For more than 58 minutes, this was one of the best Super Bowls, including the halftime show, we have ever witnessed.
In the end, a marvelous performance by Patrick Mahomes and the entire Kansas City offense was the difference to being the right NFL betting pick. Here are the keys to the game.
1. Reid and Bieniemy’s Coaching Turned Game Around
When Kansas City got the ball in the second half and went right down the field and scored a touchdown, that made the score Philly 24-21, and despite dominating the game for the first 30 minutes, Philadelphia found themselves up by just three points.
The Chiefs ended up scoring on all four of their second-half positions. Patrick Mahomes was fantastic. Though his 182 yards passing pales in comparison to many of his best games, he was 21 for 27 passing and had a great quarterback rating of 131.8.
Any coach or offensive coordinator can call a great game, but if the players on the field don’t execute, it doesn’t matter. But Eric Bieniemy and Andy Reid were flawless in their play-calling and they continually out-schemed the Eagles’ defense, especially inside the 10-yard line for two easy touchdowns. As ESPN’s Ryan Clark said after the game, “That was Hall of Fame play-calling”.
Also, the Philly defense, despite their incredible season, could not get to Mahomes and instead of doing more blitzing, coach Nick Sirianni and his defensive staff failed to make the right adjustments, which cost them the game.
2. The Focus Was on the Wrong Offensive Line
One aspect that seems to come up in the Super Bowl involving the winner is the Respect Card. This involves one team hearing about what the other team or media is saying about the strength of the opposing club.
Because there are two full weeks between the Conference Championship and the Super Bowl, the player or players hear they are not as good, or that the other team is superior. The position coach or coaches start preaching this mantra and by game time, this player or group of players is in a full lather looking to prove everyone wrong.
Did the Hype Affect the Eagles?
This year, nobody said the Kansas City offensive or defensive lines were not good. The storyline was that Philadelphia had the top offensive line in the NFL, their defensive front had 70 sacks –3rd all-time– and that they would create problems for the Chiefs, as ultimately football games are won in the trenches.
Turns out the Kansas City offensive and defensive players took that to heart and they were better on both sides of the ball than the more acclaimed Eagles.
The Chiefs’ offense out-rushed Philadelphia 158 to 115, having an edge per carry of 6.1 to 3.6. If you stick just with carries by the running backs, a truer measure of the offensive and defensive lines, K.C. ran for 114 yards at 5.7 YPC and the Eagles were at 45 yards at 2.6 YPC.
Add in the Birds having zero sacks, and Kansas City won the game in particular by having the better offensive line.
3. K.C. Special Teams Do It Again
Though special teams don’t often decide games, they can help determine them, and you should keep that in mind when handicapping the NFL odds.
For Kansas City, just like in the AFC Championship, the Chiefs’ punt return team generated a huge play that set their team up for a big score, which would be a major reason why they would win.
Kansas City won their second Super Bowl in four years with superior coaching, being better at the line of scrimmage and special teams.
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