• It’s hard to forget about the Eagles’ dominant offensive line: The unit has opened holes for Saquon Barkley all season and earned PFF’s “Best Offensive Line” award.

• Watch for Patrick Mahomes to use his legs: Among 30 teams whose quarterbacks have scrambled at least 10 times this season, the Chiefs rank fifth in expected points added per play on scrambles (0.69).

• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

There is little left to discover about the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, set to play in Super Bowl 59 in a few days. But, across the teams’ combined 39 games over the past five months, there are things we learned about both squads along the way.

Here are five things we learned about the Chiefs and the Eagles on their way to the Super Bowl.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles still have the best offensive line in football

The Eagles’ offensive line endured some speed bumps early in the season but managed to get back to its best as the season unfolded. The unit faced injuries, as left tackle Jordan Mailata, right guard Mekhi Becton and right tackle Lane Johnson all missed time, leading to the team ranking below average in pass protection during those weeks. With the unit fully healthy, it has improved in pass protection and is now the NFL’s clear best run-blocking group.

Saquon Barkley is perfect for this offense

Running back Saquon Barkley, whom the Eagles signed in free agency, has been a perfect fit for Philadelphia’s offense. The former New York Giant proved time and time again he can take advantage of the Eagles’ elite run blocking. With even adequate blocking, Barkley presents a threat unlike any other player in the NFL to break off a long run to the house. He finished the regular season with 25 runs on which he gained at least 15 yards, tied for the most in the NFL. Including the postseason, the Penn State product has gained 45.2% of his rushing yards on those long runs, which leads the league this season.

Saquon Barkley: Career PFF Grades

Philadelphia’s pass defense is elite

Even though the Eagles’ defense added multiple pieces and needed returning players to step up, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has put together the most effective coverage unit in the NFL. Including the postseason, the Eagles’ defense has allowed a league-low -0.09 expected points added per play. The unit’s 85.3 passer rating allowed also ranks first in the NFL. A huge part of that success is rookie cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, who rank third and eighth, respectively, at their position in PFF overall grade.

The middle of the field is no longer a defensive liability

Philadelphia lost both of its starting linebackers, T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White, after a Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs two years ago and has not invested heavily in the position since. However, bringing in Zack Baun, who played only 685 snaps during his four seasons in New Orleans, and promoting Nakobe Dean, who played only 229 snaps in his first two seasons in Philadelphia, to a starting role paid dividends for the Eagles.

Not only did Baun earn the highest PFF overall grade among linebackers this season (Dean ranked 13th), but Oren Burks has been playing at a high level since stepping in for Dean after his injury. Philadelphia’s linebackers have combined to earn a 90.6 PFF overall grade this season, leading the NFL by a significant margin.

The Eagles do not need to blitz

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio talked this week about how his defense found its identity as the season progressed, and that included not needing to bring extra pressure. The Eagles allowed -0.14 expected points added per play in the regular season on plays when they brought four pass-rushers. That figure was the best in the NFL by a significant margin. (The gap between them and the second-place team is equivalent to the gap between the second and the 12th team). They also sacked opposing quarterbacks 34 times when bringing four pass-rushers, tied for the sixth most, while their 35.2% pressure rate ranked seventh.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs have the versatility to fix offensive line issues

The Chiefs’ issues at offensive tackle positions are nothing new. But they did peak during the 2024 NFL season, especially on the left side. Over the first 14 weeks, Kansas City’s left tackles combined to earn a 47.9 PFF overall grade, ranking second to last in the NFL. However, Kansas City found a solution: sliding left guard Joe Thuney over to left tackle.

Thuney first played snaps this season at left tackle in Week 13 against the Raiders when he made a cameo at the position for seven snaps, which is made even more impressive by the fact that he learned mid-game that he would have to play out of position. Since Week 15, he has been the full-time starter on the left side, which helped solidify the Chiefs’ pass protection in front of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Mahomes is a threat with his legs

Even though he did not put up gaudy passing numbers in 2024, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was still very effective as the Chiefs secured a 15-2 regular-season record. He once again complemented his passing ability with his legs, scrambling for big gains. Among 30 teams whose quarterbacks have scrambled at least 10 times this season, the Chiefs rank fifth in expected points added per play on scrambles (0.69). Mahomes ranks fifth in PFF rushing grade (90.8) and is tied for second in touchdowns on scrambles (three) among qualifiers.

Patrick Mahomes: 2024 Rushing Production

Kansas City can lead long drives

While many people associate long drives with Kansas City’s Super Bowl opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs are actually better at demoralizing defenses with clock-eating series. Kansas City’s offense averaged a league-leading 6.7 plays per drive during the regular season, whereas the Eagles ranked 13th (6.2). Even though the Chiefs’ offense ranked only 15th in the NFL with 22.6 points per game, they were still efficient, placing ninth in generating positive EPA on 47.0% of plays. The discrepancy between the two stats is mainly because of the long drives, which led to fewer possessions per game.

The Chiefs’ defense is one of the best at blitzing

Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has a reputation for calling blitzes at the right time, confusing opposing quarterbacks and resulting in big plays for the Chiefs. The last defensive play of the AFC Championship game is a perfect example: Spagnuolo stayed aggressive and pressured quarterback Josh Allen on a game-deciding fourth-down play.

While Kansas City has had mixed results on pass blitzes, allowing 11 touchdown passes on such plays in the regular season (tied for the eighth most), they made up for it on run blitzes. They averaged -0.3 expected points added allowed on those plays, which made them the fifth-best defense in the league in that department.

Kansas City is one of the best tackling teams

Fundamentals are crucial to a defense’s success, and the 2024 Chiefs defense is a perfect example. The unit didn’t rank at the top of the league in many metrics, but the fact that they are one of the best tackling teams in the NFL raises their floor. Including the postseason, the Chiefs’ defense has missed only 11% of its tackle attempts, the second-best rate in the NFL.