3 things the Philadelphia Eagles must do to win Super Bowl LIV

Keys to a Philadelphia Eagles win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2025 Super Bowl.

The two weeks between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl are interesting for the two teams involved for a lot of reasons. Players and coaches have to deal with people coming out of the woodwork begging for tickets, the media exposure is at an entirely new level, and the silliness-to-football ratio can get out of hand if you’re not careful.

On the plus side, you generally have a lot more eyes on the scouting and matchup aspects of the actual game. Teams will bring in area scouts for their own expertise and perspective, and everything teams do to gain any advantage from a schematic standpoint is doubled and tripled with the extra people and time.

I’m just one guy with a laptop and a bunch of subscriptions to tape and metric services, but if the Philadelphia Eagles were to ask me to consult in any capacity (suuuuure, that’ll happen), I would say that these three things are crucial to upset the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl three-peat party.

Help Jalen Hurts with pre-snap motion.

It’s redundant to go over Jalen Hurts’ issues with hesitation in the face of flipped coverages and zone-flooding. We all know they’re there, and we all know that if those things persist throughout Super Bowl LIV, the Eagles have far less of a chance to find revenge for that Super Bowl LVII loss two years ago.

It’s also fairly well known that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is not the NFL’s biggest fan of pre-snap motion. Sirianni became head coach in 2021, and from 2021-2023 Philly never used it at a rate higher than 32%, which ranks them in the low twenties to high thirties every year. They’ve upticked it to 48% in the 2024 season because first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore likes it and knows how to use it.

And it has really paid off for their franchise quarterback.

With motion this season, Hurts has completed 157 of 222 passes for 1,887 yards, 957 air yards, 14 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 113.7, which is the NFL’s third-highest among quarterbacks with at least 100 snaps with pre-snap motion behind only Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield.

Not that such things are automatic against Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. Against motion in the passing game this season, the Chiefs have allowed 248 completions on 375 attempts for 2,662 yards, 17 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 24 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 90.8. As is the case with most things this season, the Chiefs’ defense is opportunistic against motion, but not unbeatable. Were I in Sirianni’s seat, I would err against my own personal preferences (as he has done this season, to his credit), and give my embattled quarterback every possible tool for success.

Don’t fall for the banana in the tailpipe.

Speaking of motion… man, are the Chiefs all about motion and deception and forcing a defense to adjust on the fly. And it’s not just in the passing game. As ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky pointed out the day after the Chiefs’ 32-29 AFC Championship Game win over the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City’s run game can put a defense in all kinds of binds by making them wonder where the ball is. They got two rushing touchdowns on one version of the same play, and the Bills had no idea how to counter it.

This version of three-card monte does extend to the passing game. It needs to, because the Chiefs are heavily reliant on a sustaining aerial attack. They don’t have the vertical juice to step away from it. So, all that pre-snap movement is crucial to giving Partrick Mahomes the designed openings he needs – not because Mahomes can’t read any defense outright (of course he can), but because those designed openings create yards-after-catch opportunities.

Overall, the Chiefs have used motion on 63% of their offensive plays this season, so no internal schism there. And when using motion, Mahomes has completed 288 of 407 passes for 2,871 yards, 1,089 air yards (like we said, it’s not a vertical passing game), 22 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a passer rating of 99.2.

Where this gets interesting is that the Eagles’ pass defense is REALLY good when facing motion. They’ve allowed 224 completions on 350 attempts for 2,172 yards, 15 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 27 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 81.3. That’s the second-lowest in the NFL behind only the Houston Texans’ 80.3.

So, Vic Fangio’s defense would seem to be in line with the stoppage of sleight of hand. That would be a huge advantage if it plays out in the Super Bowl.

Stunt the Chiefs’ offensive line into submission.

Where the Eagles have a clear and obvious advantage in this game is in their defensive line vs. Kansas City’s offensive line, especially on the edges. Kansas City’s tackle issues, which have forced left guard Jue Thuney out to left tackle since Week 15, are legion, and the Eagles can get to the quarterback just about any way they want – whether it’s straight rushes or blitzes… or stunts. It’s those stunts and games that could be especially iffy for Partrick Mahomes.

With their 204 stunts this season, the Eagles have forced 59 quarterback hurries, 17 quarterback hits, and 11 sacks. That’s a 42.6% pressure rate.

And against 189 stunts this season, Mahomes has been sacked 14 times, hit 29 times, and hurried 37 times. That’s a 42.3% pressure rate, so there’s your matchup right there.

Fangio’s “Stunt Fu” could do a lot to determine an Eagles victory.