Keys to the Super Bowl: Kansas City

After covering Tampa Bay, here is what I believe will be key to guiding the Chiefs to glory.

The Three Horsemen:

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. This game is being billed as a Brady vs Mahomes face off and rightly so but for Mahomes to full succeed, he will need Hill and Kelce up for this. Hill scored 3 touchdowns in 1 quarter against the Bucs in the regular season and though this is unlikely to occur again, his deep threat will be pivotal, it won the Super Bowl last year and could do so again. As for Kelce, his ability to make catches that should not be made, get short yardage, and make plays when this team needs it most will be incredibly important against an in-form, stout Tampa defence.

Tyrann Mathieu:

Chief’s standout safety and defensive captain Mathieu can be Brady’s downfall in this game. Mathieu has had another stellar season and his defensive knowledge is imperative to the way Kansas City win games, he is the heart of the secondary. Now, Brady struggled against a lacklustre Green Bay Packers and was intercepted 3 times and the Chiefs are better. Getting this defence in gear and getting an early play can set the momentum for the Super Bowl. Saying that defence wins Championships is not a joke and has been seen before in Brady Super Bowl appearances, with Brandon Graham’s strip sack for the Philadelphia Eagles, sealing their first Championship. Mathieu is the orchestrator of this defence; he can help get that early play or maybe even the late one that wins it all.

The Run Game:

The Chief’s backfield has been up and down all year, with first-round rookie Clyde Edward-Helaire being exceptional until getting an injury and in-season addition Le’Veon Bell finding his feet in the short yardage game. I’ve spoken about how good Tampa’s Line-backer group is and to really get them on the back foot the run game is something that just has to get going. Mahomes cannot do it all and it’s hard the think Brady won’t have Leonard Fournette on form in this one. Kansas City must get the down hill run game going so that Mahomes does not have to rely on the deep plays every time, get some rhythm and this offense will be an incredible headache for the Bucs once again.