Former Alabama QB Jalen Hurts will face the Kansas City Chiefs and NFL wizard Patrick Mahomes tonight in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl matchup could come down to the all-star cast of players in the trenches, who might decide the championship game
Former Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Hurts will be playing behind an offensive line including former Alabama teammate Landon Dickerson at left guard, as well as All-Pro center Jason Kelce All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson, left tackle Jordan Mailata, and right guard Isaac Seumalo, all of whom have excelled in the playoffs.
The Kansas City Chiefs know what it's like to face a fearsome pass rush in the Super Bowl. Behind a banged-up offensive line, Mahomes looked ordinary in a 31-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the big game two years ago. They're healthy this time around and have a pair of second-team All-Pros: left guard Joe Thuney and center Creed Humphrey.
On the opposite side, All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones was a nightmare for opponents this season. Jones had 15 1/2 sacks. If Philly's O-line can't slow him down, it could be a rough day for Hurts.
For the Chiefs-- Mahomes, the two-time AP NFL MVP, is a magician, even with an ankle injury that should feel better now than it did two weeks ago against Cincinnati. He'll look often for All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, who had 110 catches in the regular season and 21 in two playoff games. Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling had a big game against the Bengals, catching six passes for 116 yards and a TD. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kadarius Toney are ready to go after being injured in that game. The Chiefs had the league's 20th-ranked run offense mostly because Mahomes led the NFL in passing. Rookie seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco had 830 yards rushing in the regular season and 95 against Jacksonville but only 26 in the AFC title game. Running back Jerick McKinnon is more of a pass-catching threat. He had 56 receptions. Protecting Mahomes will be critical to Kansas City's success. The Eagles are five sacks away from breaking the NFL record for a season
When the Eagles have the ball-- Philly can beat teams on the ground or in the air. Hurts could run for 100 yards or throw for 300. This offense has plenty of versatility with Hurts leading the way. Miles Sanders had 1,268 yards rushing in the regular season. Kenny Gainwell leads the team with 160 yards rushing in the playoffs. Boston Scott is another option in a stacked backfield. Hurts only has 275 yards passing in the playoffs but the Eagles haven't had to throw. They've had success running, built big leads and kept it on the ground to chew the clock. If they air it out, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are among the top tandems in the NFL and tight end Dallas Goedert is underrated. The Chiefs allowed a league-high 33 passing TDs this season so it could be a big day for Hurts and his receivers.
