missed tackle. 

The three-time first-team All-Pro is an excellent pass-rusher. According to PFF, he had 74 total pressures during the regular season. His ability to generate pressure will be especially important against the Eagles. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has struggled when pressured, completing just 46.5 percent of his passes under duress. Hurts’ numbers are much better when blitzed — his completion percentage is 64.2 percent. 

Kansas City must get Hurts off rhythm without blitzing, and Jones can certainly accomplish that.

Early-down success | The Eagles have become known for the “tush push,” “brotherly shove,” or, as quarterback Jalen Hurts simply calls it, a “QB sneak.” 

Whatever you call it, the play is nearly impossible to defend, but the Chiefs can eliminate that play from Philadelphia’s vocabulary by winning on first and second down.

That doesn’t mean Kansas City will be entirely safe. In the AFC championship game against the Bills, the Chiefs allowed three third-down conversions of at least eight yards. Eagles wide receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert should have chances to extend drives with big third-down gains. However, asking the Eagles to convert third-and-longs continually is preferable to giving them short-yardage layups.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts | The four-year full-time Eagles starter was nearly flawless two seasons ago in Super Bowl LVII. But it was his one mistake that altered the game.

Hurts’ second-quarter fumble returned for a touchdown by Bolton tied that game at 14, and Kansas City won on a last-second field goal.

As good as Hurts was in his Super Bowl debut, it wasn’t good enough. The two-time Pro Bowl selection must avoid negative plays — not just turnovers but also sacks — on Sunday. The slightest slip could be the difference between the Eagles winning or losing.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans