Mazz: Patriots takeaways after the Eagles dismantled the Chiefs
The NFL is a copycat league, as the saying goes. And so today, in the wake of a Super Bowl bloodbath, here are the takeaways for the Patriots after the Philadelphia Eagles dismantled the Kansas City Chiefs.
For starters, you don’t need Tom Brady to beat Patrick Mahomes.
If that seems obvious, well … it isn’t. Mahomes has been a starter for seven years and been to seven AFC Championship Games, five times advancing to the Super Bowl. He remains very much on the track set by the Patriots and, more specifically, Tom Brady. Just the same, Brady has never taken the kind of beating in the Super Bowl that Mahomes has now taken twice, Sunday night’s 40-22 loss to the Eagles joining the 31-9 loss to Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just four years ago.
And don’t be deceived by the final score. This game was way worse than the one four years ago.
And so, as the Patriots now seemingly begin a real rebuild under Mike Vrabel, here are things to consider from both the shorter- and longer-term perspective of the Patriots:
There is no solution for a bad offensive line
Know what the great, untold story from the Chiefs’ 2024 season was? They had problems on the offensive line all year, specifically at tackle. That resulted in guard Joe Thuney playing left tackle late in the season – and he performed brilliantly in the AFC Championship against Buffalo. In retrospect, maybe this says more about the Buffalo Bills and head coach Sean McDermott, who saw the Eagles do to the Chiefs what they could not – terrorize and batter Patrick Mahomes.
Truth be told, Mahomes didn’t have a chance in this game, though he contributed great to his team’s demise with a pair of unsightly interceptions. Still, Philadelphia executed a siege on the Kansas City backfield – and without the benefit of a single blitz. In two of the Patriots’ three Super Bowl losses with Brady, New England scored under 20 points. In the first one, the Giants executed essentially the same plan the Eagles did last night, generating great pressure with only four rushers.
The point? Kansas City can’t win with Mahomes alone and the biggest weakness on the 2024 Chiefs was the offensive line. If you can’t block, it all goes to hell.
On the flip side, look at the pocket here on Jalen Hurts’ 46-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. Pretty clean, right? Last night’s game doesn’t mean Hurts is better than Mahomes. It means he got far better protection, which gave him the time and space to execute. The difference in the game was the difference between the two offensive lines.
Defense still matters
Before you make this all about the Eagles defense … don’t. The Chiefs, too, were better on defense than offense this year, and the 40-point total by Philadelphia had a great deal to do with the KC turnovers. The Chiefs did the thing they needed to, which was to shut down Saquon Barkley. But the Chiefs offense had the ball for just 23 minutes – much of it late, when the game was over – including just 10 minutes in the first half. The Chiefs didn’t cross midfield until the third quarter.
All of this made the game comparatively easy for Hurts – and that doesn’t mean Hurts stinks. But this is the kind of structure the Patriots should try to build for Drake Maye, who has indisputable talent. Maye needs to be protected on offense and supported on defense, and that starts up front. In two of the Patriots’ three Super Bowl losses, the New England defense really couldn’t get off the field.
Don’t dismiss the threat of the running game
Did Barkley have a huge night? No. But don’t dismiss the importance of him. On the 46-yard touchdown to Smith that made the game 34-0, the Eagles ran play action. The repeated threat of Barkley – which the Eagles established all season long – was something the Chiefs had to account for on every play. The first step of their defensive game plan was force Barkley to the interior and smother him before he could get started. And it worked.
The problem? The Chiefs had to spend such focus, energy, and manpower that Hurts had a relative field day – though he did throw one ugly interception. Still, with protection, weapons, and his mobility, Hurts was able to torch the Chiefs en route to being named Super Bowl MVP. Did he deserve the honor? Sure. (Personally, I would have given the honor to Josh Sweat, who was the best of the Philadelphia defenders up front.) But the Eagles set Hurts up for success by dominating both lines of scrimmage, something the Patriots failed to do this year on either side of the ball.
