The Philadelphia Eagles made it to Super Bowl 59 after an electric 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game. Head coach Nick Sirianni's team heads into the sport's biggest game looking for revenge against the Kansas City Chiefs. Two years ago, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid escaped Philadelphia in an all-time classic Super Bowl 57.
Kansas City has not lost a playoff game since and is now looking to become the first franchise to win three straight Lombardi trophies. The Chiefs are coming off wins over the Houston Texans and yet another playoff victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Nevertheless, this 15-2 juggernaut is not invincible. And there's one glaring weakness that the Eagles can target to help their offense stay on the field and eventually wear down the Chiefs' elite defense. Here is our pick for the Kansas City Chiefs' fatal flaw heading into Super Bowl 59.
The Chiefs' fatal flaw is their offensive tackles
It's unfair to single out the entire Kansas City Chiefs offensive line. In fact, the interior of this group is one of the best in the NFL. Center Creed Humphrey and left guard Joe Thuney both had First-team All-Pro seasons, and right tackle Trey Smith was just named to his first Pro Bowl. The trio is largely responsible for why Kansas City's ground game has stayed afloat despite injuries at the running back position for most of 2024.
However, the right and left tackle positions are entirely different stories in both the pass and run game. Those two areas of concern are the main reason Kansas City is in the lower half in sacks allowed per game, at 2.4.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor has surrendered the eighth-most sacks among all offensive tackles. Taylor has also been near the top of the league in penalties and poor in blocking for his running backs. Whether it is Jalen Carter or one of the Eagles' edge rushers, Philadelphia has to consistently target Kansas City's right tackle in single coverage and blitz packages.
The left tackle position for the two-time defending champs has been the team's biggest flaw for much of the year. Kansas City started rookie Kinsley Suamataia on opening night at LT. Unfortunately, the second-round pick out of BYU struggled during his time on the field and was replaced soon after. Amid more chaos at the position, Kansas City eventually signed DJ Humphries to solve this issue before deciding to move Joe Thuney out to left tackle.
Backup guard Mike Caliendo has filled in for the left guard vacancy. While Thuney has performed admirably in his new position, it's not his first choice, and this unit has shown some flaws over the past few weeks. The Houston Texans sacked Patrick Mahomes three times and held the Chiefs to 50 total rushing yards. That stat factored into Houston having possession for seven more minutes than Kansas City. If this trend emerges in Super Bowl 59, Philadelphia's chances of winning will significantly increase.
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The Eagles are currently 16th in sack percentage. However, Philadelphia's secondary, which is among the best in the league, can cause multiple coverage sacks in the matchup. Players like Josh Sweat, Jalen Carter, and Zack Braun ultimately can be game-breakers against these weak points in Kansas City's offensive line. And, in a matchup of fine margins, this could be the difference.
What's at stake for Philadelphia heading into Super Bowl 59
Philadelphia is standing in the way of NFL history. At the same time, the Eagles are returning respect to a position that has been criminally undervalued recently. The New York Giants were willing to sign quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million deal. Meanwhile, the Eagles signed former Giants star running back Saquon Barkley to a three-year, $37.75 million contract.
Philadelphia paid a price that New York couldn't. And that contract has looked like the ultimate bargain. Barkley almost broke the single-season NFL rushing record with 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns. And he's upped his production in the postseason. Through three games, Barkley has run for 442 yards and five touchdowns on a staggering 6.7 yards per carry.
In addition, this game can validate the Jalen Hurts/Nick Sirianni partnership. Despite winning two NFC championships, the duo has been doubted. Hurts, overall, has been questioned about his ability to put a team over the top throughout his football career.
Even in college, he was benched in Alabama's 2018 College Football Playoff championship win over Georgia. This is a chance for Hurts to quiet everyone that's ever been against him his whole career. Whenever it has looked like there's been a ceiling on Jalen's talent, he's raised it. He'll have to do that again in Super Bowl 59. Still, the Eagles will need to dominate time of possession if they want to give Hurts the best chance to thrive in this game. And to do that, they must expose the Chiefs' fatal flaw.
