Where the Chiefs’ O-line found extra motivation vs. Eagles’ D-line in Super Bowl LVII
Chiefs coach Andy Reid warned us ahead of time that the outcome of Super Bowl LVII would be determined in the trenches.
Reid’s offensive line was going against the Philadelphia Eagles’ formidable defensive line, which totaled a league-high 70 sacks during the regular season.
And Reid’s forecast proved prescient: The Chiefs’ front five was instrumental in Kansas City’s 38-35 win at State Farm Stadium Sunday night thanks to an impressive statistic.
“We showed up and showed out, man,” Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said. “Zero sacks.”
The Eagles’ pass rush was ineffective against quarterback Patrick Mahomes after the Chiefs’ offensive line neutralized four key Philly players: linebacker Haason Reddick and defensive linemen Javon Hargrave, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham.
Reddick paced the Eagles with a team-high 16 sacks during the regular season, while defensive linemen Javon Hargrave, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham each tallied 11.
So how did Brown, left guard Joe Thuney, center Creed Humphrey, right guard Trey Smith and right tackle Andrew Wylie slow down Philadelphia’s pass rush? Turns out they took extra motivation from being peppered with a week’s worth of questions about Reddick and Co.
“I was so sick and tired of hearing how historic that front seven is,” Wylie said. “I’m so sick of that stuff. I think us five up front took it very personal.
“We were sick and tired of it, man, and we came out there with a purpose and that was to keep 15 (Mahomes) upright and create holes in the run game. It was a fantastic game plan, especially the way Coach Reid and EB (offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy) were dialing it up in the second half. Us five up front had a lot of pride in how we took care of business.”
“We take a lot of pride up front of being a source of energy,” Brown said. “We knew coming in this game, circumstances, everything was going to be hard.
“It’s the Super Bowl. Pat’s been dealing with an ankle injury. We knew we were going to have to pass in certain situations. And it wasn’t pretty or perfect, but it was enough to win the game and that’s what matters.”
The Chiefs’ offensive line didn’t produce an entirely clean game, as the Eagles managed to get five quarterback hits on Mahomes (Reddick had two). But the protection allowed Mahomes to come through with three touchdown passes, two in the deciding fourth quarter.
Whenever the protection broke down, Mahomes was able to escape pressure. He rushed six times for 44 yards, including a 26-yard scamper on the game-winning drive.
The Chiefs’ front five also stood out in the ground game, paving the way for 158 rushing yards and a touchdown on 26 carries (6.1 yards per attempt).
After the game, Mahomes, who was selected as Super Bowl LVII MVP — the second Super Bowl MVP in his three big-game appearances — acknowledged the performance of his primary protectors.
In a game of inches, the Chiefs’ victory truly started and ended in the trenches.
“The biggest thing was the offensive line ... that’s the reason we won this game,” Mahomes said.
This story was originally published February 13, 2023 at 10:51 AM.
