Head coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and tight end Travis Kelce get most of the credit for the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty, and for good reason. But defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is a superstar in his own right, and his arrival coincided with Mahomes’ second season as the starter, when they reached the Super Bowl for the first time.
Kansas City’s defense has been arguably better than ever, with a stacked squad led by star corner Trent McDuffie and defensive tackle Chris Jones. Jones, a six-time All-Pro selection, had a bit of a down year by pure production standards, notching just five sacks — his fewest since his rookie season — and 37 total tackles. Still, he ranked fifth in the league in terms of pass pressure created, and he did manage to bring down Houston Texans signal-caller C.J. Stroud in the Divisional Round.
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Jones’ opponent on Sunday will be Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was the 11th-most frequently sacked quarterback this year, going down on 9.52% of his drop-backs despite playing behind one of the league’s best offensive lines. This season, Hurts held onto the ball in the pocket for an average of 2.7 seconds before throwing it or before the pocket collapsed because of pressure, the longest of any quarterback in the league. During Philadelphia’s run through the NFC, Hurts took 11 sacks, the most of any signal-caller.
I’m not sure if Hurts’ struggles to avoid sacks are necessarily going to continue in the Super Bowl, given that seven of those 11 sacks came in the Divisional Round win over the Los Angeles Rams — who tied a postseason single-game sack record in the Wild Card Round — in which his knee was clearly hampered. He took only two sacks in the NFC Championship Game despite injuries to starting center Cam Jurgens and left guard Landon Dickerson, both of whom are expected to be healthy for the Super Bowl.
If anyone is going to get to Hurts, Jones has a good shot, given that his pass rush win rate is 18.8%, the fourth-highest in football. Right guard Mekhi Becton and Dickerson have allowed five sacks each this season, and Jurgens has allowed six. The Eagles’ tackles — Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata — are two of the best in football, having allowed only two sacks between them, so Jones is more likely to record a sack than edge rushers George Karlaftis and Mike Danna. However, Jones is also the most likely Chiefs defensive lineman to face a double-team, which would make it less likely for him to bring down Hurts in the backfield.
