Welcome to half two of the Tremendous Bowl LIX breakdown from Set up the Enjoyable. Learn our movie evaluation of the Chiefs offense vs. Eagles protection. Now let’s dive into the opposite facet of the ball.
Now, you’re in all probability anticipating me to start out off with one thing right here about QB Jalen Hurts and the passing sport.
YOU THOUGHT WRONG!
As up and down as Hurts and the Eagles’ passing sport has been this season, they achieve this properly at avoiding these conditions as a result of they’re the most effective speeding groups within the sport. Kansas Metropolis should be significantly better of their protection on the bottom than they had been of their win over the Payments within the AFC title sport towards this Eagles staff, however how each groups get to their run schemes is far completely different. Whereas the Payments majored in duo, mid zone, after which throwing in sort out dart on events, the Eagles are extra of a counter staff and use inside zone as their changeup.
Due to how athletic Philadelphia’s offensive line is, they concentrate on GT Counter, the place each the guard and sort out pull.
They use Hurts together with this on Counter Bash, the place the guard and sort out pull reverse of the route the again goes, as a substitute main for Hurts. This enables the Eagles’ QB to get downhill with lead blockers, usually a foul situation for the protection.
I’m a bit intrigued by how the Chiefs defend the run this week, as a result of the Eagles’ run scheme is much more just like the Ravens, who they confronted in week one. Even then, the Ravens have a way more explosive run menace at QB and poses completely different issues than the Eagles. But, I feel the Chiefs will pull out an analogous defensive gameplan. Count on loads of their linebackers walked up, or DB Chamarri Conner in the event that they need to play in nickel. What this does is creates a tough edge to both drive performs to bounce or field them again inside.
LB Leo Chenal (No. 54) loses the sting right here due to all of the run stuff thrown at him, however you get an awesome play by LB Nick Bolton (No. 32), who performed properly within the SB win towards Philly.
On this one, they’ve Conner because the bottom EDGE participant, monitoring this play down from the bottom. I feel KC goes to have to indicate the Eagles completely different appears up entrance to disrupt the timing of their run sport in the event that they need to sluggish Philly down.
If we use the 2022 Tremendous Bowl to tell us of something in the case of Hurts’ efficiency, I feel he needs to be effective. The largest factor for Hurts as a passer is for him to take the straightforward stuff when it’s there. This season, he’s turned down a number of passing choices with the intention to scramble, and whereas I feel he can do this, I don’t assume that’s his sport. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore should give him simpler stuff to get him warmed up and into the movement of the sport to allow them to assault downfield, which they’d success doing of their first Tremendous Bowl matchup. I feel the run sport will play a big function in that, as a result of it retains the Eagles out of conditions the place Spags and the Chiefs can throw all of the bizarre strain appears at them. In a sport the place Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens may be hampered, that may very well be their most suitable choice.
We’ve all seen the strain numbers for Hurts at this level. He’s one of many worst in the case of EPA and Success Fee, however has additionally thrown six TDs whereas beneath strain. I feel he performed his finest soccer of the season towards Washington, and it’s partially as a result of he was discovering his solutions towards simulated pressures. Washington tries to play a cool inverted Cowl 2 right here, bringing LB Bobby Wagner and dropping LB Frankie Luvu. Hurts doesn’t panic, is aware of the place his reply is and delivers a 15-yard cross to WR AJ Brown.
Nonetheless, the Eagles face the king of the one sport defensive gameplan and one of the crucial underrated secondaries within the NFL. Spags trusts his secondary to take action a lot in the case of the altering footage and appears he can throw at opponents, and so they’re all feisty blitzers from depth. When the Chiefs can use pressures like this one towards Houston, they’re extraordinarily robust to beat.
To me, the battle on this facet of the ball goes to come back right down to first and second down. Spags and the Chiefs need to get you into apparent passing conditions, and whereas Hurts can win that means, it might make the sport so much simpler on them if he doesn’t need to attempt to decipher the Spags code in apparent passing conditions. Conversely, I’m wondering how the Chiefs defend the run after getting gashed towards Buffalo. This can be a a lot completely different beast than the Payments are, but when they will stymie the run sport and stop a Saquon Barkley lightning bolt, they may very well be in good condition.