The Kansas City Chiefs will be intimately familiar with the Philadelphia Eagles entering Super Bowl LIX, given that they just defeated the Eagles to lift the Lombardi Trophy in an epic 38-35 shootout two seasons ago. In that game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 21 of his 27 passes for 182 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions — good for a 131.8 passer rating, by far the best Super Bowl performance of his career.
But that Eagles team was different. They didn’t have running back Saquon Barkley, who will likely be the most impactful player for either squad on Sunday. But they also didn’t have rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, one of five finalists for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, along with his teammate, Cooper DeJean. Together, they led a Philadelphia secondary that allowed just 3,266 passing yards this season, the second-lowest in the league.
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During the regular season, Mitchell didn’t intercept a pass, although he recorded 12 passes defended and held opposing quarterbacks to just a 54.7% completion percentage and an 87.2 passer rating. He also allowed just three touchdowns and 74 yards after the catch, and he rightfully finished the season as Pro Football Focus’ eighth-ranked cornerback, four spots behind DeJean.
He has turned it up a notch in the postseason, intercepting Green Bay Packers signal-caller Jordan Love in the Wild Card Round and skying for a game-sealing pick against Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels late in the NFC Championship Game. In the playoffs, Mitchell has been targeted 14 times, and he has allowed just five catches for 24 yards, good for a passer rating of 4.8.
It’ll be a tough task for Mitchell to repeat the feat during the Super Bowl, though; Mahomes has been a more cautious passer this year, posting a career low 6.2 intended air yards per attempt, which allowed him to post his lowest interception total (11) since the 2020 season. Also, after throwing at least one pick in each of his first seven games, he has not been intercepted since November 17, throwing 13 touchdowns in that span. Mahomes did have 22 turnover-worthy plays this season, according to Pro Football Focus, tied for the ninth-most in football.
