3 Super Bowl x-factors who have to step up for the Kansas City Chiefs
By Nick Villano
The Kansas City Chiefs survived the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship to make it to the Super Bowl. Who must step up for the Chiefs to win their second championship?
It came down to the very end, but the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals thanks to a field goal with just three seconds left.
The end of the game had questionable play calling, weird decisions, and major risks. Yet, Andy Reid is heading to Phoenix for another Super Bowl. This time, he’s facing the only other team he’s led the Philadelphia Eagles.
The two No. 1 seeds will face off in the Big Game. They both had interesting runs to the Super Bowl, but there’s a reason that the Eagles are favored to win. This is a team that has been dominant all season (outside of when Jalen Hurts was injured), and they were even better in the playoffs.
Still, the Chiefs are very much in this game. They need a few things to go right for the Chiefs to lift the Lombardi Trophy in a couple of weeks. There’s one very clear x-factor.
Chiefs Super Bowl x-factors: 1. Patrick Mahomes’ ankle
Patrick Mahomes we trust. His ankle, however, cannot be trusted right now. It looked really bad when a Jacksonville Jaguars player rolled over his right leg. That’s Mahomes’ plant leg, and it’s very important for the Chiefs that he’s as healthy as possible.
The Eagles are very good. The Chiefs aren’t too bad, but without a fully-healthy Mahomes, they would have a lot of trouble beating the Eagles on a neutral site.
Mahomes was still good against the Bengals, but they needed a lot to go right to beat the Bengals. They had calls go their way, a few mistakes by the Bengals, and a last-second field goal go through the uprights.
Mahomes had 326 yards and two passing touchdowns just one week after the injury. One would think he could do much better with two more weeks of rest. The Chiefs rely on that.