Recapping the Chiefs’ Journey

This Chief’s team continues to look like a dynasty, I hate to say that word but they really do feel like there’s nothing they can’t do. Lose an elite wide receiver in the offseason, but it is no big deal. Starting playing plenty of young talent, which is also no big deal. They find ways to win, no matter the odds.

2023 played out similarly to the previous few seasons, the Chiefs played consistently good football all year. If you look at PFF, they continue to rate near the top of the league in offense and defense. They started off 6-2 over the first half of the season and only lost one game after that point. 

Kansas City Chiefs Offense

Patrick Mahomes continues to be the best quarterback in football, whether you look at stats or his leadership of this team. Playing on a bum ankle and getting a narrow victory over the Super Bowl runner-up Cincy continues to prove how valuable he is to this organization. He can take newly acquired wideouts and build a level of trust with them to make them look like hall-of-fame caliber players. All of this before age 30 is something that will most likely see his name in Canton once he’s done in the league.

The running game has been a carousel all year, seeing at least 70+ rushing attempts for Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon, and rookie sensation Isiah Pacheco. Pacheco, the 7th-round rookie, has seen double-digit carries in 9 of the last 11 games for KC. Pacheco has handled most of the running duties and McKinnon has been huge in the passing game but they get CEH back for the big game. The PFF grades for this running attack had them in the back half of the NFL in 2022. Though Philadelphia’s run defense is around the middle of the pack as well, so it’ll be interesting to see who wins that battle Sunday.

The receiving core just saw Mecole Hardman go to IR, and both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney as questionable. This team could possibly be starting a receiving core of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Justin Watson, and Skyy Moore. Ultimately Travis Kelce is option one in the passing game, followed by either MVS or a running back.

The offensive line looks to be healthy and ready to go, they may not get as much hype as Philly but they graded out well in 2022. Philly has some really good pass rushers, so this will be fun to watch!

Kansas City Chiefs Defense

Like Philly, KC does its best work in the pass-rushing aspect, in which they grade out in the top ten (Philly is #1). They are probably best in coverage but AJ Brown will be hard to stop. What KC lacks in high-end wideouts, Philly has in spades. 

Chris Jones will continue to be the focal point of the pass rush, having 15.5 sacks in 2022. Behind Jones, they have a good mix of youth and veteran pass rushers to mix into the game plan. This secondary, which grades out good in coverage is not great at interceptions, only having 8 all year.

Super Bowl Analysis

This is a pretty interesting matchup, a Philly team that has some players that have been here but Jalen Hurts hasn’t. What he has going for him is a giant chip on his shoulder, and a cool, level-headed leadership style. This team has the firepower to keep up if need be, and the rushing attack to run out the clock if they get up early. 

Kansas City’s been here before and won it all. Patrick Mahomes is an iron man and will be playing hurt but that really didn’t stop him so far, so I see no issues there. They may not have the best offensive line or playmakers in the secondary but they know how to get the job done. 

If you want to bet on the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, check out these odds. But, the worst part of it all is that football will be over, and the wait until the preseason begins! The best thing is that we are in full NFL Draft Season, and we have you covered here on the Draft Countdown! We have Mock Drafts, weekly shows, and Podcasts as well as plenty of great daily articles. If you want to talk more, hit me up on Twitter or our Discord!

My Prediction: Kansas City 35 Philadelphia 28